November 4, 2020
All three Republican members of Idaho’s Washington delegation who were running in 2020 have won their races and been returned to D.C.
With 99% of the vote reporting, U.S. Senator James Risch, won his race with 62% of the vote. His Democrat challenger, former Idaho State Representative Paulette Jordan, received 33% of the vote. The others in the race, Natalie Fleming and Ray Writz, received 3% and 1% of the vote, respectively. This is Risch’s third successful run for the U.S. Senate. He was previously elected in 2008 and 2014. Prior to that, Risch served as Idaho’s Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and was in the Idaho State Senate. Risch currently serves as Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
With 96% of the vote reporting, U. S. Representative Russ Fulcher, Idaho District 1, has won 66% of the ballots thus far counted. He defeats Democrat challenger Rudy Soto, who received 30% and Joe Evans, who received 4%. As stated in his biography, “During the ten years Rep. Fulcher served in the Idaho Senate, six years were spent as Majority Caucus Chair. His signature legislation, the grocery tax credit, has returned some $800 million to Idaho’s hard-working families and constitutes the largest tax cut in Idaho’s history. In addition, Congressman Fulcher served on the Senate State Affairs and Education Committees where he fought tirelessly to protect the rights of individual Idahoans, to limit government influence in our lives, to ease our tax burden, and to restore our God-given liberties.
Serving in the U.S. House of Representatives, since January 2019, Congressman Fulcher currently serves as the Republican Deputy Leader of the Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Power, and Oceans, a member of the Natural Resources Subcommittee on Federal Lands, a member of the Education and Labor Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development, and a member of the Education and Labor Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions.”
With 91% of the expected vote in, U.S. Representative Mike Simpson, representing Idaho’s 2nd Congressional District, has won reelection with 62% of the vote. His main challenger, Democrat Aaron Swisher, received 34% of the vote. Other challengers, Pro-Life and Idaho Law each received 2% of the vote.
Simpson “serves on the House Appropriations Committee. He is the Ranking Member for the Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development. He also serves on the Interior and Environment Subcommittee. These committees have jurisdiction over funding for a number of programs critical to Idaho, including the Department of Energy, the Department of the Interior, the Forest Service, our National Parks, the National Endowment for the Arts, and Smithsonian Institute.”
Simpson began his political career in 1980 on the Blackfoot City Council. He served in the Idaho legislature from 1984 to 1998. During his last six years he was Speaker. He has served 11 terms in the U. S. House of Representatives.
