Jim Risch

Jim Risch
Risch in 2021
United States Senator from Idaho
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 2009 Serving with Mike Crapo
Preceded by	Larry Craig
Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee
Incumbent
Assumed office February 3, 2021
Preceded by	Bob Menendez
Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee
In office January 3, 2019 – February 3, 2021
Preceded by	Bob Corker
Succeeded by	Bob Menendez
Chair of the Senate Small Business Committee
In office January 3, 2017 – January 3, 2019
Preceded by	David Vitter
Succeeded by	Marco Rubio
31st Governor of Idaho
In office May 26, 2006 – January 1, 2007
Lieutenant	Mark Ricks
Preceded by	Dirk Kempthorne
Succeeded by	Butch Otter
39th and 41st Lieutenant Governor of Idaho
In office January 1, 2007 – January 3, 2009
Governor	Butch Otter
Preceded by	Mark Ricks
Succeeded by	Brad Little
In office January 3, 2003 – May 26, 2006
Governor	Dirk Kempthorne
Preceded by	Jack Riggs
Succeeded by	Mark Ricks
Majority leader of the Idaho Senate
In office December 1, 1996 – November 30, 2002
Preceded by	Bruce Newcomb
Succeeded by	Bart Davis
36th President pro tempore of the Idaho Senate
In office December 1, 1982 – November 30, 1988
Preceded by	Reed Budge
Succeeded by	Mike Crapo
Member of the Idaho Senate from the 18th district
In office January 28, 1995 – December 1, 2002
Preceded by	Roger Madsen
Succeeded by	Sheila Sorensen
Member of the Idaho Senate from the 21st district
In office December 1, 1974 – December 1, 1988
Succeeded by	Mike Burkett
Personal details
Born	James Elroy Risch (1943-05-03) May 3, 1943 (age 81) Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Vicki Risch ​ (m. 1968)​
Children	3
Education	University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee University of Idaho (BS, JD)
Signature
Website	Senate website
Jim Risch's voice Jim Risch outlines responsibilities of Deputy Secretary of State Recorded February 16, 2023

James Elroy Risch (/ˈrɪʃ/ RISH; born May 3, 1943) is an American lawyer and politician who has served as the junior United States senator from Idaho since 2009.^[1] A member of the Republican Party, he served as lieutenant governor of Idaho under governors Dirk Kempthorne and Butch Otter. He also served from May 2006 to January 2007 as the 31st governor of Idaho.

Raised in Milwaukee, Risch moved to Idaho in the early 1960s. After graduating from the University of Idaho, he received a B.S. degree in forestry in 1965 and earned a J.D. in 1968. Afterward, he taught criminal law at Boise State University, and in 1970 was elected as Ada County prosecuting attorney. In 1974, he was elected to the Idaho Senate, where he represented the 21st legislative district from 1974 to 1988. In 1995, Governor Phil Batt appointed Risch to represent the 18th legislative district in the state Senate; he held the position until 2002.

Risch ran for lieutenant governor of Idaho in 2002, defeating incumbent Jack Riggs in the primary. He served under Governor Dirk Kempthorne from 2003 to 2006. After Kempthorne resigned to become the United States Secretary of the Interior in May 2006, Risch was sworn in as governor. He chose not to run for a full term as governor in the 2006 gubernatorial election and instead ran for reelection as lieutenant governor. After winning the nomination, he served under Governor Butch Otter from 2007 to 2009.

Risch ran for the U.S. Senate seat held by the retiring Larry Craig in the 2008 election. He won the election, defeating Democratic nominee Larry LaRocco. Risch was reelected in 2014 and 2020.