Butch Otter is the incumbent Governor of Idaho who took office on January 1, 2007, succeeding Jim Risch. Formerly, he was a member of the US House of Representatives (2001 – 2007) and Lieutenant Governor of Idaho (1987 – 2001).
Early Life and Education
Butch Otter, or Clement Leroy Otter, was brought in the world by mother Regina Mary and father Joseph Bernard Otter on May 3, 1942. Although Otter was born in Caldwell, Idaho, he lived in several parts of the west and mid-west United States. Hence, Otter also kept on moving from one school to another and eventually graduated from Bishop Kelly High School.
Completing early education, Butch Otter joined Boise Junior College and College of Idaho for an undergraduate degree in political science.
Personal Life
Butch Otter has married two times in his life time. His first marital knot was tied with Gay Simplot in 1964. The couple parted their ways in 1992, Otter went on to marry Lori Otter in 2006. Butch Otter is a father to four children.
Career
After graduating from College of Idaho in 1967, Otter joined the Idaho Army National Guard and served there for five years. Leaving the military service, he ventured into the world of Idaho politics by running for a seat the Idaho State House of Representatives. He served in the office from 1972 to 1978, having been re-elected in 1974 and 1976.
In 1978 gubernatorial election, Butch Otter decided to run for Governor of Idaho as a Republican candidate. Unfortunately, Otter couldn’t receive enough votes to go higher than the third position in gubernatorial primary election results. Allan Larsen won the nomination and went on to lose against incumbent Governor John Evans in general election. Later, Otter served at the Task Force on International Private Enterprise under President Ronald Reagan.
Otter left the Reagan administration and other tasks behind in 1986 and joined Marjorie Ruth Moon in the gubernatorial election. Alongside Marjorie’s win, Otter ascended Idaho government as Lieutenant Governor of Idaho. Later, he was re-elected in 1990, 1994 and 1998. Otter left the office on January 3, 2001 to join the US House of Representatives and was subsequently succeeded by Jack Riggs.
For a first term at the US House of Representatives, Butch Otter won 47.6% votes and 78.5% votes for the second term. While at the office, Otter has tried his best to address the Republican ideologies. As a pro-life, he opposed funding for abortions. Likewise, he doesn’t support same-sex marriage and strongly advocates for gun rights. Moreover, Otter served on various committees such as US House Committee on Resources, US House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, US House Committee on Government Reform and US House Committee on Energy and Commerce. He has repeatedly supported extending trade relations with Asia-Pacific economies such as Taiwan, South Korea, Philippines, et cetera.
Having been a prominent and well-known politician, Otter decided to run for Governor of Idaho in 2006 gubernatorial election. He gained 70% to receive the Republican nomination and joined the general election against Democrat Jerry Brady. Otter won the election with a margin of 6% votes. In 2010, he sought for a second term. Interestingly, he won the Republican nomination but with a lot fewer votes. Anyway, Otter again went to win the final election against Republican Keith Allred and other third party candidates with 59.1% votes. In 2014 gubernatorial election, Butch won the Republican nomination with 51.4% votes and saw another victory against Republican A.J. Balukoff.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQlPcwiruaY
As Governor of Idaho, Otter called for a significant increase in educational funding and strict educational reforms. Alongside a $1.36-billion rise in education funding, he proposed for an elimination of teacher tenure. Likewise, he made remarks about supporting the killing of grey wolf. This got him into a lot of controversy among environmentalists and animal rights advocates.
Donald Trump and Butch Otter
US President Donald Trump and Butch Otter resemble a lot on their political stands. For instance, Otter supports Trump’s plan to build a border wall between Mexico and USA and cut off funding on any abortion-related campaigns or projects. Reportedly, Otter was a nominee for US Secretary of Agriculture. However, the position went to Sonny Perdue.
