Janice McGeachin walks down the front steps of the Idaho State Capitol building, with her husband Jim, prior to taking the podium to announce her run for Governor, Wednesday, May 19, 2021. McGeachin announces indoctrination task force members Members continue to include an Idaho Freedom Foundation employee and a charter school leader who pushed to use the Bible in public schools. Beck, who also has penned several newspaper op-eds defending McGeachin, told the Statesman he backs her because shes honest, transparent and conservative.. But the media likes to continue to try to destroy my character and my reputation, and, I dont know, it may be in an effort for us to maybe back down. Fundraising allowed some successful statewide candidates to dominate the airwaves. A group of retired Idaho county sheriffs and police say Lt. Gov. Idaho Statesman reporters Ian Max Stevenson and Ryan Suppe contributed. Who Is Janice McGeachin's Husband? In October of 2021, he died of COVID-19. Beck is second only to businessman Frank VanderSloot, who, as owner of Melaleuca Inc., a personal health company also based in Idaho Falls, is ranked on the list of the worlds 400 wealthiest people by Forbes. 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. COEUR d'ALENE With an American flag and two crosses in the background at Candlelight Christian Fellowship, Lt. Gov. "Critical Race Theory (CRT) is a religion of . Janice McGeachin is the lieutenant governor of the State of Idaho. She found herself embroiled in controversy when she posted - and deleted - a photo on her Facebook page that appears to show her. Idaho Senate President Pro Tem Chuck Winder, R-Boise, said McGeachins relationship with Republican leadership has soured during her time as lieutenant governor. Late last week, Idaho Lt. My disagreements with his decisions of shutting businesses down and managing the pandemic grew, McGeachin said. And Idaho will reduce its financial dependency on the federal government, she said, building to a crescendo. [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. But in some legislative races, outside political groups might have played a bigger and more far-reaching role. Janice McGeachin - Wikipedia [64][65] Legal experts dismissed the suit as meritless,[65] and it was rejected by the Supreme Court. All rights reserved, If you choose local pickup, please get your gift certificate at our office at 400 W. Sunnyside in Idaho Falls Dismiss, defended accepting the coronavirus relief payments, Man charged with murder in Dylan Rounds case, Caught on camera: Moose charges snowmobilers by Palisades, Man allegedly kidnapped woman, held air freshener to her nose and mouth, Giant flying insect found on Walmart building turns out to be Jurassic-era find, Video shows suspect with blood stains as he cleaned gun following Dylan Rounds disappearance, charges say. | Kevin Fixler kfixler@idahostatesman.com. The residents came together and pulled through, McGeachin said. He has scored some big wins,. [59][73] She appeared at a rally for the Three Percenters, an anti-government militia movement group. Theres no future for them, and I mean that wholeheartedly., Lt. Gov. | Sami Edge, Idaho Education News. Dark wood moulding with ornate Celtic inlay pay tribute to the pubs overarching theme, as do a row of soccer scarves and flags from the nations of the United Kingdom hanging overhead. In one recent check-in, McGeachin said, she sought his guidance. She said she does not dispute that masks are effective in preventing the spread of the virus, particularly N95s and hospital surgical masks. [26], In February 2022, McGeachin appeared as a surprise video guest speaker at the America First Political Action Conference, hosted by prominent white nationalist Nick Fuentes. 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. [55] A surge in COVID-19 cases first strained, and then surpassed, the capacity of the state's health care system. Idaho already would ban abortion if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns the precedent-setting case of Roe v. Wade. The Foundation stirred upheaval in this years legislative session over leftist indoctrination in the classroom, an effort that stalled education budgets. Janice McGeachin embraces Rep. Tammy Nichols, R-Middleton, before giving her remarks on Wednesday (Kelcie Moseley-Morris/Idaho Capital Sun). Janice McGeachin's association with extreme, anti-law enforcement factions has prompted them to oppose her run for governor. McGeachin remembers the city back then as a great place to grow up a small and supportive community. He left the school in 2010 and has worked as a teacher and school administrator since, according to his LinkedIn page. Henry, who founded a conservative activist group that she calls Parents for Freedom and Liberty, has since gone all-in on McGeachins run for governor. Little and McGeachin have become famously locked in disharmony. The hourlong service mixed prayers, Christian-inspired acoustic country and a weekly poem, all built around Browns sermon. Governor Janice McGeachin arrives at a rally to support semi-truckers and protest against COVID-19 vaccination mandates for employment held in Boise in March. [18] In the voter pamphlet she wrote, she hoped to help the governor "by increasing our freedoms and liberties, free from the bonds of excessive government regulations. During one of her final pitches to voters, McGeachin closely followed the path laid out before her by right-wing conservatives in the Trump era. appears in video slamming virus rules, whether 'a pandemic may or may not be occurring', Idaho Lt. As a result of many of her more controversial decisions, McGeachin has become a third rail of Idaho politics. [5] Here's what was inside the McGeachin education task force files Janice McGeachin: The Donald Trump of Idaho Idaho Tribune She entered politics in 2002 when elected to a seat in the state house. Janice McGeachin takes a question from an attendee during a meet-and-greet campaign fundraiser at a Caldwell-area winery in April. [8] As a Republican, she was a member of the Idaho House of Representatives from 2002 to 2012. The makeup of Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know | Heavy.com 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. 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. Sex with animals.. July fundraising reports will trickle in over the next few days, as candidates report their monthly activity. "[59], McGeachin was an Idaho presidential elector for the Republican slate in 2020, casting one of Idaho's four electoral votes for Donald Trump; the other Idaho electors that year were Melinda Smyser, Raul Labrador, and Rod Beck. McGeachin is asking taxpayers to cover $50,000 worth of her legal costs, Boise State Public Radio reported. Suddenly, the bartender is zipping through the aisle asking those seated if they would like a shot. The family who drinks together stays together, right? the bartender says. Former state Rep. Jeff Thompson, an Idaho Falls Republican who served two terms in the House with McGeachin, drew a parallel between his old friends political shift and Trumps unexpected ascension in the Republican Party in 2016, all the way to the Oval Office. Janice McGeachin facing public condemnation over photo with 3 Percenters", "Idaho Lieutenant Governor Faces Backlash For Photo Supporting Jailed Militiaman", "Idaho Lt. Gov. The reverend on the task force lives in the Treasure Valley, has led a parachurch ministry for the last two decades, has a masters degree in curriculum and development and is a credentialed teacher in Idaho and California, Watters said. [53][54] By fall 2021, Idaho had among the nation's lowest COVID-19 vaccination rates. poses with protesters in support of standoff prisoner", "McGeachin in statement: 'I wholeheartedly reject bigotry and discrimination', Dangerous Embrace of the Militia Movement, "Marjorie Taylor Greene Speaks At White Nationalist Conference", Idaho Lt. Gov. Id say shes more withdrawn today, Winder, who supports Little, told the Statesman. The departure had nothing to do with his participation on the task force, Moffett told the Idaho State Journal. Briefly serving as acting governor, Janice McGeachin issues order | Sarah A. Miller smiller@idahostatesman.com. After library bill vote, Boyle abruptly steps down from House Education, Lawmakers reject new ESA proposal in frustrated debate, Statehouse roundup, 2.27.23: Parental rights bill passes House easily, Coeur dAlene trustee calls anti-levy campaign disgusting and un-American. We will expand our Second Amendment liberties and secure our state. Lt. Gov. 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. This is our country, and were going to take it back! Rogers shouted to the crowd. [22] For the caption, she wrote "Sending love to Todd Engel from the Idaho Capital and 'getting to know' the new Senate Pages. Janice McGeachin was asked why she appeared at an event organized - CNN A federal district court later shot down the practice in 2011, the Associated Press reported. I stood with them then, and I stand with them today., Lt. Gov. [29] McGeachin's speech to the conference was criticized by Democrats and some Republicans for its antisemitic and pro-Putin contents. Its pronounced Ma-Gee-in.. 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. Idaho's Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin Has Gone Rogue Over Coronavirus May 27, 2021 Lt. Gov. 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. After briefly stepping away from dinner, Janice McGeachin returns, but is stopped by an older patron at the bar, who is enjoying his second beer and identifies himself as Skip. We need you, youre a fighter, she said, spurring McGeachin to dash on stage to embrace her booster. She courts people who use intimidation and violence to terrorize other people, said Raney, who retired after a decade as sheriff in 2015. McGeachin has the endorsement, which is something she has really highlighted in her campaign materials. [1] She graduated from Skyline High School in Idaho Falls and earned her B.S. Idaho Lt. Gov. A member of the Republican Party, she was previously a member of the Idaho House of Representatives from 2002 until 2012.[5]. 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. Ive said many times, Id jump in front of a bus for her, she told the audience at the winery fundraiser. Beck is not sure how McGeachin made the connection to Trump, he said, but she did it all on her own. Brian Myrick / Idaho Press. Much of the ongoing feud appears to have arisen from the governors decisions during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic helping inspire her to become the second lieutenant governor since 1932 to take on the Idaho governor in a primary, according to Kettlers analysis. 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. Critics, including State Board President Kurt Liebich say theyve seen little evidence of widespread indoctrination. Liebich doubled down during the task forces second meeting in June, saying he had not seen any evidence of indoctrination in our public education system to date, via a written statement. Shortly after, the McGeachins settle up with a crisp $100 bill, and make their exit. The two got more serious when she moved back to their hometown after graduating from the University of Arizona in 1985 with a degree in business administration, majoring in finance. 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. Grace Panetta and Nicole Gaudiano May 17, 2022, 8:00 PM - Idaho Lt. Gov. It makes me feel good that both Jimmy and I have created a life for them that they want to be close to their parents, McGeachin said.