IDAHO — The election is just days away and the airwaves and internet are awash in political ads.
All sorts of claims are made, but how accurate are they? Idaho News 6 is breaking it down for you. And we start with a frequently running ad from Governor Brad Little.
Watch: Fact-checking Gov. Brad Little's campaign ads
The governor’s ad is mostly a checklist of his top accomplishments as he sees them.
We begin with the statement: "I'm Governor Brad Little, and I know what rising costs are doing to your family's budget. That's why I cut the tax on groceries and everyday items.
Technically, the governor did not cut the six percent sales tax on groceries, which AARP says is the highest in the nation.
He did however, expand the state’s grocery tax credit to an across-the-board $155 per person, as stipulated in House Bill 231, which he signed in March of 2025.
That’s an increase of $15 for seniors to claim on their tax return and $35 for everyone else per year.
You have to file your taxes, but the governor's office says you don't need an earned income to get the benefit.
The next claim from the Governor is this: "We've cut taxes by almost $5 billion and strengthened our small businesses."
Essentially, we found this to be true, but needing context.
According to a report from June of this year, the Idaho Center for Fiscal Policy found the vast majority of benefits went to the wealthiest Idahoans.
The top 1% of earners received an average tax cut of $20,407. The median-income household received an average of just $453. The Bottom 20 percent of earners received an average of only $33.
Asked about this, the governor's office replied that the lower FLAT income tax rate is an effort to create a quote, "simpler, fairer tax system."
And lastly, there’s this claim: Now Idahoans have some of the fastest-growing wages in America.
This is largely accurate.
According to the Idaho Department of Labor, Idaho ranked third in the nation for wage growth in 2025. Average hourly wages rose 4.7% from 2024 to 2025; that's an increase of $1.31 per hour. Median wages rose 3.2%, which amounts to a 72-cent-per-hour increase.
In our next fact check, we review some claims from Little’s Democratic opponent Terri Pickens.
Watch: Fact-Checking gubernatorial candidate Terri Pickens' campaign ads:
Terri Pickens is a Democrat running to unseat republican incumbent Governor Brad Little.
She’s running traditional TV ads, but these days that's just part of the outreach to voters.
She also made several claims in a video spot on Facebook.
We start with the basics: Pickens talks about her long history in Idaho.
The claim: “I’m a fourth-generation Idahoan.”
We find that claim to be accurate. Her campaign website and Ballotpedia both confirm Terri Pickens is a fourth-generation Idahoan born and raised in Pocatello.
But then Pickens social media reel quickly turns the focus on public land use.
Her claim: "More than 3,000 acres of our public land could become something very different. A private company has proposed a 4 million square foot data center complex, right here, in Blacks Creek."
This claim of a proposed data center is accurate, although the size is in question.
Idaho News 6 recently reported those very dimensions and location. And while the BLM cannot confirm the size, it does confirm the application for a Data center near Blacks Creek.
According to the Regional Plan Association, an East Coast nonprofit that promotes ideas leading to economic health, the average size of a data center is much smaller at about 100,000 square feet.
Pickens’ last claim continues the data center theme: "Working directly with the Trump administration and our governor, a private company has proposed a 4 million square foot data center complex."
We found this claim to need context.
The Trump administration, according to whitehouse.gov, has proposed 12 to 17 data centers on public lands across the US and has signed an order to fast-track the process.
As for Governor Little working directly with Rhea Energy to put a data center on public land, we found no documented evidence of him directly collaborating with Rhea Energy on the Black's Creek proposal specifically.
So we emailed the governor about the blacks creek proposal, and his team told us, "No, Governor Little and the Governor’s Office have had no involvement in that proposal."
