Governors of Idaho

History of Idaho Governors

A relatively late addition to the United States, the first governor of Idaho didn't serve until 1890. Acting as a territory beforehand, there were 12 different governors who helped manage the territory. The first two governors of Idaho were appointed by Abraham Lincoln to their position. George L. Shoup served as the first governor of this state and represented the Republican Party. He was also the acting governor when Idaho was last a territory. Since Shoup, there have been 31 different governors. Both the Republican Party and the Democratic Party are represented throughout history, with 21 total Republicans showing a heavy weighting toward this political party.

Although the early years of governors in this state shifted between political parties, recently, the Republicans have held dominance in the state. There has been a Republican governor in Idaho since 1995. Interesting note, there has never been a female governor in Idaho.

Current Idaho Governor

The current governor of Idaho is Brad Little, who began serving as governor in 2019. Little represents the Republican Party, continuing a line of traditionally Republican leaders in this state. Brad Little was previously a member of the Idaho Senate before serving as Lieutenant Governor before his election. Little won his election handily, beating the competitor by over 130,000 votes.