James Risch

James Elroy Risch ( ; born May 3, 1943) is an American lawyer and politician who has served as the junior United States senator from Idaho since 2009. A member of the Republican Party, he served as lieutenant governor of Idaho under governors Dirk Kempthorne and Butch Otter, and briefly as governor between their terms.

Raised in Milwaukee, Risch moved to Idaho in the early 1960s. After graduating from the University of Idaho, he received a B.S. degree in forestry in 1965 and earned a J.D. in 1968. Afterward, he taught criminal law at Boise State University, and in 1970 was elected as Ada 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 served until 2002.

Risch ran for lieutenant governor of Idaho in 2002, defeating incumbent Jack Riggs in the primary. After incumbent governor Dirk Kempthorne resigned to become the United States Secretary of the Interior in May 2006, Risch served out the rest of Kempthorne's term. Risch returned to being lieutenant governor under Butch Otter from 2007 to 2009.

Risch was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2008, and was re-elected in 2014 and 2020.

Early life and education

Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Risch is the son of Helen B. (née Levi) and Elroy A. Risch, a lineman for Wisconsin Bell. Risch attended the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee from 1961 to 1963 and then transferred to the University of Idaho in Moscow, where he was a member of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity. He obtained a B.S. degree in forestry in 1965, and continued his education at the university's College of Law. He served on the Law Review and the College of Law Advisory Committee before receiving a J.D. degree in 1968.

Risch entered politics in 1970 in Boise at age 27, winning election as Ada County Prosecuting Attorney. While serving in this capacity, he taught undergraduate classes in criminal justice at Boise 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.

State politics

Idaho Senate

Risch was first elected to the Idaho Senate from Ada County in 1974. He entered the state senate leadership in 1976, serving as majority leader and later as president pro tempore.

In a dramatic upset, Risch was defeated for reelection in 1988 by Democratic political newcomer and Boise attorney Mike Burkett.

In the second political defeat of his career, Risch lost the 1994 primary election for a state Senate seat to Roger Madsen. Later that year Risch chaired Governor-elect Phil 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. In 1996, Risch was elected Senate Majority Leader after defeating fellow Boise Republican Sheila Sorensen.

39th lieutenant governor (2003–2006)

In January 2001, Risch had his eye on the lieutenant governor's seat vacated by Butch Otter, who resigned after being elected to Congress, but Governor Dirk Kempthorne appointed state Senator Jack Riggs of Coeur 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.

31st governor of Idaho (2006–2007)

On May 26, 2006, Risch became governor of Idaho when Kempthorne resigned to become U.S. secretary of the interior. Risch appointed Mark Ricks to serve as his lieutenant governor.

Upon taking office, Risch eliminated Idaho's bureau office in Washington D.C. and replaced it with offices in Idaho Falls and Coeur d'Alene. In August 2006, he called a special session of the Idaho Legislature to consider his proposed property tax reform bill, the Property Tax Relief Act of 2006. In December, he issued an executive order that mandated state agencies to verify whether new employees are legal citizens.

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. Representative Butch 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.

41st lieutenant governor (2007–2009)

Risch was unopposed for the 2006 Republican nomination for lieutenant governor and defeated former Democratic U.S. representative Larry 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 Senator Brad Little of Emmett as Risch's successor.

U.S. Senate

Elections

;2008

On August 31, 2007, the Associated Press reported that Governor Otter might appoint Risch to the United States Senate to succeed the embattled Larry Craig. On September 1, the ''Idaho 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." On October 9, Risch announced that he would run for the Senate seat. In May 2008, Risch was nominated as the Republican candidate for U.S. Senate. In the general election he defeated former Democratic Congressman Larry LaRocco with 58% of the vote.

;2014

Risch won the Republican primary with 79.9% of the vote and defeated attorney Nels Mitchell in the general election with 65.3% of the vote.

;2020

Risch was unopposed in the 2020 Republican primary. He defeated Democratic nominee Paulette Jordan in the general election with 63% of the vote.

Tenure

2000s

Risch was one of four freshmen Republican senators in the 111th Congress of 2009, with Mike Johanns of Nebraska, George LeMieux of Florida and Scott Brown of Massachusetts. Republican Senator Mike Crapo of Idaho called Risch "results-oriented".

2010s

In 2017, Risch was one of 22 senators to sign a letter to President Donald Trump urging him to withdraw the United States from the Paris Agreement.

On August 11, 2017, in an interview on ''PBS Newshour'', Risch endorsed Trump's threatening North Korea with military destruction in the event that country launched missiles at Guam.

On March 22, 2018, the day before a potential federal government shutdown, Risch threatened to block a government spending bill because it included changing the name of the White Clouds Wilderness protected area to honor a deceased political rival, former Idaho Governor Cecil Andrus. Risch ultimately acquiesced.

In January 2019, Risch joined Marco Rubio, Cory Gardner, and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell in introducing legislation that would impose sanctions on the government of President of Syria Bashar al-Assad and bolster American cooperation with Israel and Jordan.

2020s

On January 21, 2020, during the first day of opening arguments in Trump's Senate impeachment trial, Risch was the first senator to fall asleep. Courtroom sketch artist Art Lien memorialized his nap.

In 2020, while Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Risch decided not to press Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to testify at the annual budget hearing. Pompeo had just successfully sought to have State Department inspector general Steve Linick fired; at the time, Linick had been conducting a watchdog investigation into the Trump administration's decision to sell arms to Saudi Arabia without congressional approval. For his tenure as chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee during the 116th Congress, the nonpartisan Lugar Center's Congressional Oversight Hearing Index gave Risch an "F" grade.

Risch was participating in the certification of the 2021 United States Electoral College vote count when Trump supporters stormed 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."

In 2021, Risch blocked the confirmation of Holocaust historian Deborah Lipstadt to the position of special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism.

Committee assignments

* Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
** Subcommittee on Energy
** Subcommittee on Public Lands and Forests
** Subcommittee on Water and Power
* Committee on Foreign Relations (Ranking Member)
** As Ranking Member of the Full Committee, Risch is entitled to sit as an ''ex officio'' member on all subcommittees.
* Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship
* Select Committee on Ethics
* Select Committee on Intelligence

Caucuses

* Congressional Coalition on Adoption
* Rare Disease Caucus
* Senate Republican Conference

Foreign policy positions

Saudi Arabia

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 resident Jamal Khashoggi, and its refusal to send Congress a report on the administration's determination of who killed Khashoggi. He told his fellow Republican senators and ''Politico'' that the Trump administration was in compliance with the Magnitsky Act, but the administration had said that it refused to comply with the Act.

Israel Anti-Boycott Act

In March 2018, Risch co-sponsored the Israel Anti-Boycott Act (s. 720), which would bar federal contractors from encouraging or participating in boycotts against Israel and Israeli settlements in the West Bank.

Turkey sanctions

Risch was a co-sponsor of the Promoting American National Security and Preventing the Resurgence of ISIS Act of 2019 (S.2641–116th), which was intended to punish Turkey and protect allies like the Kurds, who had suffered from recent 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 Russian S-400 missile system Turkey was testing.

Ethiopia

On October 18, 2022, Risch criticized the Biden administration for hesitating to impose sanctions on the government of Ethiopia, where many atrocities and war crimes were committed in the Tigray War. He tweeted that Biden "must stop avoiding the use of sanctions in fear of offending and prioritize #humanrights".

NATO

In July 2024, Risch sponsored a report that advocated strengthening NATO and enhancing its planning for potential interference from the People's Republic of China.

Political positions

Risch is considered politically conservative. The American Conservative Union's Center for Legislative Accountability gives him a lifetime conservative score of 91.54. The liberal Americans for Democratic Action gave him an ideology score of zero in 2019.

Abortion

Risch is anti-abortion. He believes that ''Roe v. Wade'' was wrongly decided. 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. Risch supported the June 2022 overturning of ''Roe 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."

Guns

The NRA Political Victory Fund (NRA-PVF) endorsed Risch and gave him an A+ grade for his voting record on gun issues.

In 2013, along with 12 other Republican senators, Risch threatened to filibuster any bills Democrats introduced that Republicans perceived as a threat to gun rights, including expanded background checks. In an interview with National Public Radio, he said that Americans' right to keep and bear arms includes "a right to purchase one 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."

In response to the Orlando nightclub shooting, Risch and Crapo said the shooting was not a reason to call for gun control legislation.

In 2016, Risch voted against the Feinstein Amendment, which would have blocked the sale of guns to people on the terrorist watch list, and Democrat Chris 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 and Charles Grassley and Ted Cruz's proposal to alert authorities if a someone on the list tries to buy a firearm.

Criminal justice

Risch opposed the FIRST STEP Act, a bipartisan criminal justice reform bill. The bill passed 87–12 on December 18, 2018.

Health care

Risch supports repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare. He voted against the ACA in 2010.

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 Secretary Antony 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."

2021 storming of the United States Capitol

On May 28, 2021, Risch abstained from voting on the creation of an independent commission to investigate the 2021 United States Capitol attack.

Veteran Affairs

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 to burn pits and other toxic substances.

Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023

Risch was among the 31 Senate Republicans who voted against final passage of the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023.

Personal life

Risch is Roman Catholic.

Electoral history

Idaho State Senate

Idaho Lieutenant Governor

U.S. Senator

References

External links

Senator Jim Risch
official U.S. Senate website

Jim Risch for Senate
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*

Elections

National Business Aviation Association: Election 2014, Sen. Jim Risch

Risch revels in upcoming term as king
''The Idaho Statesman'' March 18, 2006

Risch becomes Idaho's 31st governor
''The Idaho Statesman'' May 26, 2006

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Risch, Jim
1943 births
20th-century members of the Idaho Legislature
21st-century members of the Idaho Legislature
21st-century United States senators
American people of German descent
American people of English descent
American people of Scottish descent
American people of Irish descent
American prosecutors
Catholic politicians from Idaho
Chairmen of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations
Idaho Republicans
Lawyers from Boise, Idaho
Lieutenant governors of Idaho
Living people
Phi Delta Theta members
Politicians from Boise, Idaho
Politicians from Milwaukee
Republican Party governors of Idaho
Republican Party Idaho state senators
Republican Party United States senators from Idaho
University of Idaho College of Law alumni
University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee alumni