Idaho Senator Jim Risch cruises to GOP primary win in bid for fourth term

Sen. Jim Risch, R-Idaho, moved one step closer to a fourth Senate term after defeating two GOP rivals in Tuesday evening’s primary race.

Risch, 83, easily won the Republican primary in Idaho shortly after polls closed, the Associated Press reported.

He has been endorsed by President Donald Trump, who cruised to victory in a solidly Republican state every time he has been on the ballot since 2016.

The Idaho Republican is chairman of the influential Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which has jurisdiction over the State Department and approves all ambassador appointments.

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This position has placed Risch at the center of Senate debates over Trump’s war in Iran, military intervention in Venezuela and ongoing arms sales to Israel, among other hot topics.

He was first elected to the upper house in 2009 and previously served as the state’s governor and deputy governor.

The Idaho contest is one of more than a dozen Senate seats held by Republicans this year that are not considered competitive.

Republicans currently hold a 53-47 majority in the upper chamber. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (DY) is pursuing a long-shot bid that would require Democrats to pick up four GOP-held seats to flip control in November’s midterm elections.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (DY) is mounting a long-shot bid to take back control of the Senate during the midterm elections in November. (Kylie Cooper/Getty Images)

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Real estate agent David Roth, who previously held statewide office, won the Democratic nomination.

Another candidate in the race, former State Representative Todd Achilles, is running as an independent. Achilles is a former Democratic legislator who resigned from the state legislature to challenge Risch.

Idaho hasn’t elected a Democrat to the upper chamber in more than half a century.