When Idaho Gov. Brad Little (R) was out of state this week, Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin (R) became acting governor in Little’s absence and took the opportunity to issue an executive order banning mask mandates in the state, including those imposed by local governments.
What are the details?
Gov. Little left the state to attend the Republican Governors Association conference in Nashville, Tennessee, earlier in the week, and was due back in Idaho on Thursday evening. But before he could make it back home, the lieutenant governor decided to take full advantage of her brief elevated position of authority.
McGeachin tweeted Thursday, “Today, as acting Governor of the State of Idaho, I signed an Executive Order to protect the rights and liberties of individuals and businesses by prohibiting the state and its political subdivisions — including public schools — from imposing mask mandates in our state.”
A spokesperson for Little told the Idaho Statesman, “The Lt. Gov. did not make Governor Little aware of her executive order ahead of time.”
The Associated Press reported that just last week, McGeachin announced that she was running for governor herself. Little has not yet announced whether he will run for a second term, but if he does, the incumbent would face a GOP primary challenge from McGeachin.
The outlet reported that “McGeachin is on the far right of the political spectrum in the conservative state, and her order could bolster her support as a candidate for governor.”
“I’ve been listening to people all across the state with the concern about, especially, why are little kids being forced to wear masks in school,” McGeachin told the AP in an interview. “My oath to the Constitution is to protect those rights and freedoms of the individual, and I’ve never supported any type of a mandate on the individual, especially when it comes to health care choices.”
While some localities and school districts in Idaho issued mask orders during the coronavirus pandemic, Little never issued a statewide mask mandate. Given that fact, another fellow Republican, Idaho state House Speaker Scott Bedke, accused McGeachin of issuing the order for show.
“There were no statewide mask mandates,” Bedke told the Statesman. “So what you have here is a solution in search of a problem, and it’s political theater.”
Good for her! Only a Moscow drooling leftist believes masks are effective at anything besides causing medical issues. They should be banned nationwide.
sounds like she’s sending a pretty clear message to the school boards throughout the state and to those liberal city & county leaders, no more. Really clear message to me, nicely done.
She clearly has my vote when that time arrives, job well done for the people of Idaho.
These mask mandate only server to diminish people’s individuality muffle free speech you really get tired of asking or being asked to repeat yourself it’s nothing more than a petty control ploy take them off and burn them take your freedom back and as the Marxists like to Parrot My Body My Choice This is America not China!
She should move to Pennsylvania so we can dewolf Pa.
I wonder if she will be the next governor?
It is a shame that she did not reverse this fake governor’s slaughter of wolves. He signed a bill that allowed the slaughter of these animals, from the sky, open season anytime of year, to kill animals in there dens including pups, that are not old enough to know how to do anything. Hunters are awarded bounties on these animals. It is down right murder, for what 100 cattle or so a year and elk? Bear, coyote, and rustlers, and poachers take far more than wolves. In the wild wolves thin the heard’s of elk and deer and make them healthy. Here in the east the deer population is so out of hand that they are culling these animals in neighborhoods, and they have use bows and the they end up on some old persons lawn. If you want to kill animals come back east and get rid of all the deer that are causing the problems.
Because now all the starbucks drinking, capri pant wearing “men” of the younger generations think hunting is wrong. It’s only ok to slaughter in mass for In N Out.
That’s one way to tell the Governor he’s a Little Richard. She had authority, and she decided to do what these Leftists do, use Executive Orders to enforce their will.
Except in this case, I’ll say that her will perfectly matched that of the public. Something that gee, any good leader should think about, the needs of the people who follow them!