It's a big campaign for Lt. Gov. Little

COEUR d’ALENE — Brad Little put an exclamation point on his job application Tuesday afternoon.

Idaho’s lieutenant governor is campaigning to succeed his boss, Gov. Butch Otter, in the 2018 general election. But the real battle may be in the Republican primary against U.S. Rep. Raul Labrador and Boise entrepreneur Tommy Ahlquist.

In a meeting with The Press editorial board, Little swayed just a bit on a few issues: stressing differences with Otter while still managing to praise him; supporting the death penalty while admitting the fear of an imperfect system; and supporting a higher education task force while suggesting the result was “too soft.”

But Little had no hesitation when asked what he thought was the most important item in his run for the state’s top office.

“When I wake up in the morning,” he said, “I view everything through the lens of how we keep our kids in Idaho.”

That exact challenge has been repeated in multiple forums by countless individuals when faced with the state’s problem of needing a more skilled workforce as it attempts to land technology and other 21st-century businesses.

The issue first came up on Tuesday when Little was talking about education, and he said — as others have — that Idaho must offer more tech programs and courses to get young people directly into jobs.

“A four-year degree isn’t really the answer if you can’t get a job,” Little said. “These young people have to be able to work and feed their families.”

On that and several other issues, Little worked to separate himself from Otter, despite the fact they’ve worked together since 2009.

One headline difference is that Little has promised not to veto a grocery tax repeal bill — as Otter did at the conclusion of the 2017 legislative session.

“Butch and I have differed on several things, many of them in private discussions,” Little said. “But at the same time, I wouldn’t be here now if he hadn’t been so generous in getting me involved in so many projects.”

And why would he be more suited to be governor if elected next year?

“Different times require different skills,” Little said.

The ties between these two men also has produced a rumor that is circulating widely in Republican political circles: Some GOP strategists believe Otter will soon step down for health reasons, thus making Little the interim governor prior to the crucial May primary.

Little flatly denied it.

“We’ve never had that discussion,” he said. “Never.

“A couple of months ago, Butch went through a bad time. He was a 75-year-old man with a temperature of 103. I went to visit him and he looked bad. He still had the big smile and the strong handshake, but he really looked terrible.”

Little insisted, however, that before any talk from the governor about stepping away could materialize, Otter began to improve.

“Believe me, he’s going to sprint through the finish line,” Little said. “Maybe not quite as fast as before, but he’ll do it.”

Little wasn’t quite as decisive when discussing a few other issues, like education and the death penalty.

He mentioned several times that schools in rural Idaho need government help, but a minute later he said: “Teachers always want to be paid more. Idaho may be down the list of states in teachers’ pay, but it’s good compared to other salaries in the state.”

Talking about the death penalty, Little said several polls had proven it was a deterrent to serious crimes — but admitted when a governor makes a final call to allow an execution to go ahead, he can’t be sure he’s 100 percent correct.

“You have to rely on the experts, the corrections and parole people,” he said.

Most of Little’s positions on health care, taxation and other issues were predictable, since he’s been so visible as lieutenant governor.

He projects himself as the same humble sheep rancher from Emmett who followed his father into the state Legislature, and insists that old-fashioned common sense can launch Idaho — already riding a boom — into a period of exciting prosperity.

How would he help that happen as chief executive?

“I want to do what I’ve always done,” he said, referring to his relentless travels around the state.

“It’s going out and finding what people really want.”