Anti-government activist Ammon Bundy running for governor in Idaho


Ammon Bundy, the anti-government rancher who led the occupation of Oregon's Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in 2016, wants to be Idaho's next governor.
Bundy announced his campaign on Saturday, declaring in a video that he's "running for governor because I'm sick and tired of all of this political garbage just like you are. I'm tired of our freedoms being taken from us and I'm tired of the corruption that is rampant in our state government."
Bundy is running as a Republican. Idaho's gubernatorial primary will take place in 2022, and several Republicans have already filed the paperwork necessary to enter the race, including the state's current Gov. Brad Little and Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin.
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Last year, Bundy was charged with trespassing and resisting arrest after he refused to leave the Idaho Statehouse during a protest against coronavirus precautions. He was ordered to stay away from the statehouse, and he missed his trial date in March because he would not wear a mask inside the courthouse. In 2016, a federal grand jury indicted Bundy and 15 others for their roles in the armed takeover of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge; he was acquitted of the charges.
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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
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