Jim Risch | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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.jpg) Risch in 2021 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chair of theSenate Foreign Relations Committee | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office January 3, 2025 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Ben Cardin | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office January 3, 2019 – February 3, 2021 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Bob Corker | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Bob Menendez | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| United States Senator fromIdaho | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office January 3, 2009 Serving with Mike Crapo | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Larry Craig | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 31st Governor of Idaho | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office May 26, 2006 – January 1, 2007 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lieutenant | Mark Ricks | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Dirk Kempthorne | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Butch Otter | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 39th & 41st Lieutenant Governor of Idaho | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office January 1, 2007 – January 3, 2009 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Governor | Butch Otter | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Mark Ricks | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Brad Little | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office January 3, 2003 – May 26, 2006 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Governor | Dirk Kempthorne | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Jack Riggs | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Mark Ricks | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Member of theIdaho Senate | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office January 28, 1995 – December 1, 2002 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Roger Madsen | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Sheila Sorensen | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Constituency | 18th district | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office December 1, 1974 – December 1, 1988 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | District established | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Mike Burkett | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Constituency | 21st district | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | James Elroy Risch (1943-05-03)May 3, 1943 (age 82) Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Political party | Republican | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Children | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Education | University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee University of Idaho (BS,JD) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Signature |  | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Website | Senate website Campaign website | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
James Elroy Risch (/ˈrɪʃ/RISH; born May 3, 1943) is an American lawyer and politician who has served as thejuniorUnited States senator fromIdaho since 2009.[1] A member of theRepublican Party, he served aslieutenant governor of Idaho under governorsDirk Kempthorne andButch Otter, and briefly asgovernor between their terms.
Raised inMilwaukee, Risch moved to Idaho in the early 1960s. After graduating from theUniversity of Idaho, he received aB.S. degree inforestry in 1965 and earned aJ.D. in 1968. Afterward, he taught criminal law atBoise State University, and in 1970 was elected asAda County prosecuting attorney. He was elected to the Idaho Senate in 1974 and was a member until 1988. In 1995, he was appointed to the state Senate, where he served until 2002.
Risch ran for lieutenant governor of Idaho in 2002, defeating incumbentJack Riggs in the primary. After incumbent governorDirk Kempthorne resigned to become theUnited States Secretary of the Interior in May 2006, Risch served out the rest of Kempthorne's term. He then served as lieutenant governor underButch Otter from 2007 to 2009.
Risch was elected to the U.S. Senate in2008 and reelected in2014 and2020.
Born inMilwaukee, Wisconsin, Risch is the son of Helen B. (née Levi) and Elroy A. Risch, alineman forWisconsin Bell. Risch attended theUniversity of Wisconsin–Milwaukee from 1961 to 1963 and then transferred to theUniversity of Idaho inMoscow, where he was a member of thePhi Delta Thetafraternity.[2] He obtained aB.S. degree inforestry in 1965,[3] and continued his education at the university'sCollege of Law. He served on theLaw Review and the College of Law Advisory Committee[4] before receiving aJ.D. degree in 1968.[5]
Risch entered politics in 1970 inBoise at age 27, winning election asAda County Prosecuting Attorney. While serving in this capacity, he taughtundergraduate classes incriminal justice atBoise State College and served as the president of the state's prosecuting attorneys' association. Concurrent with his service in the Idaho Senate, Risch became a millionaire as one of Idaho's most successful trial lawyers.[6]
Risch was first elected to theIdaho Senate from Ada County in 1974. He entered the state senate leadership in 1976, serving as majority leader and later aspresident pro tempore.
In a dramatic upset, Risch was defeated for reelection in 1988 byDemocratic political newcomer and Boise attorneyMike Burkett.[7][8]
In the second political defeat of his career, Risch lost the 1994 primary election for a state Senate seat toRoger Madsen. Later that year Risch chaired Governor-electPhil Batt's transition team, and after Batt took office he appointed Risch to the seat vacated by Madsen, who had been named as the director of the Department of Labor, then known as the Department of Employment.[9][10] In 1996, Risch was elected Senate Majority Leader after defeating fellow Boise RepublicanSheila Sorensen.[11][12]
In January 2001, Risch had his eye on the lieutenant governor's seat vacated byButch Otter, who resigned after being elected toCongress, but GovernorDirk Kempthorne appointed state SenatorJack Riggs ofCoeur d'Alene to the post instead. The next year, Risch defeated Riggs in the Republican primary and won the general election, spending $360,000 of his own money on the campaign.
On May 26, 2006, Risch becamegovernor of Idaho when Kempthorne resigned to becomeU.S. secretary of the interior. Risch appointedMark Ricks to serve as his lieutenant governor.[13]
Upon taking office, Risch eliminated Idaho's bureau office inWashington D.C. and replaced it with offices inIdaho Falls andCoeur d'Alene.[14] In August 2006, he called a special session of theIdaho Legislature to consider his proposedproperty tax reform bill, theProperty Tax Relief Act of 2006. In December, he issued anexecutive order that mandated state agencies to verify whether new employees are legal citizens.[15]
Risch was initially expected to enter the 2006 Republican gubernatorial primary to succeed Kempthorne, who was completing his second term at this time of his federal appointment. But U.S. RepresentativeButch Otter had already announced his candidacy to replace Kempthorne and gained a significant head start in campaigning and fundraising. In November 2005, Risch announced his intention to seek election again as lieutenant governor. He served out the remaining seven months of Kempthorne's term, which ended in January 2007.
Risch was unopposed for the 2006 Republican nomination for lieutenant governor and defeated formerDemocratic U.S. representativeLarry LaRocco in the general election. Risch's term as governor ended in January 2007 and he returned to the role of lieutenant governor. He resigned as lieutenant governor to take his seat in the Senate on January 3, 2009. Otter named state SenatorBrad Little ofEmmett as Risch's successor.
On August 31, 2007, theAssociated Press reported that GovernorOtter might appoint Risch to the United States Senate to succeed the embattledLarry Craig. On September 1, theIdaho Statesman reported that Otter's spokesman denied Risch had been selected and that Otter had "made no decision and he is not leaning toward anybody."[16] On October 9, Risch announced that he would run for the Senate seat.[17] In May 2008, Risch was nominated as the Republican candidate for U.S. Senate.[18] In the general election he defeated formerDemocraticCongressmanLarry LaRocco with 58% of the vote.[19]
Risch won the Republican primary with 79.9% of the vote[20] and defeated attorneyNels Mitchell in the general election with 65.3% of the vote.[21]
Risch was unopposed in the 2020 Republican primary.[22] He defeated Democratic nomineePaulette Jordan in the general election with 63% of the vote.[23]
Risch has announced he will run for reelection. President Trump has endorsed him.[24]
Risch was one of four freshmen Republican senators in the111th Congress of 2009, withMike Johanns ofNebraska,George LeMieux ofFlorida andScott Brown ofMassachusetts. Republican SenatorMike Crapo of Idaho called Risch "results-oriented".[25]
In 2017, Risch was one of 22 senators to sign a letter[26] to PresidentDonald Trump urging him to withdraw the United States from theParis Agreement.
On August 11, 2017, in an interview onPBS Newshour, Risch endorsed Trump's threateningNorth Korea with military destruction in the event that country launched missiles atGuam.[27]
On March 22, 2018, the day before a potentialfederal government shutdown, Risch threatened to block a government spending bill because it included changing the name of theWhite Clouds Wilderness protected area to honor a deceased political rival, former Idaho GovernorCecil Andrus.[28][29] Risch ultimately acquiesced.
In January 2019, Risch joinedMarco Rubio,Cory Gardner, and Senate Majority LeaderMitch McConnell in introducing legislation that would impose sanctions on the government ofPresident of SyriaBashar al-Assad and bolster American cooperation withIsrael andJordan.[30]
On January 21, 2020, during the first day of opening arguments inTrump's Senate impeachment trial, Risch was the first senator to fall asleep.Courtroom sketch artist Art Lien memorialized his nap.[31]
In 2020, while Chairman of theSenate Foreign Relations Committee, Risch decided not to press Secretary of StateMike Pompeo to testify at the annual budget hearing. Pompeo had just successfully sought to have State Department inspector generalSteve Linick fired; at the time, Linick had been conducting a watchdog investigation into the Trump administration's decision to sell arms toSaudi Arabia without congressional approval.[32] For his tenure as chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee during the 116th Congress, the nonpartisanLugar Center's Congressional Oversight Hearing Index gave Risch an "F" grade.[33]
Risch was participating in the certification of the2021 United States Electoral College vote count when Trump supportersstormed the United States Capitol. He called the attack "unpatriotic and un-American in the extreme" and suggested it was spurred by "deep distrust in the integrity and veracity of our elections."[34][35]
In 2021, Risch blocked the confirmation of Holocaust historianDeborah Lipstadt to the position ofspecial envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism.[36]
In 2019, Risch sought to quell dissent among Republican senators over what they perceived as the Trump administration's weak response to the killing of Saudi journalist and U.S. permanent residentJamal Khashoggi, and its refusal to send Congress a report on the administration's determination of who killed Khashoggi. He told his fellow Republican senators andPolitico that the Trump administration was in compliance with theMagnitsky Act, but the administration had said that it refused to comply with the Act.[39]
In March 2018, Risch co-sponsored theIsrael Anti-Boycott Act (s. 720), which would bar federal contractors from encouraging or participating in boycotts againstIsrael andIsraeli settlements in theWest Bank.[40][41]
Risch was a co-sponsor of the Promoting American National Security and Preventing the Resurgence of ISIS Act of 2019 (S.2641–116th),[42] which was intended to punishTurkey and protectallies like theKurds, who had suffered fromrecent Turkish military operations in Syria, including by resettling them in the U.S. The measure had broad support in Congress, which was concerned about the purchase of the RussianS-400 missile system Turkey was testing.[43]
On October 18, 2022, Risch criticized theBiden administration for hesitating to imposesanctions on the government ofEthiopia, where many atrocities andwar crimes were committed in theTigray War. He tweeted that Biden "must stop avoiding the use of sanctions in fear of offending and prioritize #humanrights".[44]
In July 2024, Risch sponsored a report that advocated strengtheningNATO and enhancing its planning for potential interference from thePeople's Republic of China.[45]
In October 2025, Risch condemned themassacre of civilians inAl-Fashir, Sudan.[46]
Risch is considered politically conservative. TheAmerican Conservative Union's Center for Legislative Accountability gives him a lifetime conservative score of 91.54.[47] The liberalAmericans for Democratic Action gave him an ideology score of zero in 2019.[48]
Risch isanti-abortion.[49] He believes thatRoe v. Wade was wrongly decided.[50] In 2013, he co-sponsored the Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act, which would have made it illegal for a minor to cross state lines for an abortion.[51] Risch supported the June 2022overturning ofRoe v. Wade and applauded the Supreme Court for recognizing "that states have an interest in protecting life at all stages of development by giving Americans the power to decide this matter at the state-level through their elected representatives."[50]
TheNational Rifle AssociationPolitical Victory Fund (NRA-PVF) endorsed Risch and gave him an A+ grade for his voting record on gun issues.[52]
In 2013, along with 12 other Republican senators, Risch threatened tofilibuster any bills Democrats introduced that Republicans perceived as a threat to gun rights, including expanded background checks. In an interview withNational Public Radio, he said that Americans' right to keep and bear arms includes "a right to purchase one [a gun], to sell one, to trade in one, and you really have to have a robust market if indeed you're going to have a constitutional right." He also said that additional background checks would mean that gun dealers would "have to deal with the federal bureaucracy, which is very, very difficult to deal with."[53]
In response to theOrlando nightclub shooting, Risch and Crapo said the shooting was not a reason to call for gun control legislation.[54]
In 2016, Risch voted against the Feinstein Amendment, which would have blocked the sale of guns to people on the terrorist watch list, and DemocratChris Murphy's proposal to expand background checks for sales at gun shows and online. Risch voted for both Republican-backed bills,John Cornyn's proposal to create a 72-hour delay for anyone on the terrorist watchlist buying a gun andCharles Grassley andTed Cruz's proposal to alert authorities if a someone on the list tries to buy a firearm.[55]
Risch opposed theFIRST STEP Act, a bipartisancriminal justice reform bill. The bill passed by a vote of 87–12 on December 18, 2018.[56]
Risch supports repealing and replacing theAffordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare.[57] He voted against the ACA in 2010.[58]
On May 21, 2020, Risch introduced S. 3829, the Global Health Security and Diplomacy Act, but it did not receive a vote. In opening the confirmation hearings for SecretaryAntony Blinken, Risch emphasized it as a legislative and foreign policy priority, given the "catastrophic failure at every level" of global health security infrastructure. The bill's supporters claim it would "improve coordination among the relevant Federal departments and agencies implementing United States foreign assistance for global health security, and more effectively enable partner countries to strengthen and sustain resilient health systems and supply chains with the resources, capacity, and personnel required to prevent, detect, mitigate, and respond to infectious disease threats before they become pandemics, and for other purposes."[59][non-primary source needed]
On May 28, 2021, Risch abstained from voting on the creation of an independent commission to investigate the2021 United States Capitol attack.[60]
On August 2, 2022, Risch was one of only 11 senators to vote against the Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act, a bill to expand VA health care and benefits for veterans exposed toburn pits and other toxic substances.[61][62]
Risch was among the 31 Senate Republicans who voted against final passage of theFiscal Responsibility Act of 2023.[63]
Risch isRoman Catholic.[64]
| Primary election | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
| Republican | Jim Risch (incumbent) | 2,299 | 76.43 | ||
| Republican | Emil Loya, Jr. | 709 | 23.57 | ||
| Total votes | 3,008 | 100.00 | |||
| General election | |||||
| Republican | Jim Risch (incumbent) | 9,543 | 67.53 | ||
| Democratic | Sharon Ullman | 4,589 | 32.47 | ||
| Total votes | 14,132 | 100.00 | |||
| Republicanhold | |||||
| Primary election | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
| Republican | Jim Risch (incumbent) | 2,656 | 67.43 | ||
| Republican | Sharon Ullman | 1,283 | 32.57 | ||
| Total votes | 3,939 | 100.00 | |||
| General election | |||||
| Republican | Jim Risch (incumbent) | 8,742 | 76.02 | ||
| Libertarian | Daniel Adams | 2,758 | 23.98 | ||
| Total votes | 11,500 | 100.00 | |||
| Republicanhold | |||||
| Primary election | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
| Republican | Jim Risch (incumbent) | 3,222 | 50.40 | ||
| Republican | Jack Noble | 3,171 | 49.60 | ||
| Total votes | 6,393 | 100.00 | |||
| General election | |||||
| Republican | Jim Risch (incumbent) | 12,917 | 80.32 | ||
| Libertarian | Daniel Adams | 3,165 | 19.68 | ||
| Total votes | 16,082 | 100.00 | |||
| Republicanhold | |||||
| Primary election | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
| Republican | Jim Risch | 49,607 | 34.62 | ||
| Republican | Jack Riggs | 39,689 | 27.69 | ||
| Republican | Celia Gould | 22,134 | 15.44 | ||
| Republican | Larry Eastland | 22,079 | 15.41 | ||
| Republican | Jim Pratt | 5,638 | 3.93 | ||
| Republican | Darrell Babbitt | 4,161 | 2.90 | ||
| Total votes | 143,308 | 100.00 | |||
| General election | |||||
| Republican | Jim Risch | 226,017 | 56.22 | ||
| Democratic | Bruce M. Perry | 160,438 | 39.91 | ||
| Libertarian | Michael J. Kempf | 15,562 | 3.87 | ||
| Total votes | 402,017 | 100.00 | |||
| Republicanhold | |||||
| Primary election | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
| Republican | Jim Risch (incumbent) | 119,401 | 100.00 | ||
| Total votes | 119,401 | 100.00 | |||
| General election | |||||
| Republican | Jim Risch (incumbent) | 259,648 | 58.29 | ||
| Democratic | Larry LaRocco | 175,312 | 39.36 | ||
| Constitution | William Charles Wellisch | 10,460 | 2.35 | ||
| Total votes | 445,420 | 100.00 | |||
| Republicanhold | |||||
| Primary election | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
| Republican | Jim Risch | 80,743 | 65.34 | ||
| Republican | Scott Syme | 16,660 | 13.48 | ||
| Republican | Richard Phenneger | 6,532 | 5.29 | ||
| Republican | Neal Thompson | 5,375 | 4.35 | ||
| Republican | Fred Adams | 4,987 | 4.04 | ||
| Republican | Bill Hunter | 4,280 | 3.46 | ||
| Republican | Brian Hefner | 2,915 | 2.36 | ||
| Republican | Hal James Styles, Jr. | 2,082 | 1.68 | ||
| Total votes | 123,574 | 100.00 | |||
| General election | |||||
| Republican | Jim Risch | 371,744 | 57.65 | ||
| Democratic | Larry LaRocco | 219,903 | 34.11 | ||
| Independent | Rex Rammell | 34,510 | 5.35 | ||
| Libertarian | Kent Marmon | 9,958 | 1.54 | ||
| Independent | Pro-Life | 8,662 | 1.34 | ||
| Total votes | 644,777 | 100.00 | |||
| Republicanhold | |||||
| Primary election | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
| Republican | Jim Risch (incumbent) | 119,209 | 79.93 | ||
| Republican | Jeremy "T" Anderson | 29,939 | 20.07 | ||
| Total votes | 149,148 | 100.00 | |||
| General election | |||||
| Republican | Jim Risch (incumbent) | 285,596 | 65.33 | ||
| Democratic | Nels Mitchell | 151,574 | 34.67 | ||
| Total votes | 437,170 | 100.00 | |||
| Republicanhold | |||||
| Primary election | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
| Republican | Jim Risch (incumbent) | 200,184 | 100.00 | ||
| Total votes | 200,184 | 100.00 | |||
| General election | |||||
| Republican | Jim Risch (incumbent) | 538,446 | 62.62 | ||
| Democratic | Paulette Jordan | 285,864 | 33.25 | ||
| Independent | Natalie M. Fleming | 25,329 | 2.95 | ||
| Constitution | Ray J. Writz | 10,188 | 1.18 | ||
| Total votes | 859,827 | 100.00 | |||
| Republicanhold | |||||
Elections
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Lieutenant Governor of Idaho 2003–2006 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Governor of Idaho 2006–2007 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by Mark Ricks | Lieutenant Governor of Idaho 2007–2009 | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by Larry Craig | Republican nominee forU.S. Senator fromIdaho (Class 2) 2008,2014,2020 | Most recent |
| U.S. Senate | ||
| Preceded by | U.S. Senator (Class 2) from Idaho 2009–present Served alongside:Mike Crapo | Incumbent |
| Preceded by | Ranking Member of theSenate Small Business Committee 2013–2015 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chair of theSenate Small Business Committee 2017–2019 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chair of theSenate Foreign Relations Committee 2019–2021 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Ranking Member of theSenate Foreign Relations Committee 2021–2025 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chair of theSenate Foreign Relations Committee 2025–present | Incumbent |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded by | Order of precedence of the United States as United States Senator | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | United States senators by seniority 22nd | Succeeded by |
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