Russ Fulcher | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromIdaho's1st district | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Raúl Labrador |
| Member of theIdaho Senate | |
| In office December 1, 2005 – December 1, 2014 | |
| Preceded by | Jack Noble |
| Succeeded by | Lori Den Hartog |
| Constituency | 21st district (2005-2012)22nd district (2012-2014) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Russell Mark Fulcher (1962-03-09)March 9, 1962 (age 63) Boise, Idaho, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | Boise State University (BBA,MBA) |
| Website | House website |
Russ Fulcher speaks in opposition to theGreat American Outdoors Act Recorded July 22, 2020 | |
Russell Mark Fulcher[1] (born March 9, 1962) is an American businessman and politician serving as theU.S. representative forIdaho's 1st congressional district since 2019. A member of theRepublican Party, he represented the21st district in theIdaho Senate from 2005 to 2012 and the22nd district from 2012 until 2014.
Fulcher ran forgovernor of Idaho in2014, unsuccessfully challenging incumbentButch Otter in the primary. He was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in2018, succeeding incumbentRaúl Labrador, who retired from Congress to run, unsuccessfully, for governor of Idaho.
Fulcher is a member of theFreedom Caucus.
A fourth-generation Idahoan, Fulcher was born inBoise, Idaho, but grew up on a dairy farm inMeridian, Idaho.[2] He received both a bachelor's and master's degree in business administration fromBoise State University in 1984 and 1988, respectively.[3] He also completed a course on electronic engineering throughMicron Technology.[4]
While a member of the Idaho legislature, Fulcher worked as a broker in the commercial real estate business. Before that, he was involved in Idaho's technology industry. Fulcher spent much of that time working in international business development withMicron Technology.[citation needed]
In 2005, GovernorDirk Kempthorne appointed Fulcher to theIdaho State Senate, representing the 21st legislative district, which encompasses large parts of Boise,Meridian andKuna, to replaceJack Noble, who resigned after a conflict of interest. Fulcher was first elected in 2006 and served through 2012.[5][6]
Fulcher represented District 22 in the Idaho Senate from 2012 to 2014.[7] He served as Majority Caucus Leader from 2008 to 2012 and from 2013 to 2014.[8]
Fulcher served on the following committees:
On June 15, 2017, Fulcher announced that he would seek the Republican nomination forIdaho's 1st congressional district in the 2018 election.[10][11]
He was endorsed by the incumbent representative,Raúl Labrador,[12] and Texas SenatorTed Cruz.[13]
Fulcher won theIdaho Republican Party primary with 43.1% of the vote, defeatingDavid H. Leroy,Luke Malek,Christy Perry,Michael Snyder, Alex Gallegos, and Nick Henderson.[14] Fulcher won 18 of 19 counties in Idaho's 1st congressional district. He was one of two candidates to win his home county.[15]
He won the general election in November with 62.7% of the vote, defeating Cristina McNeil[14] (Democrat), W. Scott Howard[16] (Libertarian), andMarvin "Pro-Life" Richardson (Constitution).[17]
Fulcher was reelected on November 3, 2020, with 67.8% of the vote, defeating Rudy Soto (Democrat) and Joe Evans (Libertarian).
In December 2020, Fulcher 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, in whichJoe Biden defeated[18] incumbentDonald Trump. 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.[19][20][21]
On December 1, 2023, Fulcher voted against the expulsion of RepresentativeGeorge Santos.[22]
For the118th Congress:[23]
Fulcher voted to provide Israel with support following2023 Hamas attack on Israel.[25][26]
In 2022, Fulcher was one of 39 Republicans to vote for the Merger Filing Fee Modernization Act of 2022, an antitrust package that would crack down on corporations for anti-competitive behavior.[27][28]
Fulcher was among the 71 Republicans who voted against final passage of theFiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 in the House.[29]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Butch Otter (incumbent) | 79,779 | 51.4 | |
| Republican | Russ Fulcher | 67,694 | 43.6 | |
| Republican | Harley Brown | 5,084 | 3.3 | |
| Republican | Walt Bayes | 2,753 | 1.8 | |
| Total votes | 155,310 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Russ Fulcher | 42,793 | 43.1 | |
| Republican | David H. Leroy | 15,451 | 15.6 | |
| Republican | Luke Malek | 14,154 | 14.3 | |
| Republican | Christy Perry | 11,110 | 11.2 | |
| Republican | Michael Snyder | 10,255 | 10.3 | |
| Republican | Alex Gallegos | 3,478 | 3.5 | |
| Republican | Nick Henderson | 2,003 | 2.0 | |
| Total votes | 99,244 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Russ Fulcher | 197,167 | 62.7 | |
| Democratic | Cristina McNeil | 96,932 | 30.8 | |
| Independent | Natalie Fleming | 6,188 | 2.0 | |
| Libertarian | W. Scott Howard | 5,435 | 1.7 | |
| Independent | Paul Farmer | 4,479 | 1.4 | |
| Constitution | Marvin "Pro-Life" Richardson | 3,181 | 1.0 | |
| Independent | Gordon Counsil | 1,054 | 0.3 | |
| Independent | Michael J. Rath (write-in) | 91 | 0.0 | |
| Total votes | 314,527 | 100.0 | ||
| Republicanhold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Russ Fulcher (incumbent) | 93,879 | 79.9 | |
| Republican | Nicholas Jones | 23,657 | 20.1 | |
| Total votes | 117,536 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Russ Fulcher (incumbent) | 310,736 | 67.8 | |
| Democratic | Rudy Soto | 131,380 | 28.7 | |
| Libertarian | Joe Evans | 16,453 | 3.6 | |
| Write-ins | Pro-Life | 7 | 0.0 | |
| Total votes | 458,576 | 100.0 | ||
| Republicanhold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Russ Fulcher (incumbent) | 222,901 | 71.3 | |
| Democratic | Kaylee Peterson | 82,261 | 26.3 | |
| Libertarian | Darian Drake | 7,280 | 2.3 | |
| Total votes | 312,442 | 100.0 | ||
| Republicanhold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Russ Fulcher (incumbent) | 331,049 | 71.0 | ||
| Democratic | Patrick Largey | 118,656 | 25.4 | ||
| Libertarian | Matt Loesby | 9,594 | 2.1 | ||
| Constitution | Brendan Gomez | 6,933 | 1.5 | ||
| Total votes | 466,232 | 100.0 | |||
| Republicanhold | |||||
On November 23, 2013, Fulcher announced his intention to run against incumbent governorButch Otter in the2014 Idaho gubernatorial election.[33] He was endorsed by CongressmanRaúl Labrador.[34]
Fulcher lost to Otter in the May 2014 Republican primary, earning 43.6% of the vote.[35]
Fulcher was aTed Cruz delegate at the2016 Republican National Convention.[36] He supportedDonald Trump in the general election.[37]
Fulcher announced on August 24, 2016, that he was running for governor.[38][39]
On June 15, 2017, he announced that he was dropping out of the2018 Idaho gubernatorial election and would instead run forIdaho's 1st congressional district in the 2018 cycle.[40]
Fulcher was married to Kara Fulcher from 1987 to 2018. They have three adult children.[41]
Fulcher is anEvangelical.[42]
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| Idaho Senate | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Jack Noble | Member of theIdaho Senate from the21st district 2005–2012 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of theIdaho Senate from the22nd district 2012–2014 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromIdaho's 1st congressional district 2019–present | Incumbent |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded by | United States representatives by seniority 204th | 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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