Idaho Lt. Gov. Brad Little says he’s filing the paperwork today to form a campaign committee to run for governor in 2018. Little, the first candidate officially in the race – current Gov. Butch Otter isn’t running again after his third term – told the Idaho Statesman, “I fully expect to be the underdog.”

Other Republicans who have been talked up as possible contenders include 1^st District GOP Congressman Raul Labrador, who’s now seeking a fourth two-year term in the U.S. House; former Sen. Russ Fulcher, R-Meridian, who unsuccessfully challenged Otter in the 2014 GOP primary; and possibly longtime Idaho Attorney General Lawrence Wasden. Little cited the relatively low profile of his current office as a reason to launch his bid early.

Little, 62, an Emmett native, is a third-generation rancher from a prominent Idaho ranching family. He served four terms in the state Senate, rising to majority caucus chairman, and was appointed lieutenant governor in 2009. He was re-elected in statewide votes in 2010 and 2014; in the last election, he received close to two-thirds of the vote in both the primary and general elections, despite spirited challenges from Jim Chmelik in the primary and Bert Marley in the general; he piled up similar or larger margins of victory in 2010.

Longtime Idaho political observer Marty Peterson told the Statesman, “I don’t know that he is the underdog, but certainly he needs to run as though he is if he’s going to be successful.” He said Little is “very smart, and he has really taken a page from Otter’s book in getting out there and announcing very early. Presumably he will pick up a lot of significant endorsements before anybody else even gets out of the starting block. ... I think it’s smart politics on the part of Brad to do this.”

Little told the Statesman, “I’ve got a great relationship with the Idaho legislature. I’ve got a great relationship with local government, whether they be school boards, city councils, county commissioners. I’ve got a great relationship with our congressional delegation. I think I understand Idaho about as well as anybody because of my past experiences and all the travels I’ve been fortunate to have all over the state of Idaho. I want to see peoples’ kids want to stay here after they go through our education system, and then I want to see the people that have left have the opportunity to come back.”

The Statesman’s full report is online here; it includes an extensive Q-and-A with Little about where he stands on issues, and video of Little talking about his run for governor and his thoughts on the future of Idaho’s economy.