Brad Little Didn’t Show Up After Twin Falls Mass Shooting

I guess Twin Falls is Brad Little’s East Palestine.  You may remember the small village in Ohio where there was an environmental disaster.  Joe Biden avoided the place.  Then his opponent dropped in and changed the tenor of a campaign.  Little’s opponents won’t be getting close by November, but still.  More than three weeks have passed since a mass shooting here in Twin Falls, and if the Governor has visited, it’s a state secret.  I’ll admit he couldn’t impact the investigation, but aren’t Governors supposed to show up and to appeal for strength and prayer?

He Doesn't Need to Be the Face of the Tragedy

You don’t need to pull a Spencer Cox.  Utah’s Governor knocked people over to get to the cameras after Charlie Kirk was killed.  Cox may have compromised the investigation.  That’s not the answer, but 48 other Governors appear to get it right.  I talk to a lot of people in local and state politics, and while Little may have a wide amount of support, it’s not very deep.  Mostly, his political machine builds loyalty through fear, not love.  Which is a shame, because whenever I’ve seen him at events, he has a very good “everyman” touch.  He comes across as a guy you could sit down with at a coffee counter and talk about the previous night’s ballgame.

Brad Little Doesn't Need to Be Worried About a Few Votes

The Governor has no serious competition.  Going back to 2018, I’ve been hearing one faction of Republicans predict Idaho will collapse as a garden slug doused with salt if Little gets elected.  Imagine political rhetoric being exaggerated!   Despite the recent horrific events in Twin Falls and Moscow, Idaho doesn’t have much of a crime problem.  Government can always spend less, but compared to Washington and California, this is the best-looking state at the dance.  I see two growing troubles: housing costs and lack of water.  The market mostly dictates one, the other by Mother Nature.  There are some actions people can take, but also some issues that are going their own direction no matter how much we believe we’re masters of the planet.  The rain this weekend was a pleasant surprise, but won’t do much to break the drought.  If the next 24 months don’t bring relief, it won’t matter who is Governor, or serving in the legislature.