Scott Bedke

Scott Bedke, Republican incumbent and candidate for Idaho Lieutenant Governor

Scott Bedke, a Republican, is Idaho's Lieutenant Governor and a candidate for a second term in the November 3, 2026 general election. He filed on February 23, 2026, and the Idaho Secretary of State lists the filing as approved. He won the May 19, 2026 Republican primary unopposed, with 184,849 votes, according to the Idaho Secretary of State's certified results. His opponent is Democrat Eric Myricks.

Background

The Office of the Lieutenant Governor says Bedke was born in Twin Falls, graduated from Oakley High School and is a "4th generation cattle rancher." It says he earned a Bachelor of Science in finance from Brigham Young University in 1981 and returned to Oakley, where he was elected to the city council. It says that during "11 terms in the Idaho State House" he served on committees including Joint Finance and Appropriations and Revenue and Taxation.

The office says: "In 2012, Scott was elected as the 41st Speaker of the House." It says he became "the longest-serving Speaker in Idaho's history." It says he took office as Idaho's 44th Lieutenant Governor in January 2023.

Election history

According to the Idaho Secretary of State's election database, Bedke won the November 8, 2022 general election for Lieutenant Governor with 376,269 votes (64.4%). Democrat Terri Pickens Manweiler received 178,147 votes (30.5%) and Pro-Life of the Constitution Party received 29,989 (5.1%).

The office and the Senate

Article IV, Section 13 of the Idaho Constitution says: "The lieutenant governor shall be president of the senate, but shall vote only when the senate is equally divided."

The Idaho Legislature's bill records show the Senate president voting on tied votes. On House Bill 432, which set penalties for disclosing confidential PERSI member records, the Senate vote on March 5, 2024 was 17-17-1 with "Tie vote - President voted AYE." On House Bill 760, a property tax exemption for low-income housing, the Senate vote on March 24, 2026 was 17-17-1 with the president voting nay, and the bill failed. The Senate voted down the bill again 15-20 on March 25 after a motion to reconsider.

The 2024 water agreement

The Idaho Capital Sun reported on October 28, 2024 that Bedke and Idaho Water Resource Board Chairman Jeff Raybould presented a potential long-term water mitigation agreement among Idaho farmers to a legislative committee. The proposal divides water allotments into four-year terms and calls for groundwater districts to conserve 205,000 acre feet of water annually. Bedke told legislators: "This is a zero-sum game. When it's gone, it is gone."

Endorsements

His campaign website lists endorsements from President Donald Trump, Gov. Brad Little, former Govs. Butch Otter and Dirk Kempthorne and Sen. Jim Risch. The page reproduces a Truth Social post dated April 13, 2026 that says: "Scott Bedke has my Complete and Total Endorsement for Re-Election."

What critics say

Wayne Hoffman of the Idaho Freedom Foundation wrote in a November 16, 2023 column: "In 2013, Bedke's first year as House speaker, he helped push through the implementation of an Obamacare insurance exchange." The Legislature's bill page shows that House Bill 248, the health insurance exchange bill, passed the House 41-29 on March 13, 2013 with Mr. Speaker among the ayes and was signed on March 28, 2013.

Campaign finance

The Idaho Secretary of State's Sunshine campaign finance system showed contributions of $290,136.00 and expenditures of $132,419.58 for the 2026 cycle on October 2, 2026, for the committee BedkeforIdaho. It showed $216,267.26 in cash on hand and $0.00 in outstanding debt.

Sunshine's top-contributor list showed Megan Blanksma of Hammett and Elevance Health of Cincinnati at $10,000 each and Amalgamated Sugar Company PAC at $6,500. It showed Mountain View Hospital, Clearwater Paper, Bayer US LLC Employee PAC, Simplot, ESI, St. Luke's Health Plan and Cascadia Healthcare at $5,000 each. Sunshine classified $230,036.00 of his contributions as in-state and $60,100.00 as out-of-state.

The Idaho Capital Sun listed him at $290,136 and Myricks at $4,144 as of September 30, 2026.

Sources

• Idaho Secretary of State, May 2026 certified results, the Republican primary vote
• Office of the Lieutenant Governor, About, his background and service
• Idaho Secretary of State, 2022 Lieutenant Governor general election, the vote counts
• Idaho Legislature, Idaho Constitution Article IV, Section 13, the Senate president's vote
• Idaho Legislature, House Bill 432 (2024), the tie vote
• Idaho Legislature, House Bill 760 (2026), the tie vote
• Idaho Capital Sun, October 28, 2024, the water agreement
• Scott Bedke campaign website, endorsements, the endorser list
• Idaho Freedom Foundation, November 16, 2023, Wayne Hoffman's column
• Idaho Legislature, House Bill 248 (2013), the House vote
• Idaho Sunshine, 2026 campaign finance totals
• Idaho Capital Sun, October 2, 2026, statewide fundraising totals