U.S. Rep. Mike Simpson is defending his 2nd Congressional District seat that represents Boise and Eastern Idaho against four opponents in Tuesday’s Republican primary election.
With nine of Idaho’s 44 counties reporting partial returns, Simpson led with 65% of the votes. Bryan Smith, an Idaho Falls attorney, received about 25%. The other three challengers, Flint L. Christensen, Daniel A.L. Levy and Chris Porter, split the remaining 10%.
Simpson, 71, who has held the seat since 1999, is seeking a 13th term in the U.S. House. His biggest challenge comes from Smith, 59, who is making his second run at the office. The two also faced off in 2014, with Simpson winning nearly 62% of the vote.
Meanwhile, U.S. Sen. Mike Crapo, 70, is seeking a fifth term in the Republican primary. He was ahead by a large margin, based on the early returns. Crapo received nearly 69% of the vote, with the next-highest vote-getter at about 8%.
“If I win, I am very appreciative of the people letting me stay in the fight, so I can try to fight for the commonsense values and principles Idahoans believe in, and we must use to govern our great nation,” Crapo told the Idaho Statesman in a phone interview Tuesday night.
During the campaign Crapo held the clear fundraising advantage against four GOP rivals, none of whom have previously held public office: Brenda Bourn, Natalie M. Fleming, Scott Trotter and Ramont Turnbull.
Combined, Bourn, Trotter and Turnbull raised a total of about $22,000 toward their campaigns.
Crapo, Idaho’s senior senator, on the other hand, exceeded the $1 million mark for fundraising since October, and has more than $5.8 million of cash on hand.
