COEUR d’ALENE — The Coeur d’Alene Chamber of Commerce Public Policy Committee hosted the first of three Republican gubernatorial candidates at the Kroc Center on Friday. With visits from rivals Tommy Ahlquist and Rep. Raul Labrador planned for April 17 and May 3, respectively, Lt. Gov. Brad Little made his pitch as to why he’d be the best governor for local businesses.

“I still am a businessperson at heart,” said Little, who opined that the next governor must be able to dialogue with the Legislature, get around the state, and make his case to communities about what’s important. Little’s priorities include higher incomes and policies that keep Idaho’s kids and grandkids here instead of departing for seemingly greener pastures.

“Whoever’s elected governor in November will have the choice about what trajectory we want to be on,” Little said.

Tom Torgerson, Coeur d’Alene Realtors Association president, pressed Little on how he’d balance between “limited government” advocated by “Republicans” as opposed to “basically anarchy” advocated by “uberconservatives.”

Little said his track record demonstrates the way he’d deal with those choices. He said he supported the state’s recent return of revenue surpluses in part as tax relief, and its investment of the rest of those surpluses into education and rainy day accounts.

Coeur d’Alene Chamber of Commerce CEO Steve Wilson said the organization has supported funding infrastructure even if it meant raising taxes. Little said it was more proper to fund it out of the general fund but agreed that Idaho would have to spend much more on transportation projects. Bad roads mean wasted time for businesses, he said, and that costs the state in economic development.

With twice the miles of roads as Utah, Oregon, and Washington and without the oil, gas, and coal funds that Wyoming and Montana use to underwrite their transportation costs, Little said, “Idaho has an unenviable position.”

“We are always going to have to pay a little more for roads because of the shape of our state, and because of federal lands that don’t generate income,” he said. He added, “I’m getting beaten up because I supported putting money into transportation at one time. I’ll take those body blows all day long.”

The lieutenant governor said he was “very passionate about early childhood learning” and advocated a smorgasbord approach to increasing reading proficiency by the end of the third grade. Test scores in other subjects can’t improve until reading proficiency goes up, he said. That is itself key to molding the kind of employees that Idaho employers need in the years to come, he said. He advocated for transitioning rural Idaho communities that have lost sawmills and other natural resources jobs to the newer, high tech-based economy.

Little touted his work pushing to cover “the other gap” of people priced out of health care coverage. This lesser-known gap, he said, consists of small businesses, the spouses of people with employer-based coverage, and individuals who have had their health insurance costs double or triple under Obamacare. He insisted that young, healthy persons must be included in order to make an insurance system work.

With only the sick and elderly, he said, costs skyrocketed. Little said if he wasn’t so busy with the campaign he’d be talking about the issue nationwide.

“We believe it’s the best solution for the entire U.S.,” he said.

In response to a question from Sen. Bob Nonini on dam breaching, Little said his primary concern is that Idaho maintain sovereignty over its water. He added that “I think we can still restore more abundant fish numbers while also maintaining those dams.”

In contrast to Oregon Gov. Kate Brown, who on Wednesday said she would refuse to send the Oregon National Guard to secure the U.S.-Mexico border if requested by President Donald Trump, Little said he would comply with the commander-in-chief if Idaho’s troops were activated for border duty.

“I would say, ‘That’s your right, Mr. President,’” Little said. The U.S. Constitution doesn’t give governors the right to refuse an order from the president to deploy National Guard soldiers outside the state he added.

Little is a native of Emmett, Idaho, and has served as lieutenant governor since 2009. He is a board member for Performance Design Incorporated of Boise and is the former chair of the Idaho Association of Commerce and Industry and the Idaho Wool Growers Association.

“In politics, business, education, and agriculture I’ve had experience all over the state. I just think I’m darn lucky to have that experience,” he said.