Brad Little (politician)

Personal life and career

Little was born February 15, 1954, in Emmett, Idaho. Little’s grandfather, Andy Little, immigrated to Idaho from Scotland in 1894, and began to work as a sheepherder on a ranch near Emmett, where he would eventually manage his own ranch. Andy’s Highland Livestock and Land Company would eventually include lands ranging from Emmett to Cascade, Idaho, and his flock of more than 120,000 sheep would earn him the nickname of the “Idaho Sheep King.” Andy’s son, David Little, took over the ranching operation, and would also go on to become an Idaho Republican National Committeeman and Idaho State Senator, R-Emmett for more than 14 years.

Little was raised on his family’s ranch in Emmett and attended Emmett High School. Little graduated in 1976 with a bachelor's degree in agri-business from the University of Idaho, where he was a member of the Idaho Alpha Chapter of Phi Delta Theta. Little married Weiser, Idaho native Teresa Soulen in May 1978. They have two sons and daughters-in-law: Adam, Angela, David, and Kelsey, and four grandsons and one granddaughter.

Little has spent his career working in his family’s ranching interests while also engaging in a political career. During the 1981 and 1985 legislative sessions, Brad represented his father David Little in the senate on a temporary appointment due to illness, during which time he served on the Finance and Resources Committees. Brad also managed his family’s ranching operation, Little Land and Livestock, for almost thirty years until his son, David, became manager in 2009 when Brad was appointed Lieutenant Governor. He continues to work as the head of Little Enterprises, Inc. (a diversified farming and cattle operation), and is currently a member of the board of directors of Performance Design Inc. – a small Boise-based manufacturing company.

Little has also been involved in a variety of private organizations and companies based in Idaho and the Mountain West. Little is a former chairman of the Idaho Association of Commerce and Industry (IACI), “The Voice of Business in Idaho,” and was a member of its board for 20 years (1981-2001), half of its nearly 40-year history. Little is also the former vice-chairman of the Idaho Community Foundation and the Emmett Public School Foundation, and the former director of the Idaho Wool Growers Association and the University of Idaho Foundation. He has also served in the past on the board of directors of Home Federal Bank, a small Idaho-based regional bank recently acquired by Bank of the Cascades, High Country News, and the Idaho Foundation for Excellence in Education.

State Senator (2001–09)

Little was appointed by Governor Dirk Kempthorne to fill a State Senate vacancy in May 2001, and represented what was at the time District 8, which covered a part of Little’s native Gem County surrounding and north of Emmett, and all of Boise, Valley, and Adams Counties, as well as the southern portion of Idaho County.

Following a change in district boundaries due to redistricting in 2001–02, Brad Little was elected in the fall of 2002 to District 11, which then encompassed all of Gem County and the northern portion of Canyon County, including the communities of Middleton and Parma.

Little was subsequently re-elected senator from District 11 four times.

Little was also elected in 2003 by his Republican peers to the party leadership position of Majority Caucus Chair, which he held until 2009.

Committee Assignments

State Senator from District 11: 2002 results

State Senator from District 11: 2004 results

State Senate from District 11: 2006 results

State Senate from District 11: 2008 results

Appointment, election and re-election

In January 2009, Governor Otter appointed Brad Little to the office of Lieutenant Governor to fill the vacancy left by former Lt. Governor Jim Risch's election to the U.S. Senate in the 2008 election cycle. Little was sworn in by Otter on January 6, 2009, and confirmed by unanimous consent when the Idaho Senate convened on January 12, 2009.

Little was subsequently elected Lieutenant Governor in 2010, defeating two opponents in the primary election, and two opponents from the Democratic and Constitution parties in the general election. He was re-elected Lieutenant Governor in 2014.

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Economic development

Little has focused on economic development as lieutenant governor.

Little helped persuade energy-bar-producer Clif Bar & Company in 2013 to build a new food manufacturing plant in the state.

Little has praised the opening of Cayenne Technologies' new computer data center in Pocatello, the first commercial center of its kind in Idaho. Little has praised the Idaho National Laboratory, a research facility in southeastern Idaho.

Trade missions

Little has also taken part in and led several trade missions to out-of-state regions. Little led a Friendship Mission to Basque Country in Spain in 2010, during which he met President of the Basque Government Patxi López. During this meeting, Little and López agreed to establish a Basque Economic Development Office in Boise, Idaho, which "would provide resources and services for Idaho and Basque companies to ease collaboration on research, sales and collaborative programs." Little later signed the Euskadi-Idaho Friendship Agreement, which affirms the friendship and cultural affinity between Basque Country and Idaho, which is the residence of a large Basque community.

Little was also a member of a 2011 Idaho trade delegation which traveled to Mexico and Brazil. Little commented after the trade mission that "we found tremendous interest and opportunities in both countries for Idaho products and services … This trip strengthened key trade relationships and established new customers for Idaho businesses." The Idaho Department of Commerce estimated that the mission resulted in sales of more than $30 million.

Legislation

In the 2014 legislative session, Little sponsored Senate Bill 1354, an anti-"patent troll" bill. The bill protectes companies from abusive or "bad faith assertions of patent infringement" to collect an extortionate licensing fee.

2018 Gubernatorial Election

In June 2016, Little announced his candidacy for the Idaho gubernatorial election in 2018. He said that Idaho National Laboratory will be a priority if he becomes governor.

Endorsements for 2018 Gubernatorial run