Jim Risch (R-Idaho)

U.S. Senator (since January 2009)

Why He Matters

Risch, a former governor and lieutenant governor of Idaho, stepped in to run for the U.S. Senate seat vacated by fellow Republican Larry Craig, who chose not to seek re-election after pleading guilty to disorderly conduct following an incident in a Minneapolis airport men's room.

Risch was in the minority in the 112th Congress, but worked to make the Bush administration's 2001 and 2003 tax cuts permanent. As governor, he passed conservation legislation lauded by environmentalists.

More on: Jim Risch (R-Idaho)

At a Glance
Path to Power
The Issues
The Network
Additional Resources

Corrections?

Background

At a Glance

Career History: Lieutenant Governor of Idaho (2006 to 2008); Governor of Idaho (2006); Lieutenant Governor of Idaho (2003 to 2006)
Birthday: May 3, 1943
Hometown: Milwaukee, Wis.
Alma Mater: University of Idaho, B.S. (forestry), 1965; University of Idaho College of Law, J.D, 1968
Spouse: Vicki

DC Office: 2 Russell Courtyard(202) 224-2752
Web site
Facebook
YouTube

Path to Power

Risch was born in Milwaukee , Wis., in 1943 and grew up in Boise, Idaho. He attended the University of Idaho, receiving a B.S. in Forestry, and then earned a degree at Idaho's law school.

Risch then worked as a prosecutor in Ada County, Idaho's largest. When his boss decided to retire, Risch, then only 27, ran for chief prosecutor."I had to run to keep my job," Risch told the Idaho Statesman.He won his first election, and he's run 31 more times, losing only twice.

Read more

After serving as the president of the Idaho Prosecuting Attorneys Association, Risch ran for the Idaho State Senate in 1974.

"I became frustrated that the bad guys I was putting in jail were immediately being paroled and were back on the streets," he explained to WhoRunsGov.com. "It became apparent that if I wanted to change this, I had to commit to public service in the Idaho State Legislature. I did that, and I'm proud to say I fixed those laws."

He served in the Idaho Senate for 22 of the next 28 years. For 19 of those years he was majority leader or president pro tempore, the body's top two leadership positions.

According to the Statesman, during that time, "Risch built his wealth - including properties valued at between $17 million and $83 million - through land and work as a lawyer, winning settlements against insurance companies that reneged on coverage to Idahoans with health care emergencies."

In 2002, Risch was elected lieutenant governor. Four years later, when Gov. Dirk Kempthorne (R) was called to Washington to serve as President George W. Bush's secretary of the Interior, Risch became Idaho's chief executive for seven months.

Because of the timing of Kempthorne's departure, Risch had to decide quickly whether to run for governor. The Idaho Statesman said Risch and his wife stayed up most of the night weighing the options, and Risch decided to run for lieutenant governor again: "Pundits said Risch didn't want to risk being beaten by Republican Butch Otter who was already running [for governor] and who won the November election. Risch said he wanted to make sure he could be an accomplished governor during the seven months he would hold the job in 2006."

Risch "wasted little time staking out his Senate ambitions," according to the Associated Press, after Sen. Craig announced his intentions to step down from his Senate seat. That came after police said Craig had solicited gay sex in a Minneapolis-St. airport men's room. Craig pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct, but stayed in Congress and fought to have his plea reversed.

In heavily-Republican Idaho, Risch was favored from the beginning. He had beaten his opponent, Larry Larocco, twice before, most recently in the 2006 lieutenant governor race, in which the incumbent Risch took 58 percent of the vote to Larocco's 39 percent. Risch also beat Larocco in a 1982 run for Idaho Senate.

"Congress is a mess," the Associated Press quoted Risch as saying. "I want to get there and see if I can't do something to fix it because it doesn't have to be that way."

Outside of the office, Risch enjoys spending time on his ranch with his wife, Vicki, and his children and grandchildren.

"I truly love ranching. I go out and fix fence and irrigate," Risch said. "It's physical labor. It's a labor of love."

The Issues

In the 111th Congress, Risch plans to focus on the economy, the cost and availability of energy, and making the Bush tax cuts permanent, he told WhoRunsGov.com.

In many ways, Risch's views fall in line with party: He is anti-abortion rights. He supports renewing George W. Bush's tax cuts and would like to see more domestic oil drilling. He wants a slow and stable withdrawal from Iraq - perhaps slower than the new Obama administration has in mind. He has said he would have voted against the $700 billion financial rescue package.

Read more

The Network

After nearly 40 years in public positions, Risch's roots in Idaho politics run deep.

Former state Senator Kermit Kiebert, a Democrat, remembered entering the Senate with Risch in 1974. "We were the hooligans, the young turks," he told the Idaho Statesman. "Larry Craig, Jim Risch, Stan Kress and me."

Additional Resources