Both the Republican and Democrat running to be Idaho’s next governor appeared Tuesday night for a conversation at the College Of Idaho.
Brad Little and Paulette Jordan didn’t formally debate, but the forum allowed each to lay out policy plans with just a little more than a month to go before the November 6 election.
The theme of the night was fiscal policy and taxes. Jordan and Little say the areas of transportation and education need more resources. Democrat Jordan believes the solution comes through smarter spending, while Republican Little proposes consolidating overhead costs in some school districts.
According to Jordan, one way the state could save money is by minimizing enforcement of marijuana laws.
“I think that’s not going to play very well in the state of Idaho at all,” says BYU Idaho political science professor Matt Miles. “In terms of saving money, there’s not a lot of money that gets spent on enforcing marijuana regulations right now.”
Miles says Little used the event to talk about his three-pronged tax plan.
The first formal debate between the candidates is in under two weeks. Miles isn’t expecting fireworks.
“I wouldn’t expect that Brad Little is going to say anything that makes people want to tune in and watch,” Miles says. “I think that from Paulette Jordan – I don’t think she’ll be theatrical. I don’t think that she’ll try and do anything really exciting just for the sake of it.”
The candidates meet for their first debate Saturday, October 13.
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