One of Idaho delegates in Congress seeks another term. He faces 2 Republican rivals
Incumbent U.S. Rep. Mike Simpson, R-Idaho, is running for another term to represent the state’s 2nd Congressional District in the House and faces two challengers in the May 21 Republican primary.
Simpson, 73, seeks his 14th term, dating to his first victory in 1998 to represent East Idaho and part of Boise. He takes on political newcomer Sean Higgins and second-time federal candidate Scott Cleveland for the right to defend his seat in November’s general election. Members of the U.S. House are elected to two-year terms.
In the 2022 Republican primary, Simpson defeated his nearest challenger by more than 20 percentage points. He went on to beat his Democratic rival by almost the same margin.
Cleveland, 62, a Garden City investment adviser, previously ran for office as an independent against Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, during the 2022 general election. He received 8.4% of votes in that Senate race.
Higgins, 40, a Boise customer support engineer, has not before run for elected office.
The winner of the contested primary will go head to head in November with Idaho Falls Democrat David Roth, 43, who is running unopposed. Roth, who also ran against Crapo in 2022, secured 28.7% of votes in that race.
The Idaho Statesman asked questions of the candidates for the Republican primary race, and their answers are included below. The winner moves on to the November election for the Republican Party.
Voters can still register to vote at the polls and vote early through May 17. Learn more about these races and other local elections at the Statesman’s Voter Guide. (Find the legislative district you live in here, and find your polling place here.)
Read all of the candidates’ responses below. Use the horizontal scroll bar underneath each candidate to read the full Q&A. You also can click on the chart and drag horizontally.
