The idaho delegation
congressional officials …
Idaho’s state congressional delegation is small and all Republican.
Of the four members in the 2022-2023 class, all four are male, and there is no minority representation in the delegation.
Two delegation members are lawyers, one is a dentist, and the fourth is a businessman before serving in Congress.
None are veterans, but one is a former Lieutenant Governor and Governor of Idaho.
The average tenure for the delegation is six terms, assuming everyone completes their service through the end of 2024. The longest-serving member has been in Congress since 1998.
When you look at these profiles, we have given each a letter grade for their effort this Congress, based on various factors, which you will find in What Is Thomas Looking For? These letter grades are probably pretty familiar to you if you have ever been a school student (we hope the answer to that is we all have!)
If you see a meager score for a particular member, it will probably be due to one or two key factors: ethics challenges or anti-democratic behavior.
Republicans have been hit hard on their lack of pushback on former President Trump and their support of election denying in the 2020 presidential campaign. The unanswered soaring deficit on their watch, the dismantling of allied relationships around the globe, and opposition to funding anti-authoritarian initiatives. The denial of climate change weighs heavily on us as well. We make no secret that transparency and Government in the Sunshine are important to us, and we further argue that some have been awful stewards of this category. One of the Idaho delegation members voted to overturn the 2020 presidential election results on the same evening as Trump supporters stormed the United States Capitol.
Democrats have been hit hard for their lack of progress on key matters because they do control the United States Senate and have a razor-close margin in the U.S. House of Representatives. They have not been, in our opinion, innovative or necessarily insistent on finding rational, reasonable solutions to the problems plaguing the American public today. We want to see more and better.
Both have been dinged for being too partisan and not collaborative where evident. In our opinion, being too doctrinaire or an obstructionist to good government in the 21st century does not get one a good grade from Thomas.
We also indicate what we believe might be the outcome of these Members’ 2024 elections today. None of the two United States Senators are up for re-election in 2024.
Our prospect ratings fall into three categories:
Safe Bet - which means what it means. These members of Congress are running strong and look to be overwhelming prospects for re-election at this time. However, we reserve the right to re-categorize their chances if necessary.
It’s A Race - this race is too close to call, and we can not reasonably predict who will win this seat.
Nudging means the seat is leaning one way or another for this candidate. We have just a small number of current members of Congress in this category. Stay tuned!
So, would you like to meet these fascinating Idahoans? If so, keep reading on!
What is Thomas looking for?
There are no vulnerable races in Idaho for Thomas to watch in 2024.
the senators
Credit: US Senator Mike Crapo
United States Senator mike crapo (r)
Five-term U.S. Senator Mike Crapo serves on the Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee; the Budget Committee; the Joint Taxation Committee; and is ranking on the Finance Committee. The married father of five Senator graduated from Brigham Young University and has a law degree from Harvard University.
Thomas Take: Not up for re-election in 2024
Thomas Rank: B
Credit: US Senator Jim Risch
United states senator Jim Risch (r)
Idaho’s junior senator is serving his third term in the U.S. Senate. A former Lieutenant Governor and Governor of Idaho, Risch is a member of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee; the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee; the Intelligence Committee; the Ethics Committee; and is ranking on the Foreign Relations Committee. A graduate of the University of Idaho he also holds a law degree from there as well. The Senator is married and the father of three.
Thomas Take: Not up for re-election in 2024
Thomas Rank: B
the representatives
Credit: US Rep. Russ Fulcher
district 1 - u.s. rep. Russ fulcher (r)
Congressman Russ Fulcher is a three-term member of Congress who represents western Idaho. A former businessman with undergraduate and graduate degrees from Boise State University, Fulcher serves on the Energy and Commerce Committee and the Natural Resources Committee. He is the father of three.
Thomas Take: Safe Bet Republican
Thomas Rank: D
district 2 - u.s. rep. Mike Simpson (r)
Mike Simpson is dean of the Idaho delegation now serving in his thirteenth term. His district is located in central and eastern Idaho. Congressman Simpson serves on the Appropriations Committee, is a graduate of Utah State University, has a dental degree from Washington University, and is married.
Thomas Take: Safe Bet Republican
Thomas Rank: B
Credit: US Rep. Russ Simpson