Meet Secretary McGrane

Phil McGrane is a 4th-generation Idahoan who loves this state. His happy, honest approach to public service earned him the opportunity to serve as Idaho’s 28th Secretary of State.

Phil was born and raised in Pocatello until he was five, when the wind blew him and his family to the Boise area, where they still call home today. Growing up, he gained an appreciation for service through his church, the Boy Scouts, and, oddly enough, JROTC. After high school, Phil spent a year in AmeriCorps eating BBQ and helping lead volunteers in the building of over 40 homes for Habitat for Humanity in Anniston, Alabama. Around that time, he spent three summers juggling and leading campfire skits as a counselor at Happiness Is Camping, a camp for children with cancer in New Jersey.

Not knowing exactly what he wanted to be when he grew up, Phil earned a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from the University of Washington. After graduation, he landed a job as an Election Specialist in Ada County, where he trained poll workers and counted chads back when Idaho still voted on punch cards. Little did anyone know where this would take him.

Phil has since definitively earned the title of an “Elections Junkie.” As chief deputy and later Ada County Clerk, he bored many and entertained more with elections insights and analytics aimed at making elections and government more accessible and transparent. Phil’s various efforts in public service have been recognized and celebrated by TIME, Best Places to work in Idaho, TEDxBoise, Fast Company, and even Food & Wine magazine for his “food truck” voting concept.

Many will tell you Phil is much more than the bald guy with glasses, he’s also an accomplished BBQ Pitmaster. Bit by the BBQ bug while in Alabama, Phil has won national awards, including 18th overall and 3rd in the nation in pulled pork during the Sam’s Club National BBQ Tour in 2013.

Phil stays busy with three fun and silly kids—Mackenzie, Kennedy, and Andy—who all love BBQ.