Lt. Gov. McGeachin announces run for Idaho governor

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin announced Wednesday that she's running for governor.

The 58-year-old Republican lieutenant governor announced the decision at a news conference in Idaho Falls with additional news conferences planned later in the day in Boise and Coeur d’Alene.

McGeachin, a businesswoman from Idaho Falls, served in the Idaho House of Representatives from 2002 to 2012.

McGeachin has generally fought Republican Gov. Brad Little’s coronavirus pandemic restrictions even when COVID-19 patients threatened to overwhelm the state’s healthcare system, and ripped into his decisions again on Wednesday during her announcement.

She drew criticism in 2019 for posing with members of an antigovernment group in the Statehouse.

Last month she formed the "Task Force to Examine Indoctrination in Idaho Education,” something hardline conservative Republicans focused on during the recently concluded legislative session.

Little is in his first term. On the same day as McGeachin's announcement, he issued a news release burnishing his conservative credentials by touting legislation he signed involving tax relief, investments and conservative budgeting.

The GOP holds its primary in May 2022, with the winner moving on to November 2022 general election.