Scott Conrad Bedke (born April 27, 1958) is an American politician serving as a member of the

Idaho House of Representatives The Idaho House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the Idaho State 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 se ...

for the 27A district. In December 2012, Bedke defeated fellow Republican

Lawerence Denney Lawerence Denney (born February 25, 1948) is the secretary of state of Idaho. A Republican, Denney previously served as a member of the Idaho House of Representatives, including three terms as Speaker of the Idaho House of Representatives. Poli ...

to become

speaker of the Idaho House of Representatives The Idaho House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the Idaho State 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 se ...

. He is the lieutenant governor-elect of Idaho

Early life and education

Bedke was born in

Twin Falls, Idaho Twin Falls is the county seat and largest city of Twin Falls County, Idaho, United States. The city had a population of 51,807 as of the 2020 census. In the Magic Valley region, Twin Falls is the largest city in a radius, and is the regional ...

. He graduated from Oakley High School in 1976 and from

Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day ...

with

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...

in finance. He served a

mission Mission (from Latin ''missio'' "the act of sending out") may refer to: Organised activities Religion *Christian mission, an organized effort to spread Christianity *Mission (LDS Church), an administrative area of The Church of Jesus Christ of ...

for

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 Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

from 1977 to 1979.

Career

When long-time legislator Jim Kempton resigned his seat for an appointment to the

Northwest Power and Conservation Council The Northwest Power and Conservation Council is a regional organization that develops and maintains a regional power plan and a fish and wildlife program to balance the Northwest's environment and energy needs. Based in Portland, Oregon, the Counci ...

, 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 Dirk Arthur Kempthorne (born October 29, 1951) is an American politician who served as the 49th United States Secretary of the Interior from 2006 to 2009 under President George W. Bush. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a ...

: 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 has run 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 Priscilla Giddings is an American far-right politician serving as a member of Idaho House of Representatives from the 7A district. She was a Republican candidate for lieutenant governor of Idaho in the 2022 election. In 2021 she was censured by t ...

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 fourteen grandchildren. He grew up in

Oakley, Idaho Oakley is a city in Cassia County, Idaho, United States. The population was 763 at the 2010 census, up from 668 in 2000.

.Davlin, Meliss
Mr. Speaker: Scott Bedke Reflects on Legislative Session
Magicvalley.com

References

External links

Scott Bedke
at the

Idaho Legislature The Idaho Legislature consists of the upper Idaho Senate and the lower Idaho House of Representatives. Idaho is divided into 35 legislative districts, which each elect one senator and two representatives. There are no term limits for either cha ...

Campaign site
* , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Bedke, Scott 1958 births 20th-century Mormon missionaries 21st-century American politicians American Mormon missionaries in Italy Brigham Young University alumni Latter Day Saints from Idaho Lieutenant Governors of Idaho Living people People from Oakley, Idaho People from Twin Falls, Idaho Speakers of the Idaho House of Representatives Republican Party members of the Idaho House of Representatives