Despite his relatively easy re-election in 2022, a couple of Republicans are set to challenge Rep. Mike Simpson (R-Idaho), a longtime member of the House Appropriations Committee and vocal supporter of the Department of Energy’s Idaho National Laboratory.
A couple of Democrats also plan to run in their party’s 2nd congressional district primary, which like the Republican contest, is slated for May 21, according to the website Ballotpedia.org and the Federal Election Commission.
Simpson, first elected to congress in 1998, won nearly 64% of the vote in November 2022 against Democrat Wendy Norman, according to results from the Idaho Secretary of State.
In the Republican primary this time around, Simpson could face off with two declared candidates, Scott Cleveland and Sean Higgins.
Cleveland’s campaign website identifies him as a longtime financial adviser and a vice chairman of the Ada County Republican Party who wants to cut spending, lower taxes and advocate for Idaho water rights.
Higgins, has a finance degree from Oral Roberts University and is a one-time teacher who now works in information technology, according to his campaign website. Higgins lists term limits, the federal budget and the U.S. border as three key issues. .
The two declared Democratic Party candidates for that primary are David Roth and Richard Grayson, according to federal filings.
Roth was an unsuccessful candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2022, taking about 29% of the vote in a multi-candidate race where Sen. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) won about 61% of the vote. Roth’s campaign website said he was the first openly-gay candidate to run for statewide office in Idaho. Roth has served as executive director of the Bonneville Youth Development Council, according to his candidate biography. .
Grayson filed a candidate form with the Federal Election Commission that lists a political committee with an Arizona address and dubbed “Make Abortion Legal Again Vote Richard Grayson.”
March 22 is the deadline for individuals to file declarations of candidacy for the primaries.
