Scott Conrad Bedke (born April 27, 1958) is an American politician serving as the 44th lieutenant governor of Idaho since 2023. A Republican, he served as a member of the
Idaho House of Representatives
The Idaho House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the Idaho Legislature.
It consists of 70 representatives elected to two-year terms. The state is divided into 35 districts, each of which elects two representatives to separate seats. ...
for the 27A district. In December 2012, Bedke defeated fellow Republican
Lawerence Denney
Lawerence Denney (born February 25, 1948) is an American politician from Idaho who served eight years as the state's secretary of state. A Republican, Denney previously served eighteen years in the Idaho House of Representatives, which inc ...
to become
speaker of the Idaho House of Representatives
The Idaho House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the Idaho Legislature.
It consists of 70 representatives elected to two-year terms. The state is divided into 35 districts, each of which elects two representatives to separate seats. ...
.
Early life and education
Bedke was born in
Twin Falls, Idaho
Twin Falls is the county seat of and the largest city in Twin Falls County, Idaho, United States. The city had a population of 51,807 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census.
. He graduated from Oakley High School and from
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University (BYU) is a Private education, private research university in Provo, Utah, United States. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is the flagship university of the Church Educational System sponsore ...
with
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, B.S., B.Sc., SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree that is awarded for programs that generally last three to five years.
The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Scienc ...
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Restorationism, restorationist Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, denomination and the ...
in
Italy
Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
from 1977 to 1979.
Career
When long-time legislator Jim Kempton resigned his seat for an appointment to the Northwest Power and Conservation Council, Legislative District 25 Central Committee met to fill the vacancy in House Seat A, sending three names in order of preference to Governor Dirk Kempthorne: Bedke, Garry Turner of Burley, and ODeen Redman of
Albion
Albion is an alternative name for Great Britain. The oldest attestation of the toponym comes from the Greek language. It is sometimes used poetically and generally to refer to the island, but is less common than "Britain" today. The name for Scot ...
. Governor Kempthore appointed Bedke to serve the remainder of Kempton's term.
After redistricting in 2002, Bedke was challenged in the Republican primary by Tim Willie and in the general election by Dan Ralphs, both of whom he defeated. Bedke was challenged in the 2004 Republican primary by Wayne Bagwell, whom he also defeated, and ran unopposed in every election since.
Committees
Prior to being elected as speaker in 2012, Bedke served on the following House Committees:
*Joint Finance & Appropriations Committee
*Revenue & Taxation Committee
*Resources & Conservation Committee
*Transportation & Defense Committee
*Chair Economic Outlook & Revenue Assessment Committee
*Credit Rating Enhancement Committee
2022 lieutenant governor campaign
On May 17, 2022, Bedke won the Republican nomination in the statewide primary for the 2022 Idaho lieutenant gubernatorial election. He defeated Priscilla Giddings and Daniel Gasiorowski in the primary election and then defeated Democrat Terri Pickens Manweiler in the general election on November 8, 2022.
Elections
Personal life
Bedke is married and has four children and sixteen grandchildren. He grew up in