Little projected to win Republican gubernatorial primary election

Idaho Gov. Brad Little was projected to win the Republican primary election Tuesday as he seeks a third term as Idaho’s governor, according to the Associated Press.

Although the seven candidates challenged Little in the Republican primary, none gained much traction against the incumbent Republican endorsed by President Donald Trump.

Shortly before 10 p.m. Mountain time, partial, unofficial election results showed that Little had won about 60% of the votes counted so far, or 38,363 total votes. The Associated Press called the race in favor of Little at 9:41 p.m.

Bar owner and businessman Mark Fitzpatrick was the next closest challenger, capturing about 26% of the vote, or 16,655  total votes, according to partial, unofficial election night returns.

Early, unofficial results showed Lisa Marie  in third place, followed by Justin R. Plante, Sean Calvert Crystal, Ron James, Daniel C. Fowler and Ethan Giles. 

Idaho governor reports raising more than $1.8M in campaign funds

Heading into the primary, Little enjoyed a huge lead in campaign fundraising. As of last week, Little reported raising more than $1.8 million in campaign money in 2026, more than 10 times as much as Fitzpatrick or any other GOP challenger, the Sun previously reported. 

However, Little appeared to do little in terms of waging a traditional public campaign marked by rallies, regular public appearances or political debates.

Meanwhile, Fitzpatrick was a divisive challenger and political underdog from the get-go. While Fitzpatrick did earn the endorsement from nine GOP county central committees, Fitzpatrick was also the organizer and public face of the poorly-attended and widely condemned “Hetero Awesomeness Festival” held across the street from the Idaho State Capitol in 2025. 

Who is Brad Little?

Little, a rancher by trade, was first elected governor in 2018. Prior to that he served as a member of the Idaho Senate before going on to become lieutenant governor.

The winner of the Republican primary election advances to the Nov. 3 general election, where he will square off against independent retired Idaho Supreme Court Justice John Stegner, the winners of the Democratic and Libertarian party’ primaries, independent Jacob Burnett and a Constitution Party candidate who legally changed his name to Pro Life. 

Election results are unofficial until they are certified by the Idaho State Board of Canvassers, which meets June 9 to certify the state’s primary election results.