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Mike Simpson | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2022 | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromIdaho's2nd district | |
| Assumed office January 3, 1999 | |
| Preceded by | Mike Crapo |
| 38thSpeaker of the Idaho House of Representatives | |
| In office December 1992 – December 1, 1998 | |
| Preceded by | Tom Boyd |
| Succeeded by | Bruce Newcomb |
| Member of theIdaho House of Representatives | |
| In office December 1, 1984 – December 1, 1998 | |
| Preceded by | Jerry Wellard |
| Succeeded by | Stan Williams |
| Constituency | District 26B (1984–1992) District 31B (1992–1998) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Michael Keith Simpson (1950-09-08)September 8, 1950 (age 75) Burley, Idaho, U.S. |
| Party | Republican |
| Spouse | |
| Education | Utah State University (BS) Washington University (DMD) |
| Website | House website Campaign website |
Simpson supporting the Sawtooth National Recreation Area and Jerry Peak Wilderness Additions Act. Recorded July 27, 2015 | |
Michael Keith Simpson (born September 8, 1950) is an American politician serving as theU.S. representative forIdaho's 2nd congressional district since 1999. The district covers most of the eastern portion of the state, includingIdaho Falls,Pocatello,Sun Valley,Twin Falls and the northern two-thirds ofBoise. A member of theRepublican Party, Simpson was first elected to public office in 1984, and was elected to the House in the1998 elections, succeedingMike Crapo. He served asSpeaker of the Idaho House of Representatives from 1992 to 1998.
Generally regarded as amoderate Republican, Simpson supportsDACA,work visas for illegal immigrants in farming, and was one of 18 Republicans whovoted against Jim Jordan's nomination for Speaker of the House all three times.[1][2]
Born inBurley, Simpson was raised inBlackfoot, where his father was adentist. He graduated fromBlackfoot High School in 1968,Utah State University inLogan in 1972, and the dental school ofWashington University in St. Louis[3] in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1977.[4] Simpson practiced dentistry in Blackfoot until his election toCongress in 1998. He was elected to the Blackfoot City Council in 1980 and to thestate legislature in 1984, the first of seven terms. He was thespeaker of theIdaho House before his election to Congress.
Simpson entered the 1998 campaign for the U.S. House seat vacated byMike Crapo, who was running forUnited States Senate. He defeated formerDemocratic congressmanRichard H. Stallings, who held the seat from 1985 to 1993, in the general election with 52% of the vote. He has never faced another contest that close; Stallings was the last Democrat to win even 40% of the vote.
Simpson did not face serious opposition in 2000, 2002, or 2004. In 2006, Simpson defeated former Democraticstate representativeJim D. Hansen, son of former Republican congressmanOrval H. Hansen, with 61% of the vote.
Simpson defeated two primary challengers with 85.2% of the vote.[5] He defeated Democratic nomineeDebbie Holmes with 71% of the vote.[6]
During the 2008 presidential primaries, Simpson was an early supporter of formerMassachusetts governorMitt Romney and a member of his Congressional Whip Team.[7][8]
In the Republican primary, Simpson defeatedChick Heileson of Iona and Russ Mathews of Idaho Falls.
Simpson defeated Democratic nominee Mike Crawford and Independent candidate Brian Schad with 68.8% of the vote.
In the Republican primary, Simpson defeatedChick Helieson with 69.6% of the vote.[9] He defeated Democratic state senatorNicole LeFavour with 65.1% of the vote in the general election.[10]
In the Republican primary, Simpson defeated lawyerBryan Smith with 61.8% of the vote.[11] He defeated former congressmanRichard H. Stallings in the general election with 61.4% of the vote.[10]
In the Republican primary, Simpson defeatedperennial candidate Lisa Marie with 73% of the vote.[12] He defeated Jennifer Martinez and Anthony Tomkins in the general election with 62.9% of the vote.[13]
In the Republican primary Simpson once again defeated his 2014 opponent Bryan Smith, this time by 54.6% to 32.7%, with three other candidates splitting the rest of the vote.[14]
Simpson won the Republican primary with 54.7%, defeating Scott Cleveland and Sean Higgins. He outspent his two primary opponents 6–1, spending $552,233. Cleveland spent $83,725 and received 35.8% of the vote, while Higgins spent $1,021 and received 9.5% of the vote.
While the Republican Party held the majority in the U.S. House of Representatives, Simpson often served as thespeaker pro tempore of the House, particularly during debates on controversial legislation, due to his command of House procedure. Simpson is known to have broken several sounding boards with the gavel while calling the House to order. This inspired him to have a number of sounding boards produced in Idaho, which he presented to then speaker of the HouseDennis Hastert as a joke. When the Republican Party regained control of the House of Representatives in 2010, Simpson began once again to serve frequently as Speaker Pro Tempore.[15][16]
In the111th United States Congress Simpson became theRanking Member on the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee. He also serves as the small state representative on the 33-member House Republican Steering Committee.[17] Known as the "committee of committees", the Steering Committee decides which Republican lawmakers become ranking members on House committees.[18] Simpson replacedDon Young on the committee.[17]
In December 2020, Simpson signed an amicus brief in support of Texas attorney generalKen Paxton's lawsuit seeking to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.[19]
On June 11, 2007, U.S. senatorLarry Craig wasarrested for indecent behavior in amen's restroom atMinneapolis–St. Paul International Airport; he pleaded guilty to a charge ofdisorderly conduct in August 2007 and paid $575 in court fines and fees. Simpson was openly considered for an appointment to the Senate if Craig resigned. But Simpson asked GovernorButch Otter to remove his name from consideration, claiming that the Idaho congressional delegation would be in a better position if he were to remain in the House and retain his seniority on the HouseAppropriations Committee.
Simpson criticized Senate leadership treatment of Craig. He said: "If that's how they treat their own, that tells me they're more interested in party than individuals, and the party is made up of individuals. How you treat them says a lot about your party." Simpson demanded that Craig be treated fairly, saying "They have people over there [in the Senate Republican Conference] in far worse trouble that they haven't said a thing about."[20]
In October 2013, Simpson voted to end theUnited States federal government shutdown of 2013.[21]
Affordable Care Act repeal
Simpson voted for and presided[22] over the vote on theAmerican Health Care Act of 2017, which passed the House on May 4, 2017.[23]
Newborn health
Simpson was an original co-sponsor of theNewborn Screening Saves Lives Reauthorization Act of 2013 (H.R. 1281; 113th Congress), a bill that would amend thePublic Health Service Act to reauthorize grant programs and other initiatives to promote expandedscreening of newborns and children for heritable disorders.[24]
On June 20, 2014, Simpson introduced theEnergy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2015 (H.R. 4923; 113th Congress), a bill that would makeappropriations for energy and water development and related agencies for FY2015.[25] The bill would appropriate $34 billion, which is $50 million less than these agencies then received.[26] The appropriations for theUnited States Department of Energy and theUnited States Army Corps of Engineers are made by this bill.
Simpson was one of the members of Congress to sign theD.C. v. Heller amicus brief which supported a recognition of theSecond Amendment as an individual right.[27]
Simpson's hallmark legislation is the Central Idaho Economic Development and Recreation Act (CIEDRA), which would create 312,000 acres of wilderness in central Idaho, much of which is currently a wilderness study area. He has faced substantial resistance from groups like the Sierra Club, which claim the bill lacks "wilderness values"[28] because it allows for motorized access to certain parts of the wilderness area and some federal land would be transferred to the State of Idaho to promote the economic development of the local community and the recreational use of National Forest land and other public lands in central Idaho.[29] Simpson has also faced opposition from groups that oppose new federal land designations, and wilderness designations particularly, because of restricted access to wilderness areas.[28] In August 2015, a revised version of CIEDRA, the Sawtooth National Recreation Area and Jerry Peak Wilderness Additions Act, passed Congress and was signed by President Obama, creating theHemingway–Boulders,Jim McClure–Jerry Peak, andWhite Clouds wilderness areas, which cover a total of 275,665 acres (111,558 ha) of central Idaho.[30]
On March 21, 2014, Simpson introduced the billTo amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to maintain or replace certain facilities and structures for commercial recreation services at Smith Gulch in Idaho (H.R. 4283; 113th Congress).[31] The bill would require theUnited States secretary of agriculture to permit private entities to repair or replace certain commercial facilities onUnited States Forest Service land inIdaho.[32] Simpson said, "this legislation clarifies Congress's intent of the 2004 amendments to the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act which continued the existing use and occupancy of commercial services in this corridor of the Salmon River".[33] The legislation passed the House, but stalled in the Senate.
In February 2021, Simpson announced a "Salmon and Energy" concept intended to restore Snake River salmon while protecting agricultural and energy interests across the Columbia River basin.[34]
Simpson has pushed to divide theUnited States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, sponsoring bills to that effect in 2007,[35] 2011,[36] 2017,[37] and 2021.[38] None of these bills were successful.
Simpson voted for theTax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017.[39] After passing the bill, he said he spoke to Idaho farmers, ranchers and businesses who called for a simplified tax code and reform. He said the bill would "create economic growth in the United States by unleashing American small businesses and unburdening middle-class families so they can make better financial decisions with their own money."[40]
In December 2020, Simpson was one of 126 Republican members of theHouse of Representatives to sign anamicus brief in support ofTexas v. Pennsylvania, a lawsuit filed at theUnited States Supreme Court contesting the results of the2020 presidential election. The Supreme Court declined to hear the case on the basis that Texas lackedstanding underArticle III of the Constitution to challenge the results of an election held by another state.[41][42][43]
In January 2021, Simpson voted to certify both Arizona's and Pennsylvania's results in the2021 United States Electoral College vote count.
On May 19, 2021, Simpson was one of 35 Republicans to join all Democrats in voting to approve legislation to establish theJanuary 6 commission meant to investigate theattack of the U.S. Capitol.[44]
In 2021, Simpson voted for theFarm Workforce Modernization Act of 2021, which passes work visas for illegal immigrant farm workers.[45]
Simpson voted for the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2020, which authorized DHS to nearly double the available H-2B visas for the remainder of FY 2020.[46][47]
Simpson voted for the Consolidated Appropriations Act (H.R. 1158).[48]
Simpson supportsDeferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).[49]
In 2021, Simpson was among the House Republicans to sponsor the Fairness for All Act, the Republican alternative to the Equality Act.[50] The bill would prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity, and protect the free exercise of religion.
In 2021, Simpson was one of 29 Republicans to vote to reauthorize theViolence Against Women Act.[51] This bill expanded legal protections for transgender people and contained provisions allowing transgender women to use women's shelters and serve time in prisons matching their gender identity.[52]
In 2022, Simpson was one of 47 House Republicans to vote with the Democratic Party for theRespect for Marriage Act, repealing theDefense of Marriage Act.[53] He later voted for the final form of the bill as passed in the Senate in December.[54]
For the118th Congress:[55]
Simpson is a Republican who is known to take moderate stances. For example, he has supported theNational Endowment for the Arts and theNational Endowment for the Humanities, voting each year against Republican amendments to strip them of funding. In the past he has opposedearmarks.
Esquire listed Simpson as one of the 10 best members of Congress in October 2008.[62] The magazine wrote, "More than any other representative, Simpson lives by the philosophy that democratic representation is a matter of finding not advantageous positions but common ground".[62] The magazine's portrayal of Simpson echoes one of his personal philosophies, which is embodied inHenry Clay's words: "Politics is not about ideological purity or moral self-righteousness. It is about governing, and if a politician cannot compromise he cannot govern effectively." This quotation is framed and hangs in Simpson's Washington D.C. office.[63] Simpson played a key role in the election ofJohn Boehner asHouse majority leader in the109th United States Congress.[64] He was close and loyal to SpeakerJohn Boehner.[65][66][67][68][69]
In 2025, Simpson called for renaming the Opera House at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts after President Donald Trump's first lady Melania Trump.[70] The editorial board of theIdaho Statesman described the move as sycophantic.[71]
In 2010, Simpson joined congressmanWalt Minnick in his effort to secure a third federal judge for Idaho. Simpson said, "The caseload of the Idaho District Court has increased significantly in recent decades resulting in Idaho's district judges carrying a disproportionate share of cases in relation to their colleagues in other states."[72]
As of May 2024, Idaho still hastwo federal judgeships.
Simpson has committed to repealing theAffordable Care Act (also known as Obamacare), questioning its constitutionality and effectiveness.[73]
Simpson supportstax reform.[39] When asked about theGrover Norquist pledge to oppose any net increase in taxes, Simpson said, "Well, first, the pledge: I signed that in 1998 when I first ran. I didn't know I was signing a marriage agreement that would last forever."[74]
In a 2019 conference in Boise, Simpson said: "climate change is a reality. It’s not hard to figure out. Go look at your thermometer." In his speech, he tied climate change to the viability of salmon in Idaho lakes and rivers.[75]
Simpson is also known as an outspoken proponent ofnuclear power, extolling its virtues as an environmentally friendly source of energy with minimal carbon output. His support for nuclear energy plays a significant role in his membership of theUnited States House Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development, which oversees theIdaho National Laboratory, a main site for nuclear andalternative energy research in the United States.
In 2022, Simpson voted to provide approximately $14 billion to thegovernment of Ukraine.[76][77]
Simpson supports efforts to make it illegal to desecrate theAmerican flag.[78]
Simpson isanti-abortion. He has a zero rating fromNARAL Pro-Choice America and a 100% rating from theNational Right to Life Committee for his voting record onabortion. He opposes using federal monies to fund abortions,embryonic stem cell research, restricting the transport of minors over state lines to receive abortions,partial-birth abortions except to save a mother's life andhuman cloning. He supports cutting federal funding ofPlanned Parenthood.[79]
In 2022, Simpson was one of 39 Republicans to vote for theMerger Filing Fee Modernization Act of 2021, an antitrust package that would crack down on corporations for anti-competitive behavior.[80][81]
Simpson sponsoredH.R. 4754 (Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2026) which would shield pesticides makers includingBayer by not allowingglyphosate to be labeled under theFederal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) ascarcinogenic. This would endlawsuits against Monsanto which often allege that a lack of cancer warning amounts to mislabeling under FIFRA.[82][83]
| Year | Democrat | Votes | Pct | Republican | Votes | Pct | 3rd party | Party | Votes | Pct | 3rd party | Party | Votes | Pct | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Richard Stallings | 77,736 | 44.7% | Mike Simpson | 91,337 | 52.5% | Jonathan B. Ratner | Natural Law | 4,854 | 2.8% | |||||||||
| 2000 | Craig Williams | 58,265 | 25.9% | Mike Simpson (inc.) | 158,912 | 70.7% | Donovan Bramwell | Libertarian | 7,542 | 3.4% | |||||||||
| 2002 | Edward Kinghorn | 57,769 | 29.0% | Mike Simpson (inc.) | 135,605 | 68.2% | John A. Lewis | Libertarian | 5,508 | 2.8% | |||||||||
| 2004 | Lin Whitworth | 80,133 | 29.3% | Mike Simpson (inc.) | 193,704 | 70.7% | |||||||||||||
| 2006 | Jim D. Hansen | 73,441 | 34.4% | Mike Simpson (inc.) | 132,262 | 62.0% | Cameron Forth | Independent | 5,113 | 2.4% | Travis J. Hedrick | Constitution | 2,516 | 1.2% | |||||
| 2008 | Debbie Holmes | 83,878 | 28.9% | Mike Simpson (inc.) | 205,777 | 70.9% | Gregory Nemitz | Write-in | 612 | 0.2% | |||||||||
| 2010 | Mike Crawford | 48,749 | 24.4% | Mike Simpson (inc.) | 137,468 | 68.8% | Brian Schad | Independent | 13,500 | 6.8% | |||||||||
| 2012 | Nicole LeFavour | 110,847 | 34.8% | Mike Simpson (inc.) | 207,412 | 65.1% | |||||||||||||
| 2014 | Richard Stallings | 82,801 | 38.6% | Mike Simpson (inc.) | 131,492 | 61.4% | |||||||||||||
| 2016 | Jennifer Martinez | 95,940 | 29.4% | Mike Simpson (inc.) | 205,292 | 62.9% | Anthony Tomkins | Constitution | 25,005 | 7.7% | |||||||||
| 2018 | Aaron Swisher | 110,381 | 39.3% | Mike Simpson (inc.) | 170,274 | 60.7% | |||||||||||||
| 2020 | Aaron Swisher | 124,151 | 31.7% | Mike Simpson (inc.) | 250,678 | 64.1% | Pro-Life | Constitution | 8,573 | 2.2% | Idaho Sierra Law | Libertarian | 7,940 | 2.0% | |||||
| 2022 | Wendy Norman | 98,736 | 36.4% | Mike Simpson (inc.) | 172,448 | 63.6% | |||||||||||||
| 2024 | David Roth | 126,229 | 31.0% | Mike Simpson (inc.) | 250,119 | 61.4% | Todd Corsetti | Libertarian | 21,310 | 5.2% | Carta Sierra | Constitution | 9,804 | 2.4% |
This article incorporatespublic domain material fromBiographical Directory of the United States Congress.Federal government of the United States.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Speaker of the Idaho House of Representatives 1992–1998 | Succeeded by Bruce Newcomb |
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromIdaho's 2nd congressional district 1999–present | Incumbent |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded by | United States representatives by seniority 29th | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Order of precedence of the United States | Succeeded by |
| Territorial (1863–1890) |
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| Oneat-large seat (1890–1913) |
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| Two at-large seats (1913–1919) |
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| Districts (1919–present) |
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