Janice K. McGeachin is an American politician serving as the 43rd lieutenant governor of Idaho, since 2019. She is the first female lieutenant governor of Idaho. She has previously served as a RepublicanIdaho State Representative representing District 32 in the A seat from 2002 to 2012.
McGeachin has had a number of business ventures. McGeachin owns a restaurant in Idaho Falls; and she and her husband own a wholesale automotive parts supply store and a torque converter remanufacturing facility.
In April 2017, McGeachin filed to run for Lieutenant Governor of Idaho. Her candidacy was backed by state Senator Dean Mortimer. McGeachin won the Republican primary election on May 15, 2018, with 28.9% of the vote, edging out Steve Yates, and won against Democratic nominee Kristin Collum in the November general election. During the 2018 campaign, McGeachin took security guards with her to a debate at the Idaho Public Television station in Boise, although there was no known threat against her. The security detail was unusual in Idaho politics. In February 2019, McGeachin posted a photo on her Facebook page of her posing in front of her Idaho State Capitol door with two men from the 3 Percenters, an anti-government militia movement group; the men wore shirts promoting Todd Engel, who was sentenced to prison in connection with the Bundy standoff. For the caption, she wrote "Sending love to Todd Engel from the Idaho Capital and 'getting to know' the new Senate Pages." McGeachin faced public criticism for the photo and quickly deleted it. In a subsequent statement, McGeachin described the men as "two Second Amendment supporters who were here to support Todd Engel, an Idahoan who was treated unjustly by the court system" and said that she deleted the post after "a few people had begun erroneously assigning sinister motives which are contrary to my true character." The Idaho Falls Post Register editorial board criticized McGeachin for embracing the 3 Percenters and militia movement. As lieutenant governor, McGeachin has had a strained relationship with Governor Brad Little, a fellow conservative Republican. In May 2020, Little said he had not spoken to McGeachin in weeks. During the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic in Idaho, McGeachin repeatedly criticized Little for taking steps to prevent the spread of the disease. In late April 2020, McGeachin also urged reopening all businesses in Idaho by April 30, and also spoke at a protest in eastern Idaho against stay-at-home directives. In a May 2020 editorial, McGeachin wrote that, "I lose sleep at night because the heavy hand of our government is hurting so many Idahoans." By July 2020, after the state's economy had reopened, Idaho saw a spike in coronavirus cases.
Electoral history
2002 McGeachin and Republican Representative Larry C. Bradford were re-districted to 31A. McGeachin was unopposed for the Republican primary and the general election. 2004 McGeachin was unopposed for the Republican primary and for the general election. 2006 McGeachin was unopposed for the Republican primary. McGeachin won the general election with 71.19% of the vote against Democratic nominee Scott Cannon. 2008 McGeachin was unopposed for the Republican primary. McGeachin won the general election with 73% of the vote against Scott Cannon. McGeachin supported Mitt Romney in the 2008 Republican Party presidential primaries. 2010 McGeachin was unopposed for the Republican primary and was for the general election. McGeachin announced on February 24, 2012 that she would not be seeking re-election. McGeachin supported Mitt Romney in the 2012 Republican Party presidential primaries.
