Congress was stalled after House speaker was ousted. How did Idaho Republicans vote?
Mike Simpson and Russ Fulcher, Idaho’s two U.S. representatives, very publicly disagreed last week on the direction of the Republican Party.
Historically aligned, the congressmen suddenly found themselves on opposite sides of the most pressing issue the U.S. House faced in years — its ability to function and pass laws altogether. Before joining support for Rep. Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, as the next House speaker Wednesday, Simpson and Fulcher dug in their heels on how to move forward from the turmoil created earlier this month by the removal of the House speaker, which paralyzed the legislative chamber.
Fulcher, who represents the 1st Congressional District that includes western and North Idaho, counts himself as a member of the right-wing House Freedom Caucus, which was co-founded by Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio. Fulcher, 61, was one of Jordan’s fiercest advocates during Jordan’s run for House speaker.
Meanwhile, Simpson, 73, who’s currently serving his 13th term, was one of as many as 25 members of the GOP who on three occasions voted against Jordan, Republicans’ speaker-designee, to become its next leader.
“I cannot — and will not — support a speaker who has repeatedly taken positions against Idaho’s best interests,” Simpson, who represents the 2nd Congressional District and most of Boise, wrote in a Friday op-ed. “It is abundantly clear the next speaker of the House could seriously impact Idahoans’ way of life. Fortunately, I know my constituents want me to continue fighting for issues that are important to them.”
Jordan tried to replace ousted House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-California, but dropped out of the race Friday. A handful of the party’s most conservative members defected after McCarthy passed a temporary funding measure to keep the federal government from shutting down with the help of Democrats. Republicans hold a slim majority in the House, and, against a unified Democratic front, the GOP struggled to agree on a new leader and stalled daily business in Congress.
Simpson and Fulcher both voted to retain McCarthy as House speaker, but they offered alternate solutions to get Congress back in order under Republican rule.
“Make no mistake: This consensus was alive and well under Speaker McCarthy’s leadership,” Simpson said in a written statement Monday. “We are in this position because eight selfish House Republicans teamed up with every single Democrat to oust our Republican speaker.”
In all three votes, Fulcher backed Jordan — a documented 2020 election denier endorsed for the role by former President Donald Trump.
“Personally, I think Jim is our best candidate,” Fulcher added in a Friday interview with KHQ TV in Spokane, Washington. “Is there a better person? Maybe, and, if so, I’m all in. But the bigger issue is coming to terms with how we’re going to govern the U.S. House, and are we going to govern the U.S. House and by what manner?”
Fucher did not respond to requests for comment from the Idaho Statesman, including an emailed series of questions about last week’s speaker votes.
Earlier in the week in a TV interview with ABC News, Fulcher acknowledged the “message of dysfunction” that Republicans were sending to both Americans and the international community with the party’s inability thus far to choose a new speaker. He chalked it up to the intrinsic makeup of GOP members.
“By our very demeanor, it’s part of our DNA to be independent, to be more self-sufficient on the liberties side of things,” Fulcher said. “That makes Republican leaders very difficult to herd. That makes us difficult to be followers. And then you’re seeing that play out in this speakership race.”
On Wednesday, Fulcher and Simpson joined 218 other Republicans in voting for Johnson as the next House speaker. Fulcher wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, that Johnson “demonstrated his conservative commitment to America,” while Simpson in a statement praised Johnson’s ability to “work with all members of our party.”
Holdout Simpson sparks war of words
In the wake of the selection process, GOP holdouts against Jordan faced online threats. In many cases, their office and personal contacts have been published on social media, which led to widespread intimidation tactics.
No specific threats were lobbed at Simpson, his spokesperson Lexi Hamel told the Statesman. But Simpson’s congressional office last week was flooded with tens of thousands of letters, emails, calls and voicemails — the vast majority from people who are not Idaho residents, she said.
Overnight Wednesday to Thursday last week, the day after the first vote held for Jordan, Simpson’s office in Washington, D.C., was deluged by more than 8,000 voicemails that staff is still sorting through, Hamel said. By comparison, Simpson’s office typically receives roughly 1,000 contacts per week.
Simpson told the Statesman that he didn’t take such efforts lightly.
“I came to Congress to fight for Idahoans’ priorities, not to witness violent pressure campaigns smeared against my colleagues and their families,” Simpson said. “Intimidation tactics like death threats and harassment are despicable acts far from conservative principles. I strongly condemn these vile acts and will work to ensure those (responsible) are held accountable.”
Simpson’s decision, however, led the Idaho Republican Party, chaired by former state lawmaker Dorothy Moon, to directly challenge him for not backing Jordan.
“Our party has always championed fair and open deliberation, and it is disheartening to see one of our own Idaho congressmen deviate from a fair process to emphasize the same message as the radical Democrat members of the House,” read a news release from Idaho Republican Party last week.
“Rep. Simpson has served in Congress for decades,” the release continued. “Perhaps all this time away from Idaho has caused him to lose sight of the real work that Americans need on the important issues that impact them and their families.”
Simpson responded in his sharply worded op-ed, questioning the credentials of Moon, who moved to the state in 1994. Simpson and Fulcher both grew up in the Gem State.
“I have been fighting for Idaho longer than she has lived in the state,” Simpson wrote.
He told the Statesman he hoped to resolve the present dilemma continuing to plague the party and the House in short order.
“I look forward to electing a speaker of the House who plans to address critical issues like passing our appropriations bills, cutting government spending, and holding the Biden administration accountable for their failed policies,” Simpson said.
Fulcher on Monday posted to X that House Republicans should remain in D.C. until they chose the next House speaker.
“We are facing a war in the Middle East, record-high inflation, an open southern border, and 12 appropriations bills we still need to work through. It is time to get back to work,” Fulcher wrote.
This story was updated 1:45 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 25, to include the latest vote in support for Rep. Mike Johnson as the next House speaker.
This story was originally published October 24, 2023 at 12:34 PM.
