Little, also a Republican, accused McGeachin of attempting a "self-serving political stunt" in a scathing statement last week announcing his reversal of her executive action. McGeachin, who has been critical of Little’s leadership throughout the pandemic, said the ban on mask mandates was "absolutely not" a bid to garner publicity for her recently announced 2022 gubernatorial run. "My action was to uphold my sworn oath to uphold and protect the rights of our citizens in Idaho, as guaranteed to us in our U.S. constitution, our Idaho constitution and the rule of law in Idaho," McGeachin said in an interview with Fox News. "That is what I did." While Idaho never implemented a statewide mask mandate during the pandemic, state law allows local governments to dictate their own public health policies. McGeachin enacted an executive order banning local mandates while Little traveled out of state for the Republican Governors Association conference in Nashville, Tennessee.