State Senate

In 1960, at age 28, and concerned over the local Republican state senator's stance against needed education improvements in Idaho schools, particularly in rural areas of the state, Andrus filed as a Democrat to run against him and won, and was re-elected in 1962 and 1964 from Orofino (and Clearwater County).^{[citation needed]}

Gubernatorial candidate

Andrus first ran for governor in 1966 but was narrowly defeated in the Democratic primary by Charles Herndon, an attorney from Salmon.^[18]

Seven weeks before the November election, Herndon and two others died in a twin-engine private plane crash in the mountains six miles (10 km) northwest of Stanley,^[19] while en route from Twin Falls to Coeur d'Alene in mid-September.^[20][21] Andrus was appointed the nominee to take Herndon's place on the ballot. He lost the general election to Republican Don Samuelson of Sandpoint by more than 11,000 votes,^[22] earning Andrus the unlikely distinction of losing both the primary and general election races for the same office in the same year. He returned to the state senate two years later, easily unseating the Republican incumbent in the 1968 election,^[23] and represented Lewiston.^[16] Herndon's widow, Lucille, was elected to several local political offices after his death.^[24]

Governor of Idaho (1971–1977)

Undaunted by his earlier setback, Andrus defeated Samuelson by over 10,000 votes in a gubernatorial election rematch in 1970.^[25] This was attributed in large part to Andrus's public opposition to proposals for development of molybdenum mining in central Idaho's White Cloud Mountains, which Samuelson supported.^[26][27]

During his first term as governor, Andrus played a key role in winning support by the U.S. Congress for federal designation of the Sawtooth Wilderness Area in the State of Idaho.^[4] Andrus was easily re-elected in 1974 with over 70% of the vote, defeating Republican Lieutenant Governor Jack M. Murphy of Shoshone by a record margin.^[28]

In 1974, Time magazine named Governor Andrus one of the "200 Faces for the Future".^[29]

Secretary of the Interior (1977–1981)

In January 1977, Andrus left his post as governor to serve as Secretary of the Interior for newly inaugurated President Jimmy Carter,^[17][30] whom he had known since both were freshman governors in 1971. Andrus became the first Idahoan to serve in a presidential cabinet. He was succeeded in Idaho by Lieutenant Governor John V. Evans, a Democrat who served nearly a decade, winning elections in 1978 and 1982.^[31][32]

Andrus also took a leadership role in securing Congressional passage of the Redwood National Park Expansion Act in 1978.^{[citation needed]} which added 48,000 acres (75 sq mi; 190 km²) to Redwood National Park in California, in a major expansion to preserve remnants of the giant redwood forests there.^[33]

In 1979, when President Carter asked for the resignations of his entire Cabinet during an administration retreat at Camp David, the resignation of Andrus was not accepted. Andrus stayed on as Secretary of the Interior for the remainder of Carter's presidency and returned to Idaho after Carter's term ended in January 1981.^{[citation needed]}

Andrus wrote in his memoir about such a need for compromise relative to his successful, last-ditch efforts in securing passage of the Alaska Lands Act during the last month of the Carter Administration in December 1980, following Ronald Reagan's election in November: "The environmental groups were initially hostile. I actually had to listen to the idiotic argument (from the Wilderness Society and Sierra Club's paid Washington lobbyists) that they could get a better Alaska package out of Reagan and Watt."^{[citation needed]}

"Cooler heads quickly prevailed", Andrus continues, "It proved the old adage that there's nothing like a hanging in the morning to focus the mind. Even though we were creating tomorrow's controversies, a 103-million acre [preservation] plan ... was a lot better than nothing."^[34]

Governor of Idaho again (1987–1995)

After several years in private life following his return to Idaho in 1981,^[35][36] Andrus surprised many by seeking and recapturing the Idaho governorship in 1986, when he defeated Republican Lieutenant Governor David Leroy in a close open seat election.^[37] The incumbent since succeeding Andrus in 1977, Evans had chosen to run for the U.S. Senate,^[38] but lost.

During this second stint as governor, Andrus vigorously opposed federal efforts to store nuclear waste in Idaho. He also brokered a path-breaking agreement among land use and conservation interests to control water pollution from nonpoint sources to protect riparian and fish habitat in Idaho's rivers and streams.^{[citation needed]}

In September 1989, Andrus closed off the Idaho border to nuclear waste shipments from the federal government's Rocky Flats site near Denver. He initially agreed to open a temporary dump near Idaho Falls to store waste until the federal government agreed to open a site near Carlsbad, New Mexico. When the federal government failed to open the Carlsbad site, Andrus refused to accept shipments of plutonium from Rocky Flats. Secretary of Energy James D. Watkins did not challenge Andrus's authority to close the border.^{[citation needed]}

In 1990, Andrus drew attention when he vetoed a bill, passed by the legislature, which "would have made abortion illegal except in cases of non-statutory rape reported within seven days, incest if the victim was under 18, severe fetal deformity or where the pregnancy posed a threat to the mother's life."^[39] Andrus was easily re-elected later that year against conservative Republican state senator Roger Fairchild of Fruitland,^[40] and won every county except Lemhi and Jefferson.^{[citation needed]}

In his fourth and final term as governor, Andrus was again in the national spotlight due to the Endangered Species Act listing of several Snake River salmon species. These anadromous fish species spawn in their natal streams in Idaho and migrate seaward at a young age. Governor Andrus called attention to the downstream federal dams operated by the Army Corps of Engineers as the major culprit. His successful lawsuit against the federal government led to incremental changes in operations of the dams, and to continuing efforts for major conservationist modifications to the dams that are ongoing today.^{[citation needed]}

On April 3, 1990, he signed House Bill 817 into law, creating two new types of felony crimes, defined new criminal investigation areas, provided the basis for opening ritual child abuse cases based upon probable cause, and provided a framework for extensive ritual child abuse investigation training throughout Idaho.^[41]

Despite remaining personally popular, Andrus did not seek a fifth term in 1994. At his death in 2017, he was the eleventh longest-serving governor in U.S. history.^[42] Andrus was succeeded by Phil Batt of Wilder, the first Republican to win a gubernatorial election in Idaho since 1966; he served a single term and did not seek a second in 1998.^[43] Andrus's re-election in 1990 was the sixth straight gubernatorial win by Democrats in Idaho (Evans in 1978, 1982), but is the most recent; Republicans have since won eight consecutive, through 2022.

Election results