Idaho’s three Republican incumbents sweep reelection campaigns for Congress

Idaho’s three Republican congressional incumbents swept their reelection campaigns Tuesday evening in the 2022 midterms.

Results showed early victories for U.S. Sen. Mike Crapo and Rep. Mike Simpson — who have both represented Idaho in Washington, D.C., since 1999. Rep. Russ Fulcher, the third of the state’s Republican incumbents running this election cycle, also secured his reelection early Wednesday morning.

In the U.S. Senate race, Crapo, 71, won a fifth term, and was ahead with about 60% of the vote early Wednesday. Of his four challengers, Crapo’s nearest rival was Democrat David Roth, with nearly 29% of the vote. Conservative-leaning independent Scott Cleveland trailed in third at about 9%.

The two other congressional races on the ballot in Idaho were the state’s two U.S. House seats, which entail two-year terms.

In the 2nd Congressional District, Simpson ran for a 13th term in office for the House seat that represents East Idaho and part of Boise.

Simpson, 72, of Idaho Falls, defeated Democrat Wendy Norman, 51, of Rigby, in the head-to-head race. Early Wednesday morning, Simpson’s advantage was 63.5% of the vote to 36.5% for Norman.

Simpson’s victory will place him in a tie as the longest serving U.S. representative in Idaho history, if he completes the new term. He told the Idaho Statesman on Tuesday night that he was honored to gain voters’ support once again to continue representing them in Washington.

“Obviously, there’s still a lot of work to do,” Simpson said in a phone interview from his home in Idaho Falls. “I think people are basically tired of such partisan politics, and want us to get down and work together and solve problems, whether it’s inflation, gas prices or the border. I think people want to see government work as it should work.”

And in the 1st Congressional District, Fulcher won a third term in the seat that represents western and North Idaho.

Fulcher, 60, of Meridian, faced Democrat Kaylee Peterson, 32, of Eagle, and Libertarian Darian Drake, 49, of Post Falls. The latest results had Fulcher way ahead with 71.3% of the vote to 26.4% for Peterson. Drake was in third with 2.3% of the vote.

Before being declared the victor, Fulcher shared brief remarks late Tuesday with attendees at the state GOP watch party in Boise, thanking his supporters.

“When you shut down your energy production, when you socialize your military, when you make yourself dependent on your enemies, you’ve got to see some of this coming,” Fulcher said of national gains for the GOP. “Idaho truly is the envy of a lot of this country, and with very good reason. … So things are pretty good right here and it’s our job to keep it that way.”

Crapo was in the most contested of Idaho’s three congressional races Tuesday. For the six-year term, he faced four opponents: Roth, 41, of Idaho Falls; Cleveland, 61, of Garden City; Constitution Party challenger Ray Writz, 71, of Coeur d’Alene; and perennial candidate, Libertarian Idaho Sierra Law (aka Carta Reale Sierra), 72, of Pocatello. Idaho Sierra Law and Writz combined to win about 2% of the vote.

Crapo’s victory with about 60% of the vote was his lowest total of his five U.S. Senate races, dating to the 1998 election. His previous low was 66.1% in 2016.

In Ada County, the state’s most populous — and with the most registered Democrats and unaffiliated voters — Crapo received 47.5% of the vote to 41.5% for Roth. Cleveland won 9.5% in his home county.

But Crapo’s win in the Republican-dominated state still means he will become the second-longest-serving U.S. senator in Idaho history after he retakes his seat in January.

Late Tuesday night, Crapo sat in a private suite dedicated to his campaign at the GOP watch party in Boise. He declined a Statesman request for an interview as he celebrated his victory with family.

Idaho Statesman reporter Ryan Suppe contributed.