United States Senate elections in Idaho, 2014
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican |  Jim Risch Incumbent |
65.3% | 285,596 | |
| Democratic | Nels Mitchell | 34.7% | 151,574 | |
| Total Votes | 437,170 | |||
| Source: Idaho Secretary of State | ||||
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November 4, 2014 |
May 20, 2014 |
Jim Risch  |
Jim Risch |
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Cook Political Report: Solid R[1] Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe R[2] |
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Voters in Idaho elected one member to the U.S. Senate in the election on November 4, 2014.
Incumbent Jim Risch (R), who was first elected in 2008, defeated Nels Mitchell (D) in the general election. Risch was a staunch supporter of Republican issues and consistently voted in line with the party. He enjoyed very favorable up until the election and had received key endorsements from organizations, such as FreedomWorks.[3] Risch first won election in 2008 by 24 points, and according to most sources, there was little reason to believe he would win by less than that in 2014.[4]
Risch's faced favorable odds in a state that strongly backed Republicans. No Democrat had been elected to the Senate from Idaho since 1974, and a Democrat has been elected only once to the House since 1992.[4] Early October polls showed Risch leading with over a 30 point margin against Mitchell.[5] He also easily defeated challenger Jeremy Anderson in the Republican primary while Mitchell won against William Bryk in the Democratic primary.
Financially, Risch maintained over $800,000 cash-on-hand in his campaign coffers. This amount heavily outweighed Mitchell's, who was unable to break $100,000. Risch's greater popularity, tenure and access to resources in a state that favored Republicans led to a safe re-election. Cook Political Report rated the Idaho Senate race as "Solid R."
| Candidate Filing Deadline | Primary Election | General Election |
|---|---|---|
Primary: A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. In Idaho, parties decide who may vote in their primaries. As of July 2024, the Democratic Party allows unaffiliated voters to vote in its primary, while the Republican Party only allows voters registered with its party to vote in its primary. Unaffiliated voters can choose to affiliate with a party on Election Day.[6][7][8]
For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.
Voter registration: Voters had to register to vote in the primary by either April 25, 2014 (if mailing in registration or registering at an agency) or on election day (must bring proof of residence). For the general election, the voter registration deadline was October 10, 2014.[9]
- See also: Idaho elections, 2014
Incumbent: The election filled the Senate seat held by Jim Risch (R). Risch was first elected in 2008.
Candidates
General election candidates
- Jim Risch - Incumbent
Nels Mitchell
May 20, 2014, primary results
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Election results
General Election results
The state of Idaho held an election for the U.S. Senate on November 4, 2014. Incumbent Jim Risch (R) defeated challenger Nels Mitchell (D) in the general election.
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Jim Risch Incumbent |
65.3% | 285,596 | |
| Democratic | Nels Mitchell | 34.7% | 151,574 | |
| Total Votes | 437,170 | |||
| Source: Idaho Secretary of State | ||||
Primary results
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Nels Mitchell |
69.6% | 16,908 | ||
| William Bryk | 30.4% | 7,378 | ||
| Total Votes | 24,286 | |||
| Source: Idaho Secretary of State |
||||
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Jim Risch Incumbent |
79.9% | 119,209 | ||
| Jeremy Anderson | 20.1% | 29,939 | ||
| Total Votes | 149,148 | |||
| Source: Idaho Secretary of State |
||||
Race background
Incumbent Jim Risch first won election in 2008 by 24 points, and according to most sources there was little reason to believe he would win by less than that in 2014.[4] No Democrat had been elected to the Senate from Idaho since 1974, and a Democrat had been elected only once to the House since 1992.[4]
Endorsements
Jim Risch
- FreedomWorks endorsed Jim Risch on March 17, 2014.[3]
Key votes
Below are important votes the incumbent cast during the 113th Congress.
Government shutdown
- See also: United States budget debate, 2013
During the shutdown in October 2013, the Senate rejected, down party lines, every House-originated bill that stripped the budget of funding for the Affordable Care Act. A deal was reached late on October 16, 2013, just hours before the debt ceiling deadline. The bill to reopen the government, H.R. 2775, lifted the $16.7 trillion debt limit and funded the government through January 15, 2014. Federal employees also received retroactive pay for the shutdown period. The only concession made by Senate Democrats was to require income verification for Obamacare subsidies.[11] The final vote on H.R. 2775 was 81-18, with all 18 votes against the bill from Republican members. Jim Risch voted with the Republican Party against the bill.[12]
Campaign contributions
| Candidate ballot access |
|---|
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| Find detailed information on ballot access requirements in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. |
Candidates for Congress were required to file up to seven main reports with the Federal Election Commission during the 2014 elections season.
| Jim Risch (2014) Campaign Finance Reports | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Date Filed | Beginning Balance | Total Contributions for Reporting Period | Expenditures | Cash on Hand | ||||
| April Quarterly[13] | April 18, 2013 | $232,293.36 | $50,400 | $(23,170.20) | $259,523.16 | ||||
| July Quarterly[14] | July 18, 2013 | $259,523.16 | $231,418.43 | $(52,548.84) | $438,392.75 | ||||
| October Quarterly[15] | October 13, 2013 | $438,392.75 | $274,422.51 | $(159,673.33) | $653,141.93 | ||||
| Year-end[16] | January 31, 2014 | $653,141 | $321,231 | $(152,091) | $822,281 | ||||
| July Quarterly[17] | July 15, 2014 | $940,697 | $304,878 | $(80,513) | $1,165,062 | ||||
| Running totals | |||||||||
| $1,182,349.94 | $(467,996.37) | ||||||||
Candidates for Congress were required to file up to seven main reports with the Federal Election Commission during the 2014 elections season. Below are Mitchell's reports.[18]
| Nels Mitchell (2014) Campaign Finance Reports | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Date Filed | Beginning Balance | Total Contributions for Reporting Period | Expenditures | Cash on Hand | ||||
| April Quarterly[19] | April 15, 2014 | $0 | $110,914 | $(43,102) | $67,812 | ||||
| Pre-Primary[20] | May 5, 2014 | $67,812 | $38,304 | $(16,209) | $89,907 | ||||
| July Quarterly[21] | July 10, 2014 | $89,907 | $44,123 | $(60,501) | $73,530 | ||||
| Running totals | |||||||||
| $193,341 | $(119,812) | ||||||||
Election history
2010
On November 2, 2010, Crapo (R) won re-election to the United States Senate. He defeated P. Tom Sullivan (D), Randy Lynn Bergquist (I) and Frederick R. Reinisch, Jr (I) in the general election.[22]
| U.S. Senate, Idaho General Election, 2010 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Mike Crapo Incumbent |
71.2% | 319,953 | |
| Democratic | P. Tom Sullivan | 24.9% | 112,057 | |
| Constitution Party | Randy Lynn Bergquist | 3.9% | 17,429 | |
| Independent | Frederick R. Reinisch, Jr | 0% | 91 | |
| Total Votes | 449,530 | |||
2008
On November 4, 2008, Risch won election to the United States Senate. He defeated Larry LaRocco (D), Rex Rammell (I), Pro-Life (I), Kent A. Marmon (L) and Kevin Volkmann (I) in the general election.[23]
| U.S. Senate, Idaho General Election, 2008 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Jim Risch |
57.7% | 371,744 | |
| Democratic | Larry LaRocco | 34.1% | 219,903 | |
| Independent | Rex Rammell | 5.4% | 34,510 | |
| Independent | Pro-Life | 1.3% | 8,662 | |
| Libertarian | Kent A. Marmon | 1.5% | 9,958 | |
| Independent | Kevin Volkmann | 0% | 3 | |
| Total Votes | 644,780 | |||
See also
- United States House of Representatives elections in Idaho, 2014
- United States Senate elections, 2014
External links
- Vote and discuss at SystemWiki
- Idaho Votes
Footnotes
- ↑ Cook Political Report, "2014 SENATE RACE RATINGS FOR JULY 18, 2014," accessed August 5, 2014
- ↑ Sabato's Crystal Ball, "2014 Senate Races," accessed August 5, 2014
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Politico, "FreedomWorks backs Ted Yoho, Tim Scott, Mark Sanford," accessed March 19, 2014
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Huffington Post "Senate 2014: How Much Money Do The Candidates Have?" accessed February 25, 2013
- ↑ Real Clear Politics, "Idaho RCP average," accessed October 13, 2014
- ↑ Idaho Secretary of State's Office, "Primary Elections in Idaho," accessed July 30, 2024
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "State Primary Election Types," accessed July 30, 2024
- ↑ ACLUE Idaho, "2024 Your Rights as an Idaho Voter," accessed July 30, 2024
- ↑ Idaho Votes, "Frequently Asked Questions Regarding Voter Registration," accessed January 3, 2014
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 Idaho Secretary of State, "2014 Primary Candidate List," accessed March 17, 2014
- ↑ The Washington Post, "Reid, McConnell propose bipartisan Senate bill to end shutdown, extend borrowing," accessed October 16, 2013
- ↑ Senate.gov, "H.R. 2775 As Amended," accessed October 31, 2013
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "April Quarterly," accessed July 26, 2013
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "July Quarterly," accessed July 26, 2013
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "October Quarterly," accessed October 29, 2013
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Year End Report," accessed February 19, 2014
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "July Quarterly," accessed October 16, 2014
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Nels Mitchell Summary Report," accessed July 31, 2014
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "April Quarterly," accessed May 14, 2014
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Pre-Primary," accessed May 14, 2014
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "July Quarterly," accessed May 14, 2014
- ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk, "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 2010," accessed March 28, 2013
- ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk, "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 4, 2008," accessed March 28, 2013
