2020 United States Senate election in Idaho

Not to be confused with 2020 Idaho Senate election.

2020 United States Senate election in Idaho

←  2014 November 3, 2020 2026  →

Nominee Jim Risch Paulette Jordan Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 538,446 285,864 Percentage 62.62% 33.25%

County results Congressional district results Precinct results Risch:     40–50%     50–60%     60–70%     70–80%     80–90%     >90% Jordan:     40–50%     50–60%     60–70%     70–80%     80–90%     >90% Tie:     40–50%     No data

U.S. senator before election Jim Risch Republican Elected U.S. senator Jim Risch Republican

The 2020 United States Senate election in Idaho was held on November 3, 2020, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the State of Idaho, concurrently with the 2020 U.S. presidential election, as well as other elections to the United States Senate, elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections.

Incumbent Republican senator Jim Risch won reelection to a third term in office, defeating Democratic nominee Paulette Jordan, who, percentage wise, had the worst performance of a Democratic senatorial candidate for this seat since 2002. However, Risch also performed nearly three points worse than he did when he was reelected in 2014, and he slightly underperformed incumbent president Donald Trump's performance in the concurrent presidential election.

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Jim Risch, incumbent U.S. senator ^[1]

Results

Republican primary results ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Jim Risch (incumbent)	200,184	100.00%
Total votes			200,184	100.00%

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Paulette Jordan, former state representative and nominee for governor of Idaho in 2018 ^[3]

Eliminated in primary

• James Vandermaas, former law enforcement officer and candidate for Idaho's 1st congressional district in 2018 ^[4]

Withdrawn

• Nancy Harris, businesswoman ^[5] (endorsed Jordan)
• Travis Oler, farmer and U.S. Army veteran (ran for state house) ^[6] (endorsed Vandermaas)

Declined

• A.J. Balukoff, Boise School District board member, nominee for governor of Idaho in 2014, and candidate for governor of Idaho in 2018 ^[7] (endorsed Vandermaas)
• Mark Nye, state senator ^[7]
• Michelle Stennett, minority leader of the Idaho Senate ^[7]

Endorsements

Paulette Jordan

Individuals

• Nancy Harris, businesswoman and withdrawn candidate ^[8]
• Aaron Paul, actor known for Breaking Bad ^[9]

Publications

• Idaho Statesman ^[10]

James Vandermaas

Individuals

• A.J. Balukoff, Boise School District board member and nominee for governor of Idaho in 2014 ^{[ citation needed ]}
• Travis Oler, farmer and withdrawn candidate ^[11]

Results

County results:

  Jordan

•   70–80%
•   80–90%
•   90–100%

Democratic primary results ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Paulette Jordan	72,778	85.70%
	Democratic	James Vandermaas	12,145	14.30%
Total votes			84,923	100.00%

Other candidates

Constitution Party

Nominee

• Ray Writz ^[12]

Independents

Declared

• Natalie Fleming, software developer ^[13]

General election

Predictions

Source	Ranking	As of
The Cook Political Report [14]	Solid R	October 29, 2020
Inside Elections [15]	Safe R	October 28, 2020
Sabato's Crystal Ball [16]	Safe R	November 2, 2020
Daily Kos [17]	Safe R	October 30, 2020
Politico [18]	Safe R	November 2, 2020
RCP [19]	Safe R	October 23, 2020
DDHQ [20]	Safe R	November 3, 2020
538 [21]	Safe R	November 2, 2020
Economist [22]	Safe R	November 2, 2020

Endorsements

Paulette Jordan (D)

U.S vice presidents

• Joe Biden, 47th vice president of the United States and 2020 Democratic nominee for President ^[23]

Individuals

• Nancy Harris, businesswoman and candidate for U.S. Senate in 2020 ^[8]
• Aaron Paul, actor known for Breaking Bad ^[9]

Organizations

• Center for Biological Diversity ^[24]
• DSCC ^[25]
• Emily’s List ^[26]
• National Education Association ^[27]
• National Women's Political Caucus ^[28]

Publications

• Idaho Statesman ^[29]

Polling

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size [a]	Margin of error	Jim Risch (R)	Paulette Jordan (D)	Other	Undecided
[A] [B]	August 29 – September 1, 2020	600 (LV)	± 4.0%	53%	28%	8% [b]	11%

Results

United States Senate election in Idaho, 2020 ^[31]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Jim Risch (incumbent)	538,446	62.62%	−2.71%
	Democratic	Paulette Jordan	285,864	33.25%	−1.42%
	Independent	Natalie Fleming	25,329	2.95%	N/A
	Constitution	Ray Writz	10,188	1.18%	N/A
Total votes			859,827	100.0%
	Republican hold

By county

By county

County [32] Jim Risch Republican Paulette Jordan Democratic Natalie Fleming Independent Ray Writz Constitution Margin Total votes # % # % # % # % # % Ada 130,446 50.56 118,718 46.01 6,940 2.69 1,910 0.74 11,728 4.55 258,014 Adams 1,828 71.38 625 24.40 62 2.42 46 1.80 1,203 46.97 2,561 Bannock 22,048 55.94 15,472 39.26 1,433 3.64 460 1.17 6,576 16.68 39,413 Bear Lake 2,791 84.55 355 10.75 91 2.76 64 1.94 2,436 73.80 3,301 Benewah 3,584 73.55 1,081 22.18 103 2.11 105 2.15 2,503 51.36 4,873 Bingham 14,644 73.83 4,313 21.74 625 3.15 253 1.27 10,331 52.08 19,835 Blaine 4,226 31.76 8,739 65.67 288 2.16 54 0.41 -4,513 -33.91 13,307 Boise 3,323 69.36 1,247 26.03 128 2.67 93 1.94 2,076 43.33 4,791 Bonner 17,964 66.48 8,079 29.90 601 2.22 377 1.39 9,885 36.58 27,021 Bonneville 36,490 68.81 13,913 26.24 1,972 3.72 653 1.23 22,577 42.58 53,028 Boundary 4,800 76.70 1,212 19.37 131 2.09 115 1.84 3,588 57.33 6,258 Butte 1,120 79.43 222 15.74 39 2.77 29 2.06 898 63.69 1,410 Camas 488 72.30 156 23.11 17 2.52 14 2.07 332 49.19 675 Canyon 59,060 65.92 26,603 26.69 2,550 2.85 1,384 1.54 32,457 36.23 89,597 Caribou 2,603 81.45 442 13.83 97 3.03 54 1.69 2,161 67.62 3,196 Cassia 7,564 78.91 1,508 15.73 322 3.36 192 2.00 6,056 63.18 9,586 Clark 254 81.67 42 13.50 12 3.86 3 0.96 212 68.17 311 Clearwater 3,357 76.66 883 20.16 104 2.38 35 0.80 2,474 56.50 4,379 Custer 1,978 73.04 603 22.27 74 2.73 53 1.96 1,375 50.77 2,708 Elmore 6,797 67.17 2,814 27.81 317 3.13 191 1.89 3,983 39.36 10,119 Franklin 5,678 85.85 585 8.84 217 3.28 134 2.03 5,093 77.00 6,614 Fremont 5,391 80.39 1,001 14.93 205 3.06 109 1.62 4,390 65.46 6,706 Gem 7,546 76.13 1,957 19.74 268 2.70 141 1.42 5,589 56.39 9,912 Gooding 4,442 73.56 1,335 22.11 186 3.08 76 1.26 3,107 51.45 6,039 Idaho 7,629 80.47 1,532 16.16 214 2.26 106 1.12 6,097 64.31 9,481 Jefferson 11,702 83.19 1,647 11.71 481 3.42 236 1.68 10,055 71.48 14,066 Jerome 5,450 69.98 1,978 25.40 249 3.20 111 1.42 3,472 44.58 7,788 Kootenai 61,289 69.68 22,945 26.09 2,538 2.89 1,183 1.34 38,344 43.59 87,955 Latah 9,501 46.14 10,373 50.37 532 2.58 187 0.91 -872 -4.23 20,593 Lemhi 3,497 74.37 1,020 21.69 141 3.00 44 0.94 2,477 52.68 4,702 Lewis 1,420 76.84 357 19.32 38 2.06 33 1.79 1,063 57.52 1,848 Lincoln 1,371 71.00 470 24.34 71 3.68 19 0.98 901 46.66 1,931 Madison 13,517 79.79 2,288 13.51 783 4.62 353 2.08 11,229 66.28 16,941 Minidoka 5,930 74.84 1,587 20.03 307 3.88 99 1.25 4,343 54.81 7,923 Nez Perce 13,487 64.73 6,510 31.24 684 3.28 155 0.74 6,977 33.49 20,836 Oneida 2,039 84.47 253 10.48 68 2.82 54 2.24 1,786 73.99 2,414 Owyhee 3,643 76.84 910 19.19 106 2.24 82 1.73 2,733 57.65 4,741 Payette 8,488 75.56 2,308 20.55 306 2.72 131 1.17 6,180 55.02 11,233 Power 2,053 67.20 876 28.67 91 2.98 35 1.15 1,177 38.53 3,055 Shoshone 3,904 65.85 1,747 29.46 181 3.05 97 1.64 2,157 36.38 5,929 Teton 2,837 44.96 3,251 51.52 180 2.85 42 0.67 -414 -6.56 6,310 Twin Falls 24,355 67.58 9,776 27.12 1,318 3.66 591 1.64 14,579 40.45 36,040 Valley 3,862 54.89 2,984 42.41 155 2.20 35 0.50 878 12.48 7,036 Washington 4,050 75.69 1,147 21.43 104 1.94 50 0.93 2,903 54.25 5,351 Totals 538,446 62.62 285,864 33.25 25,329 2.95 10,188 1.18 252,582 29.38 859,827 Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic [33] Latah (largest municipality: Moscow) Teton (largest municipality: Victor)

By congressional district

Risch won both congressional districts. ^[34]

District	Risch	Jordan	Representative
1st	66%	30%	Russ Fulcher
2nd	59%	37%	Mike Simpson

See also

• 2020 Idaho elections

Notes

Partisan clients

1. ^[30]
2. Poll conducted for the Women's Liberation Front.

1. Key:
   A – all adults
   RV – registered voters
   LV – likely voters
   V – unclear
2. "Another candidate" with 8%

References

1. Russell, Betsy (August 12, 2019). "Risch announces re-election bid for 3rd Senate term in 2020". Idaho Press. Retrieved August 12, 2019.
2. "OFFICIAL ELECTION RESULTS". State of Idaho - Elections Department. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
3. Jennifer Bendery. "Idaho Democrat Paulette Jordan Is Running For Senate", HuffPost , February 7, 2020. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
4. "Third Dem announces bid for Risch's Senate seat in 2020". Idaho Press. October 7, 2019.
5. "Harris withdraws from Idaho Senate race". Kootenai Valley Times. February 13, 2020.^{[ permanent dead link ‍]}
6. "Travis Oler Discontinues US Senate Campaign and Runs for Idaho State Legislature". Travis Oler for Idaho. Retrieved March 14, 2020.^{[ permanent dead link ‍]}
7. Singiser, Steve. "Here's our ultimate Democratic wishlist for Senate in 2020. Who's on yours?". Daily Kos. Retrieved February 19, 2019.
8. "Paulette Jordan on Instagram: "Nancy Harris has a strong voice and the best of intentions for Idaho. I'm very grateful for her support. Thank you, @nancyharrisforsenate…"". Instagram. Archived from the original on December 26, 2021.
9. Miller, Kevin (February 14, 2020). "Aaron Paul endorses Jordan Paulette". Kido Talk Radio. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
10. "Statesman endorses Democrat primary candidate for U.S. Senate". Idaho Statesman. May 10, 2020.
11. "Log In or Sign Up to View". www.facebook.com. Retrieved April 6, 2020.
12. "WRITZ, RAY - Candidate overview". FEC.gov.
13. "Natalie M Fleming for United States Senate – Partisan Free Independent Candidate for United States Congress for Idaho".
14. "2020 Senate Race Ratings for October 29, 2020". The Cook Political Report. Retrieved March 11, 2021.
15. "2020 Senate Ratings". Senate Ratings. The Rothenberg Political Report. Retrieved March 11, 2021.
16. "2020 Senate race ratings". Sabato's Crystal Ball. Retrieved March 12, 2021.
17. "2020 Senate Race Ratings". Daily Kos Elections. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
18. "2020 Election Forecast". Politico. November 19, 2019.
19. "Battle for the Senate 2020". RCP. October 23, 2020.
20. "2020 Senate Elections Model". Decision Desk HQ. September 2, 2020. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
21. Silver, Nate (September 18, 2020). "Forecasting the race for the Senate". FiveThirtyEight . Retrieved September 18, 2020.
22. "Forecasting the US elections". The Economist. November 2, 2020. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
23. "Biden endorses Idaho's Paulette Jordan for U.S. Senate". KHQ. October 8, 2020.
24. "2020 Endorsements". Center Action Fund.
25. "DSCC Endorses Paulette Jordan in Idaho Senate Race". DSCC. July 23, 2020.
26. "Paulette Jordan for U.S. Senate, Idaho | EMILY's List". Archived from the original on September 26, 2020. Retrieved October 14, 2020.
27. "U.S. Senate - Education Votes". educationvotes.nea.org.
28. "Endorsed candidates". NWPC. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
29. @electpaulette (October 4, 2020). "I am proud to receive this historic endorsement from Idaho's biggest newspaper! They write that Senator Risch has been disappointing and that it's time for new leadership. I couldn't agree more. Let's win this and make Idaho proud. Link in my bio! #Paulette2020 #idpol" – via Instagram.
31. "2020 General Election Results – Statewide". Idaho Secretary of State. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
32. "Idaho Senate Election Results 2020". National Election Pool . NBC News. March 7, 2021. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
33. "Idaho U.S. Senate Election Results" . The New York Times. November 3, 2020. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved October 3, 2021.
34. "Dra 2020".

External links

• Government Documents Round Table of the American Library Association, "Idaho", Voting & Elections Toolkits
• "Idaho: Election Tools, Deadlines, Dates, Rules, and Links", Vote.org , Oakland, CA
• "League of Women Voters of Idaho". (state affiliate of the U.S. League of Women Voters)
• Idaho at Ballotpedia

Official campaign websites

• Natalie Fleming (I) for Senate
• Paulette Jordan (D) for Senate
• Jim Risch (R) for Senate
• Ray Writz (C) for Senate