2026 Idaho gubernatorial recall election (2032: Collapse)

The **2026 Idaho gubernatorial recall election** came in two rounds, first with a referendum held on January 20, 2026 on whether or not to recall Governor Brad Little, followed by a general election to appoint his replacement on April 7. The recall vote was initiated by the Patriot-dominated Idaho General Assembly on December 28, 2025, targeting Republican governor Brad Little, who had sparred with the Patriot Party (which had emerged from a radical, far-right faction of the GOP) on several occasions. The recall vote was strongly opposed by the Idaho Republican Party, with the Idaho Democratic Party and Moderate Conservative Party of Idaho later encouraging their supporters to vote against Little's recall, with the Libertarian Party of Idaho later endorsing the "No" option on January 16. Meanwhile, support for the "Yes" option primarily came from the Idaho Patriot Party and the Constitution Party of Idaho, the two having traditionally been closely involved and both supportive of far-right ideologies. Some members of the Idaho Republican Party in the General Assembly also endorsed the "Yes" option, leading to their expulsion from the party.

Most news outlets projected a close and highly competitive campaign, while numerous national-level politicians also attempted to get involved in campaigning for both sides, with Republican President Mike Pence encouraging his supporters to vote against Little's recall, although it is believed that this may have hurt support for the "No" option among Democratic and Libertarian voters who had historically strongly opposed both Little and Pence, especially due to their strongly social conservative stances. Though most opinion polls had the "Yes" and "No" options virtually tied through mid January, in the last days before the recall election the "No" option began to gain a considerable lead on the "Yes" option in opinion polls, with most opinion polls having the "No" option polling nearly 15% ahead of the "Yes" option by January 20. Despite this, the "Yes" option would end up defeating the "No" option in the referendum by just under 38,000 votes, although both the Republican and Democratic parties in the state would point out irregularities in election results which led to suspicions of voter fraud, as well as alleged use of voter intimidation and harassment by local law enforcement and pro-Patriot paramilitary groups. Little would initially dispute the referendum's results, however would be forced to stand down in February, instead aiming on seeking re-election through the upcoming general election in which he would be eligible.

## General election

The **2026 Idaho gubernatorial recall election** was held on Tuesday, April 7, 2026 to elect the next governor of Idaho to serve out the remainder of incumbent Brad Little's term. Despite having been recalled in January, outgoing Republican governor Brad Little chose to stand his ground and received the Republican nomination unopposed after successfully arguing for his right to run for re-election in the Idaho Supreme Court. He faced former Lieutenant Governor and alt-right conspiracy theorist Janice McGeachin, who received the nomination of both the Patriot Party and Constitution Party. The Idaho Democratic Party refused to put forward a candidate in order to prevent a spoiler effect against Little, passively supporting Little's campaign, although they refused to formally endorse him. The Moderate Conservative Party of Idaho also refused to put forward a candidate, although they did formally endorse Little in March. Meanwhile, the Libertarians put forward former White Bird city councilman Paul Sand as their nominee, who had previously been their nominee in the 2022 Idaho gubernatorial election.

Similar to the recall referendum, most news outlets projected a competitive race, with Little leading just barely ahead of McGeachin in most opinion polls through most of February and March before falling behind her in the last days before the election. Both fielded some of the most expensive campaigns for governor in Idaho state history, with Little raising nearly $1,000,000 in fundraising between February 1 and April 1 while McGeachin had around $850,000 during that same time, while both the national Republican and Patriot parties campaigned extensively for their respective nominees within the state. Ultimately, on April 7 McGeachin would end up defeating Little by just under 17,500 votes, and she assumed office as the state's governor immediately upon being declared the victor. Little would initially refuse to step down, however would resign on April 9 and leave the state for Washington. Little would later return to the state on April 15, and would run for Governor in the November election, winning the Republican primary in June. Despite this, Little would not appear on the ballot as the state Republican Party would instead choose to endorse Democratic nominee Paulette Jordan, as to not act as a spoiler against McGeachin. McGeachin would handily defeat Jordan in an election rife with violence, intimidation and other irregularities that was generally considered non-democratic by most political observers, and Idaho would become a *de facto* one-party dictatorship under McGeachin after the November 2026 election cycle.