Butch Otter | |
|---|---|
 Otter in 2017 | |
| 32ndGovernor of Idaho | |
| In office January 1, 2007 – January 7, 2019 | |
| Lieutenant | Jim Risch Brad Little |
| Preceded by | Jim Risch |
| Succeeded by | Brad Little |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromIdaho's1st district | |
| In office January 3, 2001 – January 1, 2007 | |
| Preceded by | Helen Chenoweth-Hage |
| Succeeded by | Bill Sali |
| 37thLieutenant Governor of Idaho | |
| In office January 5, 1987 – January 3, 2001 | |
| Governor | Cecil Andrus Phil Batt Dirk Kempthorne |
| Preceded by | David Leroy |
| Succeeded by | Jack Riggs |
| Member of the Idaho House of Representatives | |
| In office December 1, 1972 – December 1, 1976 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Clement Leroy Otter (1942-05-03)May 3, 1942 (age 82) Caldwell, Idaho, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 4 |
| Education | College of Idaho (BA) |
| Signature |  |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service |  United States Army |
| Years of service | 1968–1973 |
| Unit | Idaho Army National Guard |
Clement Leroy "Butch"Otter (born May 3, 1942) is an American businessman and politician who served as the 32ndgovernor of Idaho from 2007 to 2019. A member of theRepublican Party, he was elected in2006, and reelected in2010 and2014. Otter served aslieutenant governor from 1987 to 2001 and inU.S. Congress from thefirst district from 2001 to 2007.
Born inCaldwell, Idaho into a small Roman Catholic family of limited means, his parents were Regina Mary (née Buser) and Joseph Bernard Otter.[1][2] His father was ajourneymanelectrician, and the family lived in many rural locations in the Midwest and West during his youth, attending fifteen different schools.
His nickname "Butch" was the result of a few schoolyard fights which resulted in minor bruises; Catholic nuns had initially nicknamed him "Clem" after a character in theRed Skelton Show.[1] He graduated from St. Teresa's Academy (predecessor ofBishop Kelly High School) inBoise in 1962. Otter graduated from high school at age twenty – a childhood accident involving gasoline severely burned his younger brother and forced Otter to take a year off. He worked throughout high school as a janitor, theater usher, and lawn boy.
Otter briefly attendedSt. Martin's College inLacey, Washington, returned to Idaho and attendedBoise Junior College, then earned hisB.A. inpolitical science from theCollege of Idaho in 1967. He was the only member of his family to graduate from college, and made the dean's list in his last term. He served in theIdaho Army National Guard's116th Armored Cavalry from 1968 to 1973.[citation needed]
Otter's business experience includes thirty years withSimplot International, an agribusiness corporation founded by his then father-in-law,J.R. Simplot. He started at a low-level position and eventually was appointed to the company's presidency.[3]
His first bid for elective office was in 1972; he won a seat in thestate legislature fromCanyon County, and was re-elected to theHouse in 1974 serving until 1976.[4]
In January 1977, incumbent Democratic GovernorCecil Andrus was appointedU.S. Secretary of Interior under PresidentJimmy Carter. Lieutenant governorJohn Evans, a Democrat, succeeded Andrus and Otter announced in June his intention to run for governor in 1978.[5][6] In the six-man Republican primary in August, Otter ranked a close third with 26.0% of the vote.Allan Larsen, theHouseSpeaker fromBlackfoot, won the nomination with 28.7% of the vote, followed by Vern Ravenscroft ofTuttle,with 27.6%.[7][8][9]
The nominees of both parties wereMormon, marking the first time in state history one would be elected governor.[9] Incumbent Evans was unopposed in the Democratic primary and won the general election in November with nearly sixty percent of the vote; it was the third of six consecutive victories by Democrats.
After losing the gubernatorial primary, he was on theIdaho Republican Party Central Committee and was Chairman of the Canyon County Republican Party.[10]
AfterRonald Reagan won thepresidency in1980, he appointed Otter to the administration's Task Force on International Private Enterprise, theWorld Bank's Agricultural Advisory Committee, and the Center for International Private Enterprise.
In 1986, Otter returned to Idaho politics and was elected lieutenant governor, and reelected in 1990, 1994, and 1998. He served under three different governors, DemocratCecil Andrus, and RepublicansPhil Batt andDirk Kempthorne. In 1991, when the Idaho Senate was evenly divided between 21 Republicans and 21 Democrats, Otter's tie-breaking votes kept the body under GOP control. Midway through his fourth term in 2001 (14 years), Otter resigned to take his congressional seat inWashington, D.C.; he is the longest-serving lieutenant governor in Idaho history.
CongresswomanHelen Chenoweth-Hage of theFirst District had promised to serve only three terms in the House when first elected in the Republican wave of1994, and kept that pledge in2000 even after calling term limits bad policy.[citation needed]
Otter entered the Republican primary, and immediately became the favorite due to his name recognition as lieutenant governor. He won handily, and breezed to victory in November, and was re-elected in2002 and2004.
In Congress, Otter was largely conservative with a slightlibertarian streak, as reflected in his opposition to thePatriot Act. He was one of three Republicans (along withBob Ney ofOhio andRon Paul of Texas) to vote against the Act in 2001.
He since stated that"much of the USA PATRIOT Act is needed to help protect us in a dangerous age of stateless zealots and mindless violence". Otter was also very critical of theBush Administration'sTerrorist Surveillance Program concerning communications to those outside the United States. He served as a deputymajority whip for most of his time in Congress.[citation needed]
He supports a constitutional amendment defining marriage as between "one man and one woman."[11]
He has been a strong advocate for Second Amendment rights and opposes federal restrictions on gun sales.[12]
On economic issues, he has voted for a 2001 bankruptcy overhaul requiring partial debt repayment. He supports abalanced budget amendment to the US Constitution and supports broad-based tax cuts including eliminating the estate and marriage taxes. He has supported expanding free-trade agreements with nations such as Singapore and Chile.[citation needed]
He has voted for medical malpractice and tort reform. He has voted to allow importation of prescription drugs and has supported small business associations to reduce health insurance costs via collaborative efforts.[citation needed]
Otter voted to authorize the2003 invasion of Iraq.[13]
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In December 2005, Otter announced his candidacy for the gubernatorial seat in 2006. Otter won the May Republican primary with 70% of the vote, defeating three opponents[15]
In the general election, he faced DemocratJerry Brady in the November 7 general election. Brady, the former publisher ofThe Post Register inIdaho Falls, had run for governor in 2002, losing to incumbent Republican GovernorDirk Kempthorne. Otter was initially considered an overwhelming favorite, given his popularity and Idaho's strong Republican lean. However, the race was far closer than expected in the last weeks of the campaign. A poll conducted for theIdaho Statesman and BoiseABC affiliateKIVI showed Otter ahead of Brady by only a single point– a statistical dead heat. According to theStatesman, it was the first time in over a decade that the governor's race has not already been decided 10 days prior to the election.
State Republican Party chairman Kirk Sullivan told the paper that the race appeared to be closer than normal because of a strong national trend against the Republicans. Otter pulled away in the final week, and won the election 53%–44%, the closest gubernatorial race since 1994.[16]
Otter has recommended an increase in Idaho state educational funding by $1.36 billion as well as expanding needs-based scholarships for college-bound students. Otter supports expanding offshore oil drilling and supports tax incentives for development of alternative fuels. He has stated that the US should set a goal of 25% renewable energy by 2025.
On January 11, 2007, Otter announced his support for a "gray wolf kill," in which all but 100 of Idaho's recently recovered population would be eradicated, pending the forthcomingU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service removal of the wolves' federal protections under theEndangered Species Act. Otter even remarked that he would be first in line to purchase a tag to kill one of the animals.[17] This position drew criticism from many Western environmental and animal advocate groups, includingPriscilla Feral, president ofFriends of Animals who called for a boycott of potatoes fromIdaho.[18]
In the summer of 2007, actressDawn Wells, the originalMary Ann fromGilligan's Island, presented Governor Butch Otter with the Idaho Visionary Award for work he had done supporting Idaho filmmakers at theSpudFest Family Film and Music Festival that she founded inDriggs, Idaho.[19]
In the Republican primary, he had five opponents file against him. He won re-nomination with just 55% of the vote.[20] In the general election, he defeated Democratic nomineeKeith Allred 59%–33%.[21]
He was sworn into his second term on January 7, 2011. In the first State of the State in his second term, he proposed the elimination ofteacher tenure, becoming one of the most aggressive governors in the country when it comes to education reform. TheStateline explained that the "Idaho plan is perhaps the most far-reaching effort to use teachers' rights and performance as part of a bid to revamp a state's entire educational process." Critics say that roughly 770 teaching positions would be eliminated and teacher contracts would have to be renegotiated every year, in which bargaining would cover only pay and benefits.[22] In March 2011, Otter signed two bills into law, one limits the ability of teachers tocollectively bargain and eliminates tenure for new teachers. The other allows school districts to pay teachers based on their performance.[23] The "Luna laws" (named after the state's superintendent of education) were later overturned in three state referendums in 2012.
In April 2011, Otter issued anexecutive order prohibiting Idaho state agencies from implementing the federalPatient Protection and Affordable Care Act.[24]
In 2013, theCorrections Corporation of America (CCA) confirmed that an internal review showed the corporation had falsified records involving about 4,800 employee hours over a period of seven months, at itsIdaho State Correctional Center.[25] In 2014, a subsequentKPMG audit showed the actual overbilling was for over 26,000 hours. Otter ordered Idaho State Police to investigate to see if criminal charges should be brought. Otter had received a total of $20,000 in campaign contributions from employees of the company since 2003.[26] In March, the state announced that the FBI was taking over the investigation, as well as investigating CCA operations in other states.[27] In January 2014, Otter announced that the state would take back the operations of the prison.[28]
In May 2016, CCA, which had by then changed its name toCoreCivic, was found in contempt of court for having failed to comply with a court order regarding theIdaho State Correctional Institution. In an apparent attempt to increase profits, the company had been assigning too few staff to the prison and it submitted false staffing reports in order to appear to be in compliance.[29]
In March 2014 Otter established the "Wolf Control Fund and State Board" which continues his policy of exterminating wolves in Idaho.
In November 2014, Otter was elected to a third consecutive term as governor.[30]
Senate Bill 1146a, which would have legalizedCBD oil for persons with severe epilepsy, passed the Idaho Legislature following "lengthy and emotional" hearings, but was vetoed by Otter in April 2015.[31]
In his veto, Otter stated:
It ignores ongoing scientific testing on alternative treatments ... It asks us to trust but not to verify. It asks us to legalize the limited use of cannabidiol oil, contrary to federal law. And it asks us to look past the potential for misuse and abuse with criminal intent.[32]
For theUnited States presidential election in 2016 Otter endorsed fellow RepublicanJohn Kasich.[33]
In May 2016, CCA, which had changed its name toCoreCivic, was found in contempt of court for having failed to comply with a court order regarding theIdaho State Correctional Institution. In an apparent attempt to increase profits, the company had been assigning too few staff to the prison. They submitted false staffing reports to appear to be in compliance.[34]
In July 2017, Texas Attorney GeneralKen Paxton led a group of Republican Attorneys General from nine other states, and also including Otter, in threatening theDonald Trump administration that they would litigate if the president did not terminate theDeferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy that had been put into place by presidentBarack Obama.[35]
On January 5, 2019, the State Central Committee of theIdaho Republican Party passed a resolution condemning and censuring Otter ultimately over endorsing an independent candidate over a candidate nominated in the previous May primary.[36][37]
In 1964, Otter married Gay Simplot (b. 1945), the sister ofScott Simplot and only daughter ofJ. R. Simplot. After 28 years of marriage, the couple amicably divorced in 1992. The marriage was later annulled by the Catholic Church.[38]
In 2006, Otter married his longtime girlfriendLori Easley (born 1967), a formerMiss Idaho USA,[39] inMeridian on August 18.[40]
In August 1992, Otter was pulled over onInterstate 84 nearMeridian for suspicion ofdriving under the influence. He said the arresting officer observed him swerving as he was reaching for hiscowboy hat, which had been blown off by the wind in his open car. Otter offered several explanations for failing the field sobriety test including: his stocking feet were stung by weeds and gravel, he had run eight miles (13 km) and his knee hurt, he was hungry, and that he had soaked hischewing tobacco inJack Daniel's. A jury convicted Otter in March 1993, and he was sentenced to 72 hours of community service and 16 hours at an alcohol treatment program, fined $700, and had his license revoked.[41][42]
He publicly admitted the incident could have ended his political career;[42] it likely forced him to abandon an anticipated run for governor in1994 and instead seek re-election for lieutenant governor.Phil Batt won the gubernatorial election for the first Republican victory in 28 years.
| Year | Democratic | Votespe | Pct | Republican | Votes | Pct | 3rd Party | Party | Votes | Pct | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Marjorie Ruth Moon | Butch Otter | |||||||||||
| 1990 | (unopposed) | Butch Otter (inc.) | 246,132 | 100% | |||||||||
| 1994 | John Peavey | 191,625 | 47.4% | Butch Otter (inc.) | 213,009 | 52.6% | |||||||
| 1998 | Sue Reents | 133,688 | 35.6% | Butch Otter (inc.) | 225,704 | 60.2% | Alan Stroud | American Heritage | 15,769 | 4.2% | |||
| Idaho Lieutenant Governor Republican primary election, 1990 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Republican | Butch Otter (inc.) | 73,292 | 69.6% |
| Republican | Robert Forrey | 31,963 | 30.4% |
| Idaho Lieutenant Governor Republican primary election, 1994 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Republican | Butch Otter (inc.) | 46,805 | 39.7% |
| Republican | Dean Sorenson | 38,963 | 33.1% |
| Republican | Dean Haagenson | 32,037 | 27.2% |
| Year | Democratic | Votes | Pct | Republican | Votes | Pct | 3rd Party | Party | Votes | Pct | 3rd Party | Party | Votes | Pct | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Linda Pall | 84,080 | 31.4% | Butch Otter | 173,743 | 64.8% | Ronald G. Wittig | Libertarian | 6,093 | 2.3% | Kevin P. Hambsch | Reform | 4,200 | 1.6% | ||||
| 2002 | Betty Richardson | 80,269 | 38.9% | Butch Otter (inc.) | 120,743 | 58.6% | Steve Gothard | Libertarian | 5,129 | 2.5% | ||||||||
| 2004 | Naomi Preston | 90,927 | 30.5% | Butch Otter (inc.) | 207,662 | 69.5% | ||||||||||||
| Idaho's 1st Congressional district Republican primary election, 2000 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Republican | Butch Otter | 41,516 | 47.6% |
| Republican | Dennis Mansfield | 23,559 | 27.0% |
| Republican | Ron McMurray | 14,434 | 16.6% |
| Republican | Craig Benjamin | 2,966 | 3.4% |
| Republican | "Big Jim" Pratt | 1,281 | 1.5% |
| Republican | Gene Summa | 1,240 | 1.4% |
| Republican | David Shepherd | 1,181 | 1.4% |
| Republican | Harley Brown | 983 | 1.1% |
| Idaho's 1st Congressional district Republican primary election, 2004 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Republican | Butch Otter (inc.) | 48,986 | 78.5% |
| Republican | Jim Pratt | 13,433 | 21.5% |
| Year | Democratic | Votes | Pct | Republican | Votes | Pct | 3rd Party | Party | Votes | Pct | 3rd Party | Party | Votes | Pct | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Jerry Brady | 198,845 | 44.1% | Butch Otter | 237,437 | 52.7% | Pro-Life (politician) | Constitution | 7,309 | 1.6% | Steve Gothard | Libertarian | 7,241 | 1.6% | ||||
| 2010 | Keith G. Allred | 148,680 | 32.9% | Butch Otter (inc.) | 267,483 | 59.1% | Jana Kemp | Independent | 26,655 | 5.9% | Ted Dunlap | Libertarian | 5,867 | 1.3% | ||||
| 2014 | A.J. Balukoff | 169,556 | 38.6% | Butch Otter (inc.) | 235,405 | 53.5% | John Bujak | Libertarian | 17,884 | 4.1% | Jill Humble | Independent | 8,801 | 2.0% |
| Idaho Gubernatorial Republican primary election, 2006 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Republican | Butch Otter | 96,045 | 70.0% |
| Republican | Dan Adamson | 29,093 | 21.2% |
| Republican | Jack Alan Johnson | 7,652 | 5.6% |
| Republican | Walt Bayes | 4,385 | 3.2% |
| Idaho Gubernatorial Republican primary election, 2010 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Republican | Butch Otter (inc.) | 89,117 | 54.6% |
| Republican | Rex Rammell | 42,436 | 26.0% |
| Republican | Sharon M. Ullman | 13,749 | 8.4% |
| Republican | Ron "Pete" Peterson | 8,402 | 5.2% |
| Republican | Walt Bayes | 4,825 | 3.0% |
| Republican | Tamara Wells | 4,544 | 2.8% |
| Republican | Fred Nichols(write-in) | 38 | 0.0% |
| Idaho Gubernatorial Republican primary election, 2014 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Republican | Butch Otter (inc.) | 79,779 | 51.4% |
| Republican | Russ Fulcher | 67,694 | 43.6% |
| Republican | Harley Brown | 5,084 | 3.3% |
| Republican | Walt Bayes | 2,753 | 1.8% |
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Lieutenant Governor of Idaho 1987–2001 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Governor of Idaho 2007–2019 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromIdaho's 1st congressional district 2001–2007 | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Republican nominee forGovernor of Idaho 2006,2010,2014 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded byas Former US Senator | Order of precedence of the United States Within Idaho | Succeeded byas Former Governor |
| Preceded byas Former Governor | Order of precedence of the United States Outside Idaho | Succeeded byas Former Governor |
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| Two at-large seats (1913–1919) |
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| International | |
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| National | |
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