Idaho governor welcomes idea of rural Oregon counties joining state
Fed up conservatives in two rural Oregon counties are petitioning to become part of Idaho; Idaho Gov. Brad Little reacts on 'Fox & Friends.'
Idaho GOP Gov. Brad Little said Wednesday it's not “surprising" to hear that a group of Oregon conservatives want to merge part of the state with Idaho to flee liberal policies.
“They’re looking at Idaho fondly because of our regulatory atmosphere, our values. That doesn’t surprise me one bit,” Little told “Fox & Friends.”
Little said that there would be a lot of “governmental hurdles” and “legal hurdles” that would have to be cleared before Greater Idaho could ever become a reality.
The group of frustrated Oregon conservatives, who have tried everything from voting out Democratic state officials they consider too liberal to recalling the state’s governor and appealing to their Washington representatives, now want to leave the state by moving the border with neighboring Idaho westward, a published report Monday said.
“No matter what happens, we’ll maintain our name,” Little said.
The group, Move Oregon’s Border for a Greater Idaho, has secured initial approval from two counties and has set a goal of getting enough signatures to put the proposal on local ballots in November, USA Today reported.
Barring a setback, voters in southeastern Oregon could see a question on a redrawn state border with Idaho, the newspaper reported.
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"What they’re interested [in] is they would like to have a little more autonomy, a little more control, a little more freedom and I can understand that," said Little.
Of Oregon's 36 counties, only 14 in the Willamette Valley area would remain if the group succeeds, the newspaper reported. Moving the border would require approval from the U.S. Congress as well as the Idaho and Oregon state legislatures, however.
The proposal to join Idaho isn't the first effort Oregonians have made to leave the state. In 1941, residents of southwestern Oregon tried to secede by creating a state of Jefferson with northern Californians.
Fox News’ Jack Durschlag contributed to this report.