The former head of the Idaho GOP, Steven Yates, plans to run for lieutenant governor. His campaign is planning to officially launch Tuesday.
Yates will be barnstorming across the state when he kicks off his campaign. He’ll start the day at the capitol in Boise, jet up to Coeur d’Alene for lunch and make a third stop in the east at the Bonneville County Courthouse in Idaho Falls.
Yates stepped down from his job as Idaho's top Republican this spring to consider running for political office. The 48 year old became the GOP chair in 2014 and was reelected to the post last year. According to the Statesman, Yates has a long history with the Republican Party. In 2001, he was hired as a national security adviser to Vice President Dick Cheney after a stint at the conservative Heritage Foundation.
Although the election is more than a year away, Yates joins a very crowded field running for lieutenant governor. Four other Republican candidates have announced their intention to run. Among the field are state Senator Marv Hagedorn, state Representative Kelley Packer and former state Representative Janice McGeachin. A fourth candidate, Steve Pankey, ran for governor in 2014 as a member of the Constitution Party. So far, no Democrat has announced a run for lieutenant governor.
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