Gov. Otter Appoints Rancher to Idaho Senate

BOISE (KTVB) - Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter has appointed Soda Springs rancher Mark Harris to the Idaho Senate.

Otter announced Thursday that Harris will replace former Republican Sen. John Tippets, who was recently appointed by the governor to be the director of the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality.

Harris previously served on Otter's campaign team as a regional co-chair during the 2014 election. He also sits on the Idaho Republican Party's executive committee.

In 2011, the governor chose Tippets over Harris to fill the same senate seat.

Harris will serve the remainder of Tippets' two-year term, which ends in 2016.