O-SenseIdaho Republican Gov. Butch Otter is butting heads with lawmakers over several issues this general session, which is scheduled to wind down next week.
A new Idaho Politics Weekly poll by Dan Jones & Associates finds the governor at odds on several issues.
Otter opposes tax cuts if they threaten his public education spending priorities.
But 58 percent of Idahoans favor tax cuts, only 24 percent side with the governor, 8 percent suggest some other alternatives, and 9 percent don’t know.
The results show Idahoans, like citizens elsewhere, are somewhat inconsistent when it comes to taxes and education. They support tax cuts, but other poll results show they support increased spending on education. You can’t have both, without severely cutting other programs.
Otter also has a Medicaid expansion plan called Primary Care Access Plan, which only covers some of the more poor and sick in the state.
But only 24 percent of Idahoans favor the Otter expansion plan, 42 percent want full expansion under Obamacare’s 90-10 federal/state financial split, which would cover 78,000 low-income Idahoans.
Seventeen percent say don’t do anything this session on Medicaid expansion and 17 percent don’t know.
Jones polled on several other questions lawmakers are considering.
The pollster finds that 61 percent of Idahoans want to legalize medical marijuana use as long as licensed doctors can prescribe the drug, 33 percent oppose that idea, and 5 percent don’t know.
And 55 percent of Idahoans don’t like the 105-member Legislature overriding local government decisions, like banning plastic bags and setting minimum wage levels.
Only 36 percent of Idahoans like the Legislature acting like Big Brother and prohibiting local government’s actions and 8 percent don’t know.
Jones finds support for tax cuts runs across political boundaries:
- 58 percent of Republicans favor tax cuts, 26 percent support Otter’s opposition to cuts if his education plans are harmed, 8 percent mention some other alternative and 8 percent don’t know.
- 68 percent of Democrats want the cuts, 13 percent are with Otter, 9 percent said something else, and 10 percent didn’t now.
- 60 percent of political independents favor tax cuts, 23 percent are with Otter, 9 percent mention something else, and 8 percent don’t know.
Otter’s own Republican Party members are with the governor – kind of – on his Medicaid expansion plan. But he still doesn’t have a majority of them with him.
Jones finds:
- 34 percent of Republicans favor Otter’s Primary Care plan, 25 percent want full expansion, 22 percent say do nothing this session, and 18 percent don’t know.
- 78 percent of Democrats want full expansion, only 8 percent want Otter’s scaled-back alternative, 5 percent say do nothing, and 8 percent don’t know.
- 49 percent of political independents want full expansion, 20 percent want Otter’s plan, 16 percent say do nothing, and 15 percent don’t know.
Jones polled 601 adults from Feb. 17-20. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percent.
