Risch retains seat against independent challenger Achilles
Incumbent Republican Idaho U.S. Sen. Jim Risch won reelection Tuesday. The Associated Press called the race for Risch at 11:31 p.m. Risch had 54.4%, or 284,332 ballots cast in his favor, as of 11:35 p.m. with an estimated 76% votes cast.
The AP called the elections for Idaho’s Congressional District 1 at 9:43 p.m. Tuesday for incumbent U.S. Rep. Russ Fulcher.
Idaho election officials were still counting ballots late into the night Tuesday. Idaho’s election results do not become official until they are certified by the Idaho State Board of Canvassers, which meets Nov. 24.
Independent challenger Todd Achilles trailed with 35.7%, followed by independent Natalie Fleming and Libertarian Matt Loesby with 7% and 2 .9%, respectively.
Risch, 86, is in his third, six-year term in the U.S. Senate. He is chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and serves on the Energy and Natural Resources, Small Business and Entrepreneurship, Intelligence, and Ethics committees. He was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 2008.
“Thank you to every Idahoan who placed their trust in me to continue serving our great state in the United States Senate,” Risch said in an emailed statement. “Representing Idaho is the honor of my life, and I am proud to fight for the people and values that make our state special.”
Achilles, 58, is a former Democratic state legislator from Boise who left the party and Statehouse seat to run for the U.S. Senate as an independent in 2025. His campaign outraised any recent U.S. Senate challenger in Idaho, collecting more than $1.8 million. During the campaign, Achilles publicly promised to not caucus with either party if elected, and to resign after two terms.
Risch’s closest general election contest for U.S. Senate was in 2008, when he won with 57.7% against Democratic former Congressman Larry LaRocco, independent Rex Rammell, Libertarian Kent Marmon, and the independent candidate who legally changed his name to Pro-Life, according to the Idaho Secretary of State elections database.
In the 2014 and 2020 general elections, Risch won with 65% and 63% of the vote, respectively.
Russ Fulcher wins fifth term as 1st Congressional District US House representative
Voters on Tuesday chose Idaho Republican U.S. Rep. Russ Fulcher to serve a fifth term representing Idaho’s 1st Congressional District in the U.S. House. Fulcher received 62.5%, or 173,708 ballots, in his favor, preliminary results as of 11:37 p.m. show.
He was followed by Democrat Kaylee Peterson, who had 30.58% of the vote, and independent Sarah Zabel with 6%. Constitution Party candidate Brendan Gomez had .88% of the vote. Gomez in September pleaded guilty to possession of child sex abuse material, but remained on the ballot because the deadline to withdraw had passed and felony convictions do not disqualify candidates from federal office under the U.S. Constitution.
Fulcher, 64, was first elected in 2018. He sits on the House Committee on Energy and Commerce and the House Committee on Natural Resources.
Republican US House Rep. Mike Simpson leads in race to represent Idaho’s 2nd Congressional District
Republican U.S House Rep. Mike Simpson, 76, was leading in his race as of about 11:40 p.m. Tuesday, but the race had not yet been called.
Simpson is in his 14th, two-year term in Congress representing Idaho’s 2nd Congressional District. The incumbent had 49.88% of the vote, or 126,503 votes, against four challengers, results showed at 11:40 p.m.
Simpson was trailed by Democrat Ellie Gilbreath, who had 42%, followed by independent Tripp Hutchinson with 3.45%, independent Emre Houser with 2.32%, and Libertarian Will Johanson with 2.13%.
Simpson was first elected to the U.S. House in 1998. He serves as chairman of the House Interior and Environment Subcommittee on Appropriations.
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