BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Powerful Republican House Speaker Scott Bedke is running for lieutenant governor. Bedke made the announcement Thursday in the Statehouse, becoming the third current or former House member announcing this year their intentions to seek the post.
Bedke, a fourth-generation rancher from Oakley, has been a House member since 2001, representing the south-central Idaho area. He rose to the speaker position in 2012 by defeating then-Speaker Lawerence Denney, now Idaho’s secretary of state.
Republican Rep. Priscilla Giddings of White Bird is also running for lieutenant governor, as is former Republican Rep. Luke Malek of Coeur d’Alene. They’re looking to replace Republican Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin, who is running for governor.