Follow Blake on Twitter @jonesblakej. . Sami Edge/Idaho Education News (UPDATED: Oct. 19, reflecting the death of Pete Coulson from COVID-19.) I believe shes the best person for the job, and the fact that she is a woman is a bonus.. A federal district court later shot down the practice in 2011, the Associated Press reported. Little Says He Hasn't Spoken To Lt. Gov McGeachin In Weeks, Cases of coronavirus in Idaho spike after businesses reopen, Lt. Gov. Educated at the University of Arizona, McGeachin owned several businesses in Idaho Falls. Janice McGeachin presented her 10-point gubernatorial platform for her first 100 days in office during a press conference on the Idaho Capitol steps in March. McGeachin thanked those in attendance at the America First Political Action Conference held in Orlando, Florida, for joining our efforts. U.S. Rep. Greene also spoke at the event. The rotation of bartenders appears to be playing to their VIPs, frequently stopping to check in on the McGeachins and their daughter. We are in a Marxist takeover, a communist takeover (in) this country. [53][54] By fall 2021, Idaho had among the nation's lowest COVID-19 vaccination rates. Professor Scott Yenor is a professor of political philosophy at Boise State University. He recently served as principal of Marsh Valley Middle School in East Idaho, but split from the school after one school year after signing a separation agreement May 13, a week before his membership on the task force was announced, EdNews reported. The family who drinks together stays together, right? the bartender says. Jason Knopp is the vice chairman of the Melba School Districts board. Trump calls her just about every other week to inquire about the campaign, she said. Beck, who also has penned several newspaper op-eds defending McGeachin, told the Statesman he backs her because shes honest, transparent and conservative.. The federal government has become too restrictive in how we teach our kids, manage health care, build our roads and manage our resources." This group is described by Steve Taggart in his most recent Idaho Politics Weekly post as "wacky and extremist at best." The Idaho Capital Sun has filed a public record's request with McGeachin's office. Janice McGeachin greets Randy and Colleen Crawford, of Caldwell, at a meet-and-greet campaign fundraiser at a Caldwell-area winery in April. We need you, youre a fighter, she said, spurring McGeachin to dash on stage to embrace her booster. But the seat also is viewed as a stepping stone for the states next governor, with five of Idahos past seven governors, including Little, 68, having served as second-in-command. Her campaign events typically begin with prayer, and she routinely mentions her unwavering belief in God and his plan for the state, and nation, out on the stump. appears in video slamming virus rules, whether 'a pandemic may or may not be occurring', Idaho Lt. McGeachin said she doesnt concern herself with unflattering characterizations, or any of the other things people say about her. McGeachin herself donned a mask at times around the Capitol during a statewide peak of COVID-19 from the delta variant, telling the Statesman she did so out of respect for others who were there. McGeachin was born in southern New Mexico, 35 miles north of the Mexican border, to Allyn and Dorothy Kyes. Will that be a really impactful endorsement, or not really a defining kind of factor in determining outcomes? The McGeachins had their first child, a daughter, the year after they married. About halfway through, he reminded attendees about various forms of sin in the eyes of God. [37] Separately, McGeachin's attorneys billed her almost $17,000 to defend her in the records lawsuit; McGeachin said in 2022 that the public did not pay for these legal fees. The makeup of Lt. Gov. But shes a hard worker for what we stand for maintaining our republic. I stood with them when Mr. Little sent his law enforcement into their business and threatened to take their license away, she told a crowd at a rally last week in Meridian. She said she took a pair of trips, to Trump Tower in New York City and his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, to explain her role as vice chair of his presidential campaign in Idaho before serving as a delegate at the Republican National Convention in 2016 and 2020. [9][67] In announcing her candidacy, McGeachin attacked public health measures to combat the spread of COVID-19 and said that Idaho should reject federal funding to preserve "state sovereignty," although she did not give details. McGeachin now appears to be following the same political formula that led to Trumps rapid rise, Thompson said, including his defeat of President Joe Biden in Idaho in 2020 by nearly 31 percentage points, despite losing the national election. Janice McGeachin appeared on Tucker Carlson Tonight to discuss the indoctrination within Idaho's schools in which she speaks about the importance of education in Idaho and the "indoctrination of our young people" that she says has made her the target of the media for her anti-CRT stance. All three politicos now carry the highly sought-after endorsement of Americas polarizing 45th president. Also joining were nationally known special guests freedom fighters, as McGeachin dubs them including former Fox News commentator Michelle Malkin and Arizona state Sen. Wendy Rogers, who each endorse McGeachin. Who Is Janice McGeachin's Husband? And this is a manifestation of it in our face. 2023 Idaho Ed News. A few challengers ran spendy races and unseated Statehouse incumbents. [74] She opposes Medicaid expansion and was a leading opponent of 2018 Proposition 2, an initiative to expand Medicaid coverage to about 62,000 Idahoans. The McGeachins two adult children run an Irish pub the family owns in a historic building they restored in downtown Idaho Falls. Ive been pregnant twice. The two married and are celebrating their 35th wedding anniversary this summer, McGeachin said, fiddling with a thick-banded, diamond-encrusted ring around her right middle finger. She said she supports marriage between a man and a woman, as outlined by Idaho's Constitution, despite the fact that gay marriage became legal by federal law in a U.S. Supreme Court case in 2015. After an onslaught of negative attention tied to the AFPAC event, including calls for her to resign, McGeachin responded by chastising the media a common target of her contempt, including consistent use of the phrase fake news media popularized by Trump. Thats all great, but if thats why you can do it, then you open yourself up for people to look at the businesses.. McGeachins office previously said he has worked in school administration and social work. One more for prosperity.. We need Janice McGeachin. Today, hers is a household name throughout Idaho, even if many people are still unsure how to say it. However, on Monday, a state budget administrator warned McGeachin state law places limitations on the ability to reduce an elected constitutional officer's salary mid-term . She unsuccessfully challenged Little in the Republican primary for governor in the 2022 election. [64][65] Legal experts dismissed the suit as meritless,[65] and it was rejected by the Supreme Court. Hamilton, also McGeachins part-time director of communications this past legislative session, said the pendant epitomized her feelings toward the lieutenant governor, and is also a message she hoped her friend would keep close to her heart out on the campaign trail. And I have had two healthy pregnancies, said McGeachin, long a vocal advocate against a womans right to obtain an abortion. "[38] Little said that McGeachin's order "unilaterally and unlawfully" forbade local officials from determining public-health policies in their own jurisdictions and would have forbidden the state from enforcing protective measures for social workers from making home visits to at-risk patients, or for employees in state testing labs. Henry then met McGeachin during a rally against requiring schoolchildren to wear masks in the classroom held on the Capitol steps, and explained her familys traumatic experience. [20] During the 2018 campaign, McGeachin took security guards with her to a debate at the Idaho Public Television station in Boise, although there was no known threat against her, and characterized them as "friends. The Janice McGeachin for governor campaign displays signs and pamphlets that prominently show former President Donald Trumps endorsement. The two positions run for election separately, rather than as a unified ticket. Janice Kyes McGeachin ( / mi.n /; born January 18, 1963) [1] is an American far-right [2] [3] [4] politician and businesswoman who served as the 43rd lieutenant governor of Idaho from 2019 to 2023. [1] She graduated from Skyline High School in Idaho Falls and earned her B.S. McGeachin was unopposed for the Republican primary[76] and the general election. Janice McGeachin is a well-known figure in the United States. Its just about all women supporting each other, McGeachin said. Janice McGeachin enters the house chambers at the state Capitol building on Jan. 10, 2022 in Boise, Idaho. Members of her initiative claimed, without substantiation, that Idaho schoolchildren were being indoctrinated. After four meetings, the task force delivered a set of vague recommendations. [9] Trump endorsed McGeachin's candidacy. A member of the Idaho Liberty Dogs, a right-wing citizen group, stands guard with a holstered handgun, walkie-talkie and earpiece at a campaign rally for Lt. Gov. | Sami Edge, Idaho Education News. Ive made my statements about who I am and what I believe in, McGeachin told the Idaho Statesman in a sit-down interview. | Kevin Fixler [email protected]. She committed, however, to accepting the results of the states May primary, believing voting irregularities in Idaho where Trump won big were not large scale. Janice McGeachin attends a rally to support semi-truckers and protest against COVID-19 vaccination mandates for employment held in Boise in March. Lt. Gov. Brian Myrick / Idaho Press. Another source of inspiration for McGeachin can frequently be found hanging around her neck. Without naming McGeachin, Little disavowed her appearance at the conference on social media, saying it was extremely unfortunate anyone in elected office in Idaho must make statements like these., Idaho Lt. Gov. The departure had nothing to do with his participation on the task force, Moffett told the Idaho State Journal. McGeachins tenure in the Legislature included serving as chair of the House Health and Welfare Committee. I admit, to a certain extent, it was a little bit surprising, Little told the Statesman during an April phone interview, adding he didnt know why Trump endorsed his chief rival. Idaho is one of 20 U.S. states that has never had a female governor. Britney Spears and husband Sam Asghari rock matching outfits for a trip . His research focuses on the politics of families and marriage. When he announced his run for president in 2015, she listened to his entire speech and knew instantly she wanted to support him, she said. Ryan Spoon, who said hes a West Point graduate and father, expressed worry about critical race theory being taught at U.S. military academies. Her relationship with Little finally boiled over last year when McGeachin leveraged the Idaho Constitution, which bestows power upon her position when the governor is out of state, and issued a pair of pandemic-related executive orders. As a man in the audience yelled a vulgarity about Little referencing the female anatomy, drawing laughter from the crowd, McGeachin accused the incumbent governor of losing touch with Idaho values, and turning his back on residents during the pandemic. Other priorities under a McGeachin administration, she said, include seeking the end of the states tax on groceries, opening public lands for mining of rare earth minerals and managing the states growth. Who is Janice McGeachin Husband? James Wilson first appeared through internet searches to be a controversial North Idaho evangelist who authored a book applying tenets of warfare to strategic evangelism, but he is not, McGeachins chief of staff Jordan Watters wrote by email May 27. Supporters and opponents acknowledge, though, she and her growing persona are anything but, with McGeachin increasingly invoking militarized rhetoric and a blend of patriotism and faith as rival political factions signal an intensifying culture war. [36], As lieutenant governor, McGeachin has had a strained relationship with the governor, Brad Little,[14][38][39] despite the fact that Little is a fellow conservative Republican. [86][6], Indoctrination task force and public records violations, COVID-19 pandemic and strained relationship with Governor Brad Little, Last edited on 28 February 2023, at 19:27, 2008 Republican Party presidential primaries, 2012 Republican Party presidential primaries, America First Political Action Conference, misinformation to disparage COVID-19 vaccines, nation's lowest COVID-19 vaccination rates, Texas' attempt to overturn the results of the presidential election, "Republican hopes to ride far-right rage into Idaho's governor's office", "Far-right challengers look to upset the status quo in the Idaho governor's primary", "In Idaho governor's race, a far-right candidate leans into extremism", "Representative Janice K. McGeachin's Biography", 5 things to know about Idaho's 1st female lieutenant governor, McGeachin says business experience will help her in lieutenant governor role, Bonneville County Primary Election, May 23, 2000, Lt. Gov. McGeachin was born Janice Kyes on January 18, 1963, in Las Cruces, New Mexico. "[25] The Idaho Falls Post Register editorial board criticized McGeachin for embracing the 3 Percenters and militia movement. He spoke about the forgotten man in this country and how the government in Washington, D.C., was too beholden to the corporations and the special interests and that we needed to return the government back to the people, McGeachin said. President, how do you deal with some of this stuff when you were kind of under fire? He said: Never back down. .