Conservative Republican & Principled America First Warrior who always stands up for individual rights [66], In May 2021, McGeachin filed as a candidate seeking election as governor of Idaho in 2022, challenging incumbent governor Brad Little in the Republican primary. With campaign signs and rolled banners tucked in different corners of the space giving it a just-moved-in ambiance, McGeachins wood-paneled operations base is nondescript. COEUR d'ALENE With an American flag and two crosses in the background at Candlelight Christian Fellowship, Lt. Gov. Shes not the Janice that people grew up with, Thompson, who is running to rejoin the state House, told the Statesman in an interview. Its just the impact that it has on my family is not easy all the time, because they have to deal with the fallout, and our employees have to deal with that. McGeachins tenure in the Legislature included serving as chair of the House Health and Welfare Committee. Michael Nelson said hes a former police officer who worked a 25-year career in the San Francisco area. (UPDATED: Oct. 19, reflecting the death of Pete Coulson from COVID-19.). Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin speaks during a meet-and-greet campaign fundraiser at a Caldwell-area winery in April. Little Says He Hasn't Spoken To Lt. Gov McGeachin In Weeks, Cases of coronavirus in Idaho spike after businesses reopen, Lt. Gov. [36] The legislature declined McGeachin's request to have the costs of the settlement paid by the state budget. 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. | Kevin Fixler kfixler@idahostatesman.com. "[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. Hamilton, however, prefers to keep the focus of McGeachins candidacy on her credentials. We are in a Marxist takeover, a communist takeover (in) this country. [31] Idaho teachers described McGeachin's committee as a McCarthyist attack on teachers and a distraction from the challenges faced by Idaho's education system in reality. McGeachin remembers the city back then as a great place to grow up a small and supportive community. She also tried to deploy the Idaho National Guard to the U.S.-Mexico border, according to Little and Maj. Gen. Michael Garshak, who heads the states National Guard. Follow Blake on Twitter @jonesblakej. After Little backed out of a scheduled debate, McGeachin organized the event for the same night with a slate of fellow far-right candidates. 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. McGeachin also garnered criticism after federal records revealed that she applied for and received more than $314,000 in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans, even though she previously said she is opposed to government programs that foster dependency. In a social media post, she defended accepting the coronavirus relief payments for her familys businesses, saying that their employees needed the funds because they had been harmed by government shutdowns and other public health requirements. The rotation of bartenders appears to be playing to their VIPs, frequently stopping to check in on the McGeachins and their daughter. All Rights Reserved. [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. Beck is not sure how McGeachin made the connection to Trump, he said, but she did it all on her own. McGeachin speech played at conference organized by white nationalist, McGeachin delivers taped speech to white nationalist meeting, McGeachins education task force discusses calls to disband State Board of Education, 'A Very McCarthyism Feel': Idaho Teachers Say Indoctrination Task Force Stokes Fear, Idaho's far-right 'indoctrination' witch hunt comes up short in Boise State investigation, ISBA rep leaves indoctrination task force, decrying 'partisan campaigning', Idaho Lt. Gov. Janice is a former State Representative and a successful business owner from Idaho Falls who, along with her husband Jim McGeachin, own and operate multiple businesses in the automotive industry, with stores in Idaho Falls and Boise. McGeachin attended Skyline High School, home of the Grizzlies, where she followed in her older sisters footsteps and was voted homecoming royalty. He has scored some big wins,. 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. After years in the local Rotary Club and Greater Idaho Falls Chamber of Commerce, McGeachin made her first run at elected office in 2000, in the Republican primary for Bonneville County commissioner. We will restore health freedom and end the threat of medical tyranny. The residents came together and pulled through, McGeachin said. She does not cave with pressure, and stands up for what she believes, Hamilton told the Statesman in a phone interview. [81], McGeachin was unopposed for the Republican primary. McGeachin told The New York Times that Trump called her the day after she defended the former president in a June 2021 appearance on Fox News commentator Tucker Carlsons TV show, and she slipped in her intent to challenge Little during the conversation and asked for Trumps support. May 27, 2021 Lt. Gov. After the company's acceptance of the PPP funds was publicized, McGeachin said that the company accepted the funds to counter what she called harm "by the heavy hand of government in 2020. I was hoping that he would see the virtue of keeping it in place, she said. McGeachin said she leans on her Presbyterian faith and her trust in God when she encounters obstacles. [6][74][75] She opposes minimum wages, believing that government should play no role in determining wages. The two positions run for election separately, rather than as a unified ticket. She spoke of a rift between her and her daughter, which she attributes in part to critical race theory teachings at her daughters former college in California. Assorted $1 bills folded into origami shapes, including hearts and bow ties, decorate the side of a Jameson Irish Whiskey mirror above the bar. [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. At a March rally in southeast Boise for semi-truckers headed to Washington, D.C., to protest pandemic-related restrictions, McGeachin defended her fiery platform and her supporters to the crowd gathered on a small lawn next to a highway offramp truck stop. In recent months, she has testified in favor of policies targeting critical race theory and social justice in the classroom, at one point saying a controversial bill dealing with critical race theory did not go far enough to oust the content from public schools. Fundraising allowed some successful statewide candidates to dominate the airwaves. In her 3 years as lieutenant governor, she has publicly defied the governors pandemic requirements, issued executive orders in his absence and ignored the advice of the Idaho attorney generals office on release of public records. calls that 'shameful', Idaho governor repeals political rival's executive order. McGeachin said she doesnt concern herself with unflattering characterizations, or any of the other things people say about her. Who Is Janice McGeachin's Husband? Her participation in that event - which also featured . [68] While addressing a crowd of fellow Republicans at a campaign appearance, McGeachin criticized the Boise Police Department and Boise State University for holding a conference to study right-wing extremism, and said of Anthony Fauci (the U.S. government's top infectious disease scientist): "we'll lock him up. | Sarah A. Miller smiller@idahostatesman.com. Politics isnt always viewed as a place for girls. Each was the first woman to serve in their positions, too, and she credited them both for their fearlessness and no-nonsense approach to politics. Janice McGeachin stands with her husband Jim in front of the Idaho Capitol building prior to taking the podium to announce her run for governor on May 19. Rev. He founded the congregation, according to its website, after he went on a solo, three-day horseback ride through five Idaho counties to connect with God and receive his guidance. Idaho Education News Data Analyst Randy Schrader contributed to this report. Littles staff never returned her umpteen-million phone calls, she said. 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. The Idaho Capital Sun has filed a public record's request with McGeachin's office. Janice McGeachin, 57, received $314,727 through two different PPP loans for J.R. McGeachin Inc in April . Since 2016, Beck and his family have donated the second-most money among Idaho residents directly to Trumps campaigns and political action committees, eclipsing $250,000, according to Federal Election Commission records. [82] She won the general election with 73% of the vote against Scott Cannon. She owns an Irish pub in Idaho Falls and co-owns a wholesale automotive parts supply store and a torque converter remanufacturing facility with her husband. Shes no longer shown herself to be the very personable, outgoing, kind lawmaker he knew when she was a member of the state House and the two would occasionally collaborate on bills, he said. About . 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. Where men are men, and sheep are scared! Jimmy McGeachin belts back, a joke about bestiality. 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. But, then again, McGeachin, 59, is a surprise candidate, having emerged from relative anonymity after years away from public office to win the lieutenant governors race four years ago as an underdog. Wearing a black Stetson, Brown looked out onto the congregation filled with people of all ages and launched into a 40-minute lesson from the Book of Revelation about where to put ones faith, and how to prepare for judgment. Elaine King previously ran for the Idaho House of Representatives in District 34, which covers the Rexburg area, in 2018, but lost in the Republican primary. Once the pandemic plunged local economies and governments into turmoil during a 37-day statewide, stay-at-home order, McGeachin began openly flouting Littles public health rules. Governor to serve the state of Idaho. He wondered aloud whether the change is because she no longer feels supported by the state GOP, or because the majority of lawmakers are more in line with Little. Id say shes more withdrawn today, Winder, who supports Little, told the Statesman. The two got more serious when she moved back to their hometown. On an early April evening, theyre there for dinner and a few rounds of drinks, while the familys matriarch is home from the campaign trail. [40][46] At the rally, McGeachin criticized Little and other state officials. But shes a hard worker for what we stand for maintaining our republic. Two weeks before Idahos primary election, McGeachin stepped onto an outdoor stage on a Wednesday evening in front of a crowd of more than 1,000 people gathered at Julius M. Kleiner Memorial Park in Meridian for a rally in her honor. McGeachins push to become Idahos lead executive is her second campaign for statewide office after a narrow margin of victory in 2018s Republican primary for lieutenant governor. Janice McGeachin stands with her husband Jim in front of the Idaho Capitol building prior to taking the podium to announce her run for governor on May 19. Heres what we know about the members so far: Anna Miller, from the Idaho Freedom Foundation, is an active voice in education policy discussions. Regardless, McGeachins faithful following has continued to grow. Following a stint in Arizona, the family moved to Idaho Falls when she was a child after her father took a job at the Idaho National Laboratory, the nuclear energy research hub run by the federal government. But a group of retired police officers and. On May 17, the day Marsh Valley signed off on the separation, the Buhl School Districts board voted to hire Moffett to be president of the districts 34-student alternative high school, Wakapa, according to meeting minutes obtained by EdNews. 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 . Will that be a really impactful endorsement, or not really a defining kind of factor in determining outcomes? Trump calls her just about every other week to inquire about the campaign, she said. One of the bartenders approaches the party of three to enlist use of a cellphone to take photos of the family from behind the bar. Britney Spears and husband Sam Asghari rock matching outfits for a trip . Shes touted her business acumen as a reason why shes qualified, said David Roth, former chair of the Bonneville County Democratic Party, now running to challenge U.S. Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, in November. Janice McGeachin and her husband, Jim, stand on the steps of the Idaho State Capitol as she announced her run for Governor in Boise on May 19, 2021. McGeachins May 17 GOP primary is one of Idahos most-watched races, largely because it has determined the governor for the past seven elections in the heavily conservative state. To Montana the shot buyer offers to his group of new best friends. Janice McGeachin announces run for governor Brian Myrick/Idaho Press May 19, 2021 1 of 12 As featured on Lt. Gov. Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachins Task Force to Examine Indoctrination in Idaho Education has changed shape slightly since its membership was announced in May as more details have emerged about its members. [59][73] She appeared at a rally for the Three Percenters, an anti-government militia movement group. Janice McGeachin greets Randy and Colleen Crawford, of Caldwell, at a meet-and-greet campaign fundraiser at a Caldwell-area winery in April. [43] In August 2020, McGeachin headlined a rally organized by the right-wing, conspiracist John Birch Society at the rally in Twin Falls, where speakers decried public health measures to combat the coronavirus. [38] On his return to Idaho one day later, Little rescinded McGeachin's order and said that her decision "to act solitarily on a highly politicized, polarizing issue without conferring with local jurisdictions, legislators, and the sitting Governor" was "simply put, an abuse of power.