BOISE — Longtime Republican lawmaker Brad Little has defeated Democratic challenger Paulette Jordan to become Idaho's next governor.
Little captured 60 percent of the vote, while his opponent Paulette Jordan received 38 percent. His win comes as no surprise in the deeply conservative state, despite significant national media attention given to his opponent.
Little has been lieutenant governor since 2009 and has vowed to continue retiring Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter's legacy of leading the state's recent explosive growth.
Jordan, a former state lawmaker and member of the Coeur d'Alene Tribe, was the first woman to earn her party's nomination in Idaho.
Little made his first speech as governor-elect at the Republican election party Tuesday night, taking the time to thank his family, supporters, and all those who worked behind the scenes of his campaign.
"Idaho is a model for conservative, fiscally-responsible government that allows the dynamic of a free market to create prosperity," Little said. "You all know that we lead the nation in jobs, we lead the nation in increases in income and those successes are not an accident."
Little went on to congratulate Jordan on a "hard-fought race," and vowed to lead Idaho into the future.
"The view I've had of the governor's job over the last few years, I've seen all the decisions go across that desk. and I will look at all those future decisions through only one lens. And that's how do we have the best opportunity for us, for our kids, and for our grandkids to be successful here in Idaho."
Jordan also thanked her supporters, and called on the "next generation to step up and lead."
"We have already built a movement. We will not disengage," she said. "We will not be silent, and we will not simply go away. This is our Idaho."