United States congressional delegations from Idaho

Since Idaho became a U.S. state in 1890,[1] it has sent congressional delegations to the United States Senate and United States House of Representatives, beginning with the 51st United States Congress in 1889.[2] Each state elects two senators to serve for six years in general elections, with their re-election staggered. Prior to the ratification of the Seventeenth Amendment in 1913, senators were elected by the Idaho Legislature.[3] Each state elects varying numbers of members of the House, depending on population, to two-year terms.[4] Idaho has sent two members to the House in each congressional delegation since the 1910 United States Census.[5]

refer to caption
Map of Idaho's two congressional districts for the United States House of Representatives since 2023

Current delegation

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Current U.S. senators from Idaho
Idaho

CPVI (2022):[6]
R+18
Class II senator Class III senator
 
Jim Risch
(Junior senator)
 
Mike Crapo
(Senior senator)
Party Republican Republican
Incumbent since January 3, 2009 January 3, 1999

Idaho's current congressional delegation in the 118th Congress consists of its two senators and two representatives, all of whom are Republicans.[7] Idaho has not elected a Democratic member of Congress since Walt Minnick was elected in 2008;[8] he was defeated by Republican Raúl Labrador two years later in 2010.[9]

As of April 2023, the Cook Partisan Voting Index, a measure of how strongly partisan a state is,[10] ranked both House districts[11] and both Senate races[6] in Idaho as solidly Republican.

The current dean of the Idaho delegation is Senator Mike Crapo, having served in the Senate since 1999 and in Congress since 1993.

Current U.S. representatives from Idaho
District Member
(Residence)[12]
Party Incumbent since CPVI
(2022)[13]
District map
1st  
Russ Fulcher
(Meridian)
Republican January 3, 2019 R+22  
2nd  
Mike Simpson
(Idaho Falls)
Republican January 3, 1999 R+14  

United States Senate

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William Borah, Idaho senator who advocated for the passage of the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Amendment, but opposed the Nineteenth Amendment[14]
 
Frank Church, the last Democratic Idaho senator, known for chairing the Church Committee[15]
 
Jim McClure, senator from Idaho who chaired the Senate Republican Conference from 1981 to 1985[16]

28 people have served as a U.S. senator from Idaho,[17] all of them men.[18] The longest-serving senator from Idaho, William Borah, was an influential Republican legislator who eventually became the dean of the Senate during his 33 years of service, known for his political views independent of the Republican Party and influence on the United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, eventually becoming its chairman.[19][20] He was instrumental in the passage of the Sixteenth and the Seventeenth Amendments, but opposed the Nineteenth Amendment.[14] The last Democratic senator from Idaho was Frank Church, who similarly served for 24 years on the Foreign Relations Committee, including two years as chairman, in addition to serving as chairman of the Church Committee, whose reports helped pass the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978.[21][15] Senator Jim McClure also rose to leadership positions, including as the chairman of the Senate Republican Conference from 1981 to 1985, and as the chairman of the United States Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.[16]

  Democratic (D)   Populist (Pop)   Republican (R)

United States House of Representatives

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1864–1890: 1 non-voting delegate

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Starting on February 1, 1864, Idaho Territory sent a non-voting delegate to the House.

  Democratic (D)   Independent (I)   Republican (R)

Congress Delegate from
Territory's at-large district
38th (1863–1865) William H. Wallace (R)
39th (1865–1867) Edward D. Holbrook (D)
40th (1867–1869)
41st (1869–1871) Jacob K. Shafer (D)
42nd (1871–1873) Samuel A. Merritt (D)
43rd (1873–1875) John Hailey (D)
44th (1875–1877) Thomas W. Bennett (I)
Stephen S. Fenn (D)
45th (1877–1879)
46th (1879–1881) George Ainslie (D)
47th (1881–1883)
48th (1883–1885) Theodore Frelinghuysen Singiser (R)
49th (1885–1887) John Hailey (D)
50th (1887–1889) Fred Dubois (R)
51st (1889–1891)

1890–1913: 1 seat

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Following statehood on July 3, 1890, Idaho had one seat in the House.

  Democratic (D)   Populist Party (United States) (Pop)   Republican (R)   Silver Republican (SvR)

Congress At-large district
51st (1889–1891) Willis Sweet (R)
52nd (1891–1893)
53rd (1893–1895)
54th (1895–1897) Edgar Wilson (R)
55th (1897–1899) James Gunn (Pop)
56th (1899–1901) Edgar Wilson (SvR)
57th (1901–1903) Thomas L. Glenn (Pop)
58th (1903–1905) Burton L. French (R)
59th (1905–1907)
60th (1907–1909)
61st (1909–1911) Thomas Ray Hamer (R)
62nd (1911–1913) Burton L. French (R)

1913–present: 2 seats

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Following the 1910 census, Idaho was apportioned a second seat. It elected both seats statewide at-large on a general ticket, until 1919, when it redistricted into two districts.

  Democratic (D)   Republican (R)

Congress Elected on a general ticket
from Idaho's at-large district
1st seat 2nd seat
63rd (1913–1915) Burton L. French (R) Addison T. Smith (R)
64th (1915–1917) Robert M. McCracken (R)
65th (1917–1919) Burton L. French (R)
Congress Districts
1st 2nd
66th (1919–1921) Burton L. French (R) Addison T. Smith (R)
67th (1921–1923)
68th (1923–1925)
69th (1925–1927)
70th (1927–1929)
71st (1929–1931)
72nd (1931–1933)
73rd (1933–1935) Compton I. White (D) Thomas C. Coffin (D)
74th (1935–1937) D. Worth Clark (D)
75th (1937–1939)
76th (1939–1941) Henry Dworshak (R)
77th (1941–1943)
78th (1943–1945)
79th (1945–1947)
80th (1947–1949) Abe Goff (R) John C. Sanborn (R)
81st (1949–1951) Compton I. White (D)
82nd (1951–1953) John Travers Wood (R) Hamer H. Budge (R)
83rd (1953–1955) Gracie Pfost (D)
84th (1955–1957)
85th (1957–1959)
86th (1959–1961)
87th (1961–1963) Ralph R. Harding (D)
88th (1963–1965) Compton I. White Jr. (D)
89th (1965–1967) George V. Hansen (R)
90th (1967–1969) Jim McClure (R)
91st (1969–1971) Orval H. Hansen (R)
92nd (1971–1973)
93rd (1973–1975) Steve Symms (R)
94th (1975–1977) George V. Hansen (R)
95th (1977–1979)
96th (1979–1981)
97th (1981–1983) Larry Craig (R)
98th (1983–1985)
99th (1985–1987) Richard H. Stallings (D)
100th (1987–1989)
101st (1989–1991)
102nd (1991–1993) Larry LaRocco (D)
103rd (1993–1995) Mike Crapo (R)
104th (1995–1997) Helen Chenoweth (R)
105th (1997–1999)
106th (1999–2001) Mike Simpson (R)
107th (2001–2003) Butch Otter (R)
108th (2003–2005)
109th (2005–2007)
110th (2007–2009) Bill Sali (R)
111th (2009–2011) Walt Minnick (D)
112th (2011–2013) Raúl Labrador (R)
113th (2013–2015)
114th (2015–2017)
115th (2017–2019)
116th (2019–2021) Russ Fulcher (R)
117th (2021–2023)
118th (2023–2025)

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Senator Heyburn died in office.[22]
  2. ^ Senator Borah died in office.[19]
  3. ^ Senator Perky was appointed to the position in November 1912 by Governor James H. Hawley to fill the vacancy caused by Senator Heyburn's death.[23] When Senator James H. Brady was elected to fill Hawley's empty seat in January 1913, Senator Perky was replaced.[24]
  4. ^ Senator Brady died in office.[25]
  5. ^ Senator Nugent resigned from the Senate to become the chairman of the Federal Trade Commission, appointed by President Woodrow Wilson.[26]
  6. ^ Senator Gooding died in office.[27]
  7. ^ Senator Thomas died while in office.[28]
  8. ^ Senator Gossett resigned from his position as Governor of Idaho and was appointed by Governor Arnold Williams, who was his lieutenant governor, to fill the seat of Senator John Thomas.[29]
  9. ^ Senator Miller died in office.[30]
  10. ^ Senator Dworshak died while in office.[31]

References

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  1. ^ "Stats for Stories: Idaho 130th Anniversary of Statehood (1890): July 3, 2020". Census.gov. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 28, 2024.
  2. ^ Biographical directory of the United States Congress, 1774-2005: the Continental Congress, September 5, 1774, to October 21, 1788, and the Congress of the United States, from the First through the One Hundred Eighth Congresses, March 4, 1789, to January 3, 2005, inclusive (PDF). Washington, D.C: United States Government Printing Office. 2005. p. 54. ISBN 0-16-073176-3. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
  3. ^ "17th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Direct Election of U.S. Senators (1913) | National Archives". National Archives. U.S. National Archives and Records Administration. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
  4. ^ "Congressional elections and midterm elections | USAGov". USAgov. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
  5. ^ "Historical Apportionment Data (1910-2020)". Census.gov. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 29, 2024.
  6. ^ a b "2022 Cook PVI℠: State Map and List". Cook Political Report. July 12, 2022. Retrieved June 29, 2024.
  7. ^ "Congressional Delegation". Idaho State Legislature. Retrieved June 29, 2024.
  8. ^ Klein, Matthew (May 31, 2023). "2024 House Race Analysis: Idaho". Cook Political Report. Retrieved June 29, 2024.
  9. ^ Bonner, Jessie L. (November 3, 2010). "Raul Labrador wins Idaho's 1st District seat". KBOI. Sinclair. The Associated Press. Retrieved June 29, 2024.
  10. ^ Paul, Megan; Zhang, Ruya; Liu, Bian; Saadai, Payam; Coakley, Brian A. (January 2022). "State-level political partisanship strongly correlates with health outcomes for US children". European Journal of Pediatrics. 181 (1): 273–280. doi:10.1007/s00431-021-04203-y. PMID 34272984. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
  11. ^ "2023 Cook PVI℠: District Map and List (118th Congress)". Cook Political Report. April 5, 2023. Retrieved June 29, 2024.
  12. ^ "Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives". clerk.house.gov. Retrieved January 6, 2022.
  13. ^ "2022 Cook PVI: District Map and List". Cook Political Report. Retrieved January 7, 2023.
  14. ^ a b "U.S. Senate: William Borah: A Featured Biography". United States Senate. Retrieved June 29, 2024.
  15. ^ a b NCC Staff. "Looking back at the Church Committee | Constitution Center". National Constitution Center. Retrieved June 29, 2024.
  16. ^ a b Martin, Douglas (March 3, 2011). "James McClure, Powerful Western Senator, Dies at 86". The New York Times. Retrieved June 29, 2024.
  17. ^ a b "U.S. Senate: States in the Senate | Idaho Senators". United States Senate. Retrieved June 29, 2024.
  18. ^ "Idaho". Center for American Women and Politics. Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. Retrieved June 29, 2024.
  19. ^ a b "William E. Borah, Senator 33 Years, is Dead in Capital". The New York Times. New York, New York. January 20, 1940. p. 1. Retrieved June 29, 2024.
  20. ^ Glass, Andrew (January 23, 2018). "Senate holds funeral service for William Borah, Jan. 23, 1940". Politico. Retrieved June 29, 2024.
  21. ^ "U.S. Senate: Frank Church: A Featured Biography". United States Senate.
  22. ^ "Idaho Senator Dies Suddenly". The Courier-Journal. Louisville, Kentucky. October 18, 1912. p. 1. Retrieved June 29, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  23. ^ "Governor Hawley Appoints Judge K. I. Perky to the Senatorship". The Idaho Statesman. Boise, Idaho. November 18, 1912. p. 14. Retrieved June 29, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  24. ^ "Idaho's Choice Was Wise". The Idaho Statesman. Boise, Idaho. January 25, 1913. p. 1. Retrieved June 29, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  25. ^ "Idaho Senator Dies Sunday". Bonners Ferry Herald. Bonners Ferry, Idaho. January 15, 1918. p. 1. Retrieved June 29, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  26. ^ "Nugent Resigns as Senator". Cottonwood Chronicle. Cottonwood, Idaho. December 31, 1920. p. 1. Retrieved June 29, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  27. ^ "Senator Gooding of Idaho Dies at 68". The New York Times. New York, New York. June 25, 1928. p. 21. Retrieved June 29, 2024.
  28. ^ "Senator Thomas of Idaho is Dead". The New York Times. New York, New York. November 11, 1945. p. 42. Retrieved June 29, 2024.
  29. ^ "Gossett Succeeds Late John Thomas as Gem State Solon". The Idaho Statesman. Boise, Idaho. November 18, 1945. p. 1. Retrieved June 29, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  30. ^ "Sen. Bert Miller Passes in Capital of Heart Seizure". The Times-News. Twin Falls, Idaho. October 9, 1949. p. 1. Retrieved June 29, 2024.
  31. ^ "Henry Dworshak of Senate is Dead". The New York Times. New York, New York. July 24, 1962. p. 27. Retrieved June 29, 2024.