Republican Risch retains Idaho Senate seat

BOISE — Idaho Republican Sen. Jim Risch was reelected to Congress, defeating Democrat challenger Paulette Jordan on Tuesday.

Risch, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has served in the Senate since 2008, when he was elected to fill the seat being vacated by Sen. Larry Craig. An avid supporter of President Donald Trump, Risch was widely expected to win the race in the heavily conservative state.

Jordan, a member of the Coeur d’Alene Tribe and a former state legislator, first gained national attention in 2018 when she unsuccessfully ran for Idaho governor against then-Lt. Gov. Brad Little. At the time, supporters hoped she would become the country’s first Native American governor. She was elected to Idaho’s House of Representatives in 2014 and served two terms before stepping down to run for governor in 2018.

Risch, 77, has a long political history in Idaho, serving as a state lawmaker, lieutenant governor and governor before he was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2008. He easily won reelection in 2014, defeating Democrat Nels Mitchell with more than 65 percent of the vote.

Risch did not campaign heavily. Instead, he relied on his reputation as one of the most conservative members of Congress with the endorsement of groups like the National Rifle Association and the National Right to Life Committee.

He opposes the Affordable Care Act and has said he’ll push to have the private sector, not the government, provide the bulk of health insurance plans and medical services. He’s repeatedly blamed the Chinese government for the coronavirus pandemic, and has said the U.S. needs to learn to compete better with China in the world market. He’s also worked for increased state and local control of public lands.

Meanwhile, Jordan netted the endorsement of the National Education Association and EMILY’s List, an organization that works to get Democratic women who support abortion rights elected.

Constitution Party candidate Ray J. Writz and independent Natalie M. Fleming also ran for the seat.