Idaho’s all-GOP congressional delegation is heading back to D.C. Here’s how they did
All three Republican incumbents are heading back to Washington, D.C. , to represent Idaho in Congress.
The Associated Press called the races in favor of U.S. Sen. Jim Risch, Rep. Mike Simpson and Rep. Russ Fulcher just before midnight Tuesday night. Here’s where the races stand:
U.S. Senate: Incumbent Jim Risch defeats challenger Paulette Jordan
Republican Sen. Jim Risch defeated Democratic challenger Paulette Jordan. In a statement emailed at 9:18 p.m., Jordan called the conclusion of her Senate race an “incredible honor.”
“We are well aware that we’re in Idaho — what is assumed as a ‘safe red state,’” Jordan said “But we fight anyway. That is our honor. We must never forget that we are the accumulation of the dreams and prayers of our ancestors. We honor them, we honor one another, and we honor ourselves through our willingness to carry out our divine purpose and fight for the values that they have instilled in us.”
With all of Idaho’s 44 counties reporting, results showed Risch had 62.58% of the vote compared with Jordan’s 33.28%.
Risch, 77, will begin another six-year term as a U.S. senator — which would be his 50th year as an Idaho politician. He held several offices including Ada County prosecuting attorney, state senator, lieutenant governor and governor. A stalwart supporter of President Donald J. Trump, Risch serves as chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee and a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee.
In 2018, Jordan, now 40, was the first woman nominated for governor by a major party in Idaho and the first Native American woman nominated for governor in U.S. history. She lost the general election to Republican Gov. Brad Little.
A resident of Plummer in North Idaho, Jordan began her political career as a member of the Coeur d’Alene Tribal Council and later joined the Idaho Legislature in 2014. She was reelected to represent Idaho’s fifth district — Benewah and Latah counties — in 2016, but eventually vacated her seat to run for governor.
U.S. House of Representatives, 1st Congressional District
Freshman Republican Rep. Russ Fulcher also defeated Democrat Rudy Soto by a wide margin. With all counties reporting Wednesday morning, Fulcher had 67.78% of the vote. Soto had 28.63%.
Fulcher, 58, is a Meridian native and will serve his second term in the House. He is a member of the House Freedom Caucus and before his election to Congress, he served 10 years in the Idaho Senate. He ran for governor in 2014.
Soto, 35, is a veteran of the U.S. Army National Guard, a member of the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes of the Fort Hall Reservation, a congressional staffer in Washington, D.C., and legislative director for the National Indian Gaming Association. Born and raised in Nampa, Soto is the son of a Mexican immigrant and a first-generation college graduate.
The district covers western Idaho from Nevada to Canada, including Canyon County and part of western Ada County.
U.S. House of Representatives, 2nd Congressional District
Wednesday morning results show that incumbent Republican Rep. Mike Simpson defeated Democrat challenger Aaron Swisher with 64.06% of the vote to Swisher’s 31.72%.
During his two decades in Congress, Simpson helped create the Boulder-White Clouds Wilderness Area, which he considers his greatest achievement in his 20 years as a legislator. He also helped pass the Great American Outdoors Act, which ensures permanent funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund. Simpson, 70, spent seven terms in the Idaho House of Representatives, including as speaker of the House, before being elected to Congress.
Swisher, 48, is an economist and Boise resident who grew up in rural West Virginia. A Boise State University graduate who works for OpSec Security, he told the Idaho Statesman editorial board that solving the federal budget deficit and improving the economy through tax policy were some of his main goals.
The district covers most of Boise and points east to the Wyoming border.
This story was originally published November 3, 2020 at 9:57 PM.
