Idaho’s last democratic governor left office 30 years ago. A look back at left-wing leadership in one of America’s most republican states

Cecil Andrus, a politician from bluish Idaho, served arsenic Idaho’s 26th and 28th governor. He served from 1971-1977 and successfully ran for 2 much position successful 1986 and 1990. Watch our question and reply pinch his granddaughter, Monica Church, successful nan video above. | Courtesy National Governor’s Association

IDAHO FALLS – Cecil Andrus emerged victorious successful a rematch pinch his governmental force successful Idaho’s gubernatorial election.

It was Nov. 3, 1970 and nan 39-year-old Orofino man was elected to beryllium Idaho’s 26th governor, nan first politician elected to nan position since 1947. He hit his Republican challenger, Don Samuelson, pinch 52% of nan ballot (128,004 full votes), according to voting records.

RELATED | How a Rexburg man became nan first Latter-day Saint to service arsenic Idaho’s governor

He ran for politician 4 years earlier while serving arsenic a authorities senator. He revenge to tally aft nan Democratic nominee, Charles Herndon, was killed successful a level clang adjacent Stanley astir six weeks earlier nan election. Andrus was narrowly defeated by Samuelson that year, but had now secured a victory.

Andrus’s inauguration connected Jan. 4, 1971 kicked disconnected a 24-year play of Democratic activity successful nan Gem State. He was re-elected by a wide separator successful 1974. His 2nd word was trim short successful 1977 erstwhile President Jimmy Carter appointed him U.S. Secretary of nan Interior.

RELATED | How a Malad banker became nan 2nd Latter-day Saint Democrat to service arsenic Idaho’s governor

Lt. Governor John Evans, a politician from Malad, served nan remainder of Andrus’s term. Evans remained successful agency for 10 years earlier Andrus entered nan title again successful 1986. He won by little than 1 percent constituent against Republican David Leroy. Andrus was re-elected successful 1990, making him Idaho’s only four-term politician to day and nan 2nd to service nonconsecutive terms.

RELATED | How a journalist from Arco became nan first Idaho politician to service nonconsecutive terms

Since Andrus near agency successful 1995, Idaho has consistently been led by a Republican politician and nan GOP has been nan ascendant governmental party.

Today, Idaho is nan 5th astir Republican authorities successful nan U.S., according to an independent polling organization.

“Generally, group successful Idaho are concerned pinch fiscal issues, specified arsenic fund deficits and little authorities spending, starring to a blimpish measurement of thinking,” nan study says.

Idaho’s history of electing antiauthoritarian leaders sewage america wondering why Idahoans voted that measurement astatine nan time?

Alex Lemoing | EastIdahoNews.com

Why Andrus appealed to Idaho voters

Andrus passed distant successful 2017 astatine property 85, but his granddaughter, Monica Church, who is vying for a seat successful nan Idaho House, tells EastIdahoNews.com location are respective reasons why he was appealing to voters.

“He appealed to Idaho voters because he was Idaho,” Church says. “He was a lumberjack, a national man pinch 3 mini children surviving successful a agrarian organization who wanted what was champion for his family and his neighbors.”

Logging, mining and nan railroad were awesome industries successful Idaho astatine nan time, Idaho Secretary of State Phil McGrane says. Unions associated pinch those industries were celebrated and that drove a batch of nan support for Andrus’s campaign.

Education was a immense attraction for Andrus, Church says, and during his first years successful office, he brought kindergarten to Idaho and accrued schoolhouse funding.

Monica Church arsenic a small woman pinch her grandpa, Cecil Andrus. | Courtesy Monica Church

But what endeared him to voters was his nationalist guidance to a mining declare during his 1970 campaign. A New York-based institution wanted to unfastened a excavation astatine nan guidelines of Castle Peak successful nan White Clouds Mountains. Andrus was an avid huntsman and fisherman, for illustration galore Idahoans, and wanted to protect Idaho’s nationalist lands. In an effort astir Andrus, Stephen Shaw says his opposing stance earned him further votes and a estimation arsenic a “quality of life” politician.

In 2018, 7 months aft Andrus’s death, Congress renamed nan White Clouds wilderness area aft him.

Andrus’s efforts to artifact atomic discarded shipments to Idaho successful 1973 further solidified elector support for him and helped him get re-elected successful 1986. Congress wanted to make Idaho a longterm repository for atomic waste. Andrus responded by banning discarded shipments and ordered an Idaho State Police trooper to parkland crossed nan railroad tracks successful Blackfoot to forestall a delivery.

In a 2016 question and reply pinch the Spokesman-Review, Andrus admitted he didn’t person nan authority to do that “but nan national authorities flinched.”

Idaho revenge a suit and won. It resulted successful the 1995 colony agreement requiring each radioactive discarded connected nan godforsaken westbound of Idaho Falls to beryllium removed by 2035 and taken to a nationalist repository tract yet to beryllium identified.

Richard Stallings, a Pocatello politician who represented Idaho successful Congress from 1985-1993, says Andrus’s characteristic was different logic voters liked him truthful much.

“He and I worked very intimately together. He was a wonderful, empathetic person. Once you met him, you were drawn to him. He had a magnetic personality,” says Stallings.

Andrus remains a beloved governmental fig successful Idaho, Church says, and nan truth that group from some parties person fond memories of him is simply a testament to his leadership.

Cecil Andrus, right, was an avid outdoorsman. Here, he is seen hunting turkey pinch Jerry Conley, Idaho Fish and Game director. | Courtesy Cecil D. Andrus Papers, Boise State University Archives via Sawtooth Association

Voting crossed statement lines

Andrus surely wasn’t nan first politician to get elected successful Idaho.

Since becoming a authorities successful 1890, 12 of Idaho’s governors person been democrats, according to nan book “Idaho’s Governors.” The first was Frank Steuenberg. The Caldwell man was nan state’s 4th politician and was successful agency from 1897 to 1901. Labor unrest betwixt miners and excavation owners during his management led him to state martial law, which remained successful effect for months. Four years aft leaving office, a disgruntled miner planted a explosive extracurricular Steuenberg’s location and assassinated him.

In 1933, Idaho’s first antiauthoritarian Congressional delegates went into office. Walt Minnick is the past politician to correspond Idaho successful Congress. He served successful nan House of Representatives from 2009-2011.

The past clip a antiauthoritarian statesmanlike campaigner carried Idaho was successful 1964. Lyndon B. Johnson had 50.92% of nan ballot that year, according to voting records, compared to 49.08% for Republican Barry Goldwater.

“Idaho was 1 of 44 states carried by incumbent President Lyndon B. Johnson. However, it was Johnson’s narrowest triumph successful nan election. He carried nan authorities by a separator of 5,363 votes, aliases 1.83%, making Idaho astir 20.75% much Republican than nan nation,” 1 study says.

Since then, nary Democrat moving for president has been capable to get 40% of Idaho’s celebrated vote.

Stallings remembers that predetermination and he attributes Johnson’s triumph successful Idaho to Goldwater’s “radical” governmental views. Civil authorities were an rumor successful that election, which LBJ supported and Goldwater opposed. Pocatello had nan largest achromatic organization successful nan authorities astatine nan clip owed to nan railroad, he says, and racism was a problem successful immoderate areas.

Racial hostilities made nan 1964 statesmanlike predetermination a adjacent title successful Idaho, Stallings says.

“The representation of Kennedy’s assassination was still beautiful strong. Idaho didn’t ballot for him successful 1960, but LBJ (who served arsenic Kennedy’s vice president) benefitted from that and won by association,” says Stallings.

In 1986, C.L. “Butch” Otter was elected for nan first clip arsenic Idaho’s Lt. governor. It’s not wholly clear why Idahoans elected nan Caldwell Republican to service nether Andrus, but it wasn’t nan first clip a statement and a politician led nan authorities together. Republicans Phil Batt and David Leroy some served arsenic Lt. politician nether John Evans. During nan 1960s, Democrat W.E. Drevlow was a Lt. politician nether a Republican governor.

Church says some Andrus and Otter were “authentic” Idahoans who represented Idaho values, and that resonated pinch voters.

“Both men represented different parts of nan West and nan civilization Idaho embodies,” says Church. “Cecil was — you saw him retired there. He was cutting down trees into his 70s, and Butch arsenic well. He (Otter) was benignant of that Robert Redford cowboy and was authentically Idaho.”

Gov. Cecil Andrus, left, and Lt. Gov. Butch Otter. | Courtesy Wikipedia

Otter could not beryllium reached for comment, but Church says nan brace worked good together and had a communal spot and respect for each different because they didn’t attraction connected statement politics.

“I retrieve my grandfather saying galore times that he ne'er had to interest erstwhile he near nan state. He trusted (Butch),” Church explains. “We look backmost astatine them arsenic being a statement and a politician but that wasn’t nan measurement they saw it. They were opinionated men who took an oath to Idaho and they did their jobs.”

In today’s governmental climate, McGrane says it’s much communal than group deliberation to ballot crossed statement lines. Data provided by nan Secretary of State’s Office shows a discrepancy betwixt nan number of group who ballot reddish successful statesmanlike elections compared to gubernatorial elections.

Since 1996, Republican statesmanlike candidates person carried nan authorities pinch much than 60% of nan vote. Republican gubernatorial candidates person historically earned nan mostly ballot arsenic well, but nan wide percent is lower. Part of nan logic for that whitethorn person thing to do pinch voter turnout being higher for statesmanlike elections. But it besides shows that immoderate voters whitethorn beryllium voting for a campaigner successful a different statement for gubernatorial elections.

Courtesy Secretary of State’s Office

‘That’s why I’m a democrat’

After 3 decades of Republican power successful Idaho, galore voters deliberation nan GOP is becoming much extremist and would for illustration to spot much democrats successful power.

Stallings says accepted democrats are misunderstood by republicans because of nan nationalist communicative astir wide extremism.

“They’ve been sold a measure of goods. They deliberation we’re communists aliases fascists, that we’re evil,” Stallings says.

For nan mostly of democrats, Stallings says these labels are inaccurate and successful bid to move things around, nan demonization of nan statement needs to stop.

Church agrees, saying politicians and voters request to put statement loyalties speech and walk much clip talking to group successful their communities.

“There is overmuch much that unites america than divides us,” she says. “Our authorities is group up to lick large problems, arsenic agelong arsenic each nan voices are astatine nan table. The No. 1 domiciled of authorities is to perceive to each factions and supply wide use for nan people. That’s why I’m a democrat.”

WATCH OUR INTERVIEW WITH CHURCH IN THE VIDEO ABOVE.