Idaho

Idaho, the 14th largest state in America by area, was inhabited by Native American tribes for thousands of years before becoming a U.S. territory. It was part of the Oregon Country, which involved disputes between the U.S. and Great Britain. The Oregon Treaty of 1846 and subsequent agreements defined its boundaries. The Idaho Territory was established in 1863, having previously been part of the Washington Territory. Idaho officially joined the Union as the 43rd state on July 3, 1890. Initially, the state had three electoral votes, which increased to four after the 1980 census due to population growth.

Idaho's political alignment shifted over time. The state-supported Democratic candidate Woodrow Wilson in 1912 and 1916 but had a mixed political history in its early years. Idaho supported Franklin D. Roosevelt in all four of his presidential elections (1932, 1936, 1940, and 1944). It has remained a strong Republican state for several decades, voting Democratic only once in 1964 for Lyndon B. Johnson over Barry Goldwater. In the 2020 U.S. election, Idaho remained a Republican stronghold as Donald Trump won with 64.7% of the vote compared to Joe Biden’s 33.5%.