Last week, Terry Branstad of Iowa stepped down, ending more than 22 years in the Governor’s chair. Yes, we said Iowa, not Idaho, but that means Idaho’s governor moved up on a short list of the longest-serving heads of states.
The website Smart Politics keeps track of just how long top leaders in each state have been in office. Branstad takes the top spot, with 8,169 days as Governor.
Idaho’s Butch Otter is at number 54 on the list right now. He has more than 10 years and four months as governor. With Branstad stepping down, Otter now has the second-longest all-time service for governors who currently hold the office.
If Otter serves out his last full term, he will move all the way up to number 24 on the list by the start of 2019.
But that won’t be enough to catch up with Cecil Andrus. The former Democratic Idaho Governor sits at number 13. Serving in the 70s, 80s and 90s, Andrus was in office 5,133 days.
Find Samantha Wright on Twitter @samwrightradio
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