IDAHO — A US House of Representatives seat is on the ballot this year in both of Idaho's congressional districts. Incumbent Congressman, Russ Fulcher is running unopposed in the Republican Primary, but incumbent Congressman Mike Simpson is facing four challengers.
Congressman Mike Simpson
Simpson and his team did not respond to our request for an interview on his campaign, but we were at an event he had in the Magic Valley, talking with local police about Fentanyl and other challenges they face.
"What I'm going to be doing is taking the message that I've heard from these police officers and these police chiefs and going back and then talking with the committees that write this legislation," Simpson said.
He also said the purpose of the visit went beyond learning about challenges facing Idaho police.
"I'm also trying to let the police officers in this state know that we support them and the work that they do. These guys and gals put on the blue uniform everyday to protect us in our communities and we need to thank them for that," he said.
Other issues Simpson prioritizes, according to his campaign website, include agriculture, energy, veterans, health care, guns, immigration and spending.
On energy, Simpson opposes the Green New Deal because of the cost and potential impacts on the economy. He said he supports renewable energy, using technology, incentives and innovation to move towards sustainable energy and being realistic about what that transition looks like.
On health care, Simpson said he has concerns about a “Medicare for all,” model because of possible challenges for doctors and the cost. Instead, he’s in favor of legislation like repealing and replacing Obamacare, teh Competitive Health Insurance Reform Act and the Small Busines Fairness Act.
Simpson also said he’s committed to protecting the Second Amendment. He doesn’t support bans on firearm ownership or rationing or taxation of firearms or ammunition. He is in support of justice system reform to impose harsher sentences on anyone who uses a gun to commit a crime.
Bryan Smith
Smith also ran against Simpson for this seat back in 2014.
If elected, his top priorities would include opposing dam breaching, election integrity and continuing construction on former President Trump's border wall.
"There's other ways to deal with the issues, but breaching four dams on the lower snake river would be devastating to Idaho farmers and ranchers," he said.
We've been reporting on Simpson's plan to breach these dams over the last couple of years. The proposal includes plans to help farmers and ranchers with irrigation and transportation needs and has gotten mixed reviews, including support from Oregon's Governor.
Washington's Governor and the Idaho Farm Bureau have expressed they do not support the plan.
On election integrity, Smith is in favor of new laws at the federal level.
"I am for requiring a photo id to vote in all 50 states," he said.
Flint Christensen
Christensen is a veteran and a political newcomer and says he's running for congress because that's where he thinks he can make the most difference.
If elected, his top priority would be getting Idaho citizens involved.
"First actions would be to meet with the precincts, the committees directly and start a process to which we can train how to be effective precinct representatives," Christensen said.
He said he's running for Congress rather than a more local office to bring representation back to Idaho.
"I'm not going to vote for a bill that I can't directly take to the people and get their opinions on as well," Christensen said.
Daniel Algiers Lucas Levy
Levy is also a political newcomer and said he decided to run after becoming concerned about riots and woke ideology.
If elected, he said his top priorities would be education, a focus on domestic issues rather than global issues and addressing what he considers to be woke ideology.
"I think that all parents should have the option to take their portion of what the publicly raised funds would be for education and the parents should be able to use it on any type of schooling that they would like," Levy said.
He would also push for the country to stop getting involved in global issues.
"I would like to see the United States stop interfering in this whole Ukraine, Russia, NATO situation," Levy said.
