Idaho 2020 election: Federal, state offices up for grabs. Candidate list grows
Election Day 2020 will be huge in Idaho, where in addition to helping elect the next president of the United States, voters also will have the opportunity to change the face of Idaho politics. Up for grabs: three of the state’s four congressional seats, and all of the Idaho Legislature’s 105 seats.
Idaho’s Republican Party and Democratic Party presidential primaries take place March 10. The Republican and Democratic primaries for federal and state offices will be held May 19 and the general election is Nov. 5.
Every candidate for federal and state office must file a statement of candidacy form. The filing period for federal offices is now open and closes March 13. The filing period for state offices takes place March 2 to March 13.
Federal offices up for election in Idaho include one U.S. Senate seat and both U.S. House seats.
Incumbents U.S. Sen. Jim Risch and Congressman Russ Fulcher and Mike Simpson, all Republicans, have announced they are seeking re-election. Incumbent U.S. Sen. Mike Crapo, a Republican, is up for election in 2022.
To date, no Republicans have filed to challenge incumbents Risch, Simpson or Fulcher in the May GOP primary. Risch was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2008, Simpson was elected to the U.S. House in 1998 and and Fulcher was elected in 2018. Senate terms are six years; House terms are two years.
Three candidates are seeking the Democratic nomination for Risch’s Senate seat, according to Federal Election Commission filings: Nancy Harris of Boise, Travis Oler of Shelley, and Jim Vandermaas of Eagle.
Also running for Risch’s seat are Constitution Party candidate Ray Writz of Coeur d’Alene and independent candidate Natalie Fleming of Fruitland.
One Democrat has filed to run for Fulcher’s 1st Congressional District seat, which comprises western and northern Idaho, including the western portion of the Treasure Valley: Rudy Soto of Nampa. Independent candidate Joseph Evans of Meridian also has filed.
So far, no one has filed to challenge Rep. Mike Simpson for the 2nd Congressional District, which comprises eastern and central Idaho, including the eastern portion of the Treasure Valley.
Numerous people already have announced plans to run for the Idaho Legislature, although they are officially not considered candidates until they file a statement of candidacy form with the Idaho Secretary of State’s Office during the March 2 to March 13 filing period. Once the official filing period closes, the Statesman will publish a list of all legislative candidates who filed to run to avoid any confusion among people who say they are running for office, but then later change their mind and do not officially file.
This story was originally published November 22, 2019 at 5:00 AM.