Jim Risch (R-Idaho)

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.