Idaho's 1st Congressional District election, 2026
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← 2024
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| Idaho's 1st Congressional District |
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| Democratic primary Republican primary General election |
| Election details |
| Filing deadline: February 27, 2026 |
| Primary: May 19, 2026 General: November 3, 2026 |
| How to vote |
| Poll times:
8 a.m. to 8 p.m. |
| Race ratings |
DDHQ and The Hill: Pending Inside Elections: Solid Republican Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe Republican |
| Ballotpedia analysis |
| U.S. Senate battlegrounds U.S. House battlegrounds Federal and state primary competitiveness Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2026 |
| See also |
U.S. Senate • 1st • 2nd Idaho elections, 2026 U.S. Congress elections, 2026 U.S. Senate elections, 2026 U.S. House elections, 2026 |
All U.S. House districts, including the 1st Congressional District of Idaho, are holding elections in 2026. The general election is November 3, 2026. The primary is May 19, 2026. The filing deadline was February 27, 2026. The outcome of this race will affect the partisan balance of the U.S. House of Representatives in the 120th Congress. All 435 U.S. House districts are up for election.
Currently, Republicans have a 218-214 majority with three vacancies in the chamber.[1] To read more about the U.S. House elections taking place this year, click here. For more information about the primaries in this election, click on the links below:
- Idaho's 1st Congressional District election, 2026 (May 19 Democratic primary)
- Idaho's 1st Congressional District election, 2026 (May 19 Republican primary)
Candidates and election results
General election
The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
The primary will occur on May 19, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. Additional general election candidates will be added here following the primary.
General election for U.S. House Idaho District 1
Sarah Zabel is running in the general election for U.S. House Idaho District 1 on November 3, 2026.
Candidate | ||
Sarah Zabel (Independent) ![]() | ||
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for U.S. House Idaho District 1
Ken Brungardt and Kaylee Peterson are running in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Idaho District 1 on May 19, 2026.
Candidate | ||
| Ken Brungardt | ||
| Kaylee Peterson | ||
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for U.S. House Idaho District 1
Incumbent Russ Fulcher, Andy Briner, and Joseph Morrison are running in the Republican primary for U.S. House Idaho District 1 on May 19, 2026.
Candidate | ||
| Russ Fulcher | ||
Andy Briner ![]() | ||
| Joseph Morrison | ||
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Constitution primary election
Constitution primary for U.S. House Idaho District 1
Brendan Gomez is running in the Constitution primary for U.S. House Idaho District 1 on May 19, 2026.
Candidate | ||
| Brendan Gomez | ||
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Candidate profiles
This section includes candidate profiles that may be created in one of two ways: either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, or Ballotpedia staff may compile a profile based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements after identifying the candidate as noteworthy. For more on how we select candidates to include, click here.
Party: Independent
Incumbent: No
Submitted Biography: "Sarah Zabel retired from the U.S. Air Force in 2018 as a major general. Making her home in Idaho, she wrote a book about the science of depression and became an Adjunct for RAND Corporation. She entered the race for US Congress as an Independent in November 2025."
Voting information
- See also: Voting in Idaho
Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses
Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. The section below shows responses from candidates in this race who completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
Survey responses from candidates in this race
Click on a candidate's name to visit their Ballotpedia page.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
| Collapse all
Sarah Zabel (Independent)
The federal government is burdening the economy with tariffs and excessive workforce controls. Reduce those burdens and we can make living more affordable.
We need to reform our laws and enforce them fairly and evenly.
Sarah Zabel (Independent)
Sarah Zabel (Independent)
Sarah Zabel (Independent)
Sarah Zabel (Independent)
Sarah Zabel (Independent)
Sarah Zabel (Independent)
Sarah Zabel (Independent)
Sarah Zabel (Independent)
Campaign finance
| Name | Party | Receipts* | Disbursements** | Cash on hand | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Russ Fulcher | Republican Party | $369,513 | $328,554 | $220,968 | As of December 31, 2025 |
| Ken Brungardt | Democratic Party | $13,240 | $7,161 | $6,079 | As of December 31, 2025 |
| Kaylee Peterson | Democratic Party | $88,047 | $85,627 | $7,812 | As of December 31, 2025 |
| Andy Briner | Republican Party | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
| Joseph Morrison | Republican Party | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
| Brendan Gomez | Constitution Party | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
| Sarah Zabel | Independent | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
|
Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2026. This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* According to the FEC, "Receipts are anything of value (money, goods, services or property) received by a political committee." |
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General election race ratings
- See also: Race rating definitions and methods
Ballotpedia provides race ratings from four outlets: The Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, Sabato's Crystal Ball, and DDHQ/The Hill. Each race rating indicates if one party is perceived to have an advantage in the race and, if so, the degree of advantage:
- Safe and Solid ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge and the race is not competitive.
- Likely ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge, but an upset is possible.
- Lean ratings indicate that one party has a small edge, but the race is competitive.[2]
- Toss-up ratings indicate that neither party has an advantage.
Race ratings are informed by a number of factors, including polling, candidate quality, and election result history in the race's district or state.[3][4][5]
| Race ratings: Idaho's 1st Congressional District election, 2026 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Race tracker | Race ratings | ||||||||
| 3/17/2026 | 3/10/2026 | 3/3/2026 | 2/24/2026 | ||||||
| The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter | Solid Republican | Solid Republican | Solid Republican | Solid Republican | |||||
| Decision Desk HQ and The Hill | Pending | Pending | Pending | Pending | |||||
| Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales | Solid Republican | Solid Republican | Solid Republican | Solid Republican | |||||
| Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball | Safe Republican | Safe Republican | Safe Republican | Safe Republican | |||||
| Note: Ballotpedia reviews external race ratings every week throughout the election season and posts weekly updates even if the media outlets have not revised their ratings during that week. | |||||||||
Ballot access
The table below details filing requirements for U.S. House candidates in Idaho in the 2026 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Idaho, click here.
| Filing requirements for U.S. House candidates, 2026 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | Office | Party | Signatures required | Filing fee | Filing deadline | Source |
| Idaho | U.S. House | Ballot-qualified party | 500 | $300 | 2/27/2026 | Source |
| Idaho | U.S. House | Unaffiliated | 500 | $300 | 2/27/2026 | Source |
District history
The section below details election results for this office in elections dating back to 2020.
General election
General election for U.S. House Idaho District 1
The following candidates ran in the general election for U.S. House Idaho District 1 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Russ Fulcher (R) | 71.0 | 331,049 |
| | Kaylee Peterson (D) | 25.4 | 118,656 | |
| | Matt Loesby (L) ![]() | 2.1 | 9,594 | |
| Brendan Gomez (Constitution Party) | 1.5 | 6,933 | ||
| | Margot Dupre (Independent) (Write-in) | 0.0 | 7 | |
| David Bot (Independent) (Write-in) | 0.0 | 3 | ||
| Total votes: 466,242 | ||||
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary
Democratic primary for U.S. House Idaho District 1
Kaylee Peterson (D) advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Idaho District 1 on May 21, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Kaylee Peterson | 100.0 | 13,982 |
| Total votes: 13,982 | ||||
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary
Republican primary for U.S. House Idaho District 1
Incumbent Russ Fulcher (R) advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Idaho District 1 on May 21, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Russ Fulcher | 100.0 | 109,057 |
| Total votes: 109,057 | ||||
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Constitution Party primary
Constitution primary for U.S. House Idaho District 1
Brendan Gomez (Constitution Party) advanced from the Constitution Party primary for U.S. House Idaho District 1 on May 21, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Brendan Gomez | 100.0 | 325 | |
| Total votes: 325 | ||||
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Libertarian Party primary
Libertarian primary for U.S. House Idaho District 1
Matt Loesby (L) advanced from the Libertarian Party primary for U.S. House Idaho District 1 on May 21, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Matt Loesby ![]() | 100.0 | 516 |
| Total votes: 516 | ||||
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
General election
General election for U.S. House Idaho District 1
Incumbent Russ Fulcher (R) defeated Kaylee Peterson (D) and Darian Drake (L) in the general election for U.S. House Idaho District 1 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Russ Fulcher (R) | 71.3 | 222,901 |
| | Kaylee Peterson (D) | 26.3 | 82,261 | |
| | Darian Drake (L) ![]() | 2.3 | 7,280 | |
| Total votes: 312,442 | ||||
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Joe Evans (L)
Democratic primary
Democratic primary for U.S. House Idaho District 1
Kaylee Peterson (D) advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Idaho District 1 on May 17, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Kaylee Peterson | 100.0 | 15,057 |
| Total votes: 15,057 | ||||
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Michael Banner (D)
Republican primary
Republican primary for U.S. House Idaho District 1
Incumbent Russ Fulcher (R) advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Idaho District 1 on May 17, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Russ Fulcher | 100.0 | 126,528 |
| Total votes: 126,528 | ||||
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Brian Lenney (R)
Libertarian Party primary
Libertarian primary for U.S. House Idaho District 1
Joe Evans (L) advanced from the Libertarian Party primary for U.S. House Idaho District 1 on May 17, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Joe Evans ![]() | 100.0 | 489 |
| Total votes: 489 | ||||
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
General election
General election for U.S. House Idaho District 1
Incumbent Russ Fulcher (R) defeated Rudy Soto (D), Joe Evans (L), and Pro-Life (Independent) in the general election for U.S. House Idaho District 1 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Russ Fulcher (R) | 67.8 | 310,736 |
| | Rudy Soto (D) ![]() | 28.6 | 131,380 | |
| | Joe Evans (L) ![]() | 3.6 | 16,453 | |
| | Pro-Life (Independent) (Write-in) | 0.0 | 7 | |
| Total votes: 458,576 | ||||
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary
Democratic primary for U.S. House Idaho District 1
Rudy Soto (D) defeated Staniela Nikolova (D) in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Idaho District 1 on June 2, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Rudy Soto ![]() | 65.8 | 25,112 |
| | Staniela Nikolova | 34.2 | 13,074 | |
| Total votes: 38,186 | ||||
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary
Republican primary for U.S. House Idaho District 1
Incumbent Russ Fulcher (R) defeated Nicholas Jones (R) in the Republican primary for U.S. House Idaho District 1 on June 2, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Russ Fulcher | 79.9 | 93,879 |
| | Nicholas Jones ![]() | 20.1 | 23,654 | |
| Total votes: 117,533 | ||||
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
District analysis
Click the tabs below to view information about voter composition, past elections, and demographics in both the district and the state.
- District map - A map of the district in place for the election.
- Competitiveness - Information about the competitiveness of 2026 U.S. House elections in the state.
- Presidential elections - Information about presidential elections in the district and the state.
- State party control - The partisan makeup of the state's congressional delegation and state government.
Below is the district map in place for this election. Click the map below to enlarge it.

This section contains data on U.S. House primary election competitiveness in Idaho.
Post-filing deadline analysis
The following analysis covers all U.S. House districts up for election in Idaho in 2026. Information below was calculated on Feb. 27, 2026, and may differ from information shown in the table above due to candidate replacements and withdrawals after that time.
Ten candidates — four Democrats and six Republicans — ran for Idaho’s two U.S. House districts. That’s five candidates per district. There were three candidates per district in 2024, four in 2022, 3.5 in 2020, 6.5 in 2018, 4.5 in 2016, and five in 2014.
No districts were open in 2026, meaning all incumbents — both Republicans — ran for re-election. Between 2014 and 2024, the only time a district was open was in 2018. That year, one district was open.
Four primaries — two Democratic and two Republican — were contested in 2026. There was one contested primary each in 2024 and 2022. There were three contested primaries each in 2020, 2018, 2016, and 2014.
The same number of candidates ran in both districts — the 1st and the 2nd — in 2026. Five candidates ran in each district.
Both incumbents — Reps. Russ Fulcher (R-1st) and Michael K. Simpson (R-2nd) — faced a primary challenger in 2026. There was one incumbent in a contested primary in 2024, one in 2022, two in 2020, none in 2018, two in 2016, and two in 2014.
Candidates filed to run in the Republican and Democratic primaries in both districts, meaning no districts were guaranteed to either party.Partisan Voter Index
Heading into the 2026 elections, based on results from the 2024 and 2020 presidential elections, the Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district is R+22. This meant that in those two presidential elections, this district's results were 22 percentage points more Republican than the national average. This made Idaho's 1st the 21st most Republican district nationally.[6]
2020 presidential election results
The table below shows what the vote in the 2024 presidential election was in this district. The presidential election data was compiled by The Downballot.
| Kamala Harris | Donald Trump |
|---|---|
| 26.0% | 71.0% |
Presidential voting history
- See also: Presidential election in Idaho, 2024
Idaho presidential election results (1900-2024)
- 9 Democratic wins
- 23 Republican wins
| Year | 1900 | 1904 | 1908 | 1912 | 1916 | 1920 | 1924 | 1928 | 1932 | 1936 | 1940 | 1944 | 1948 | 1952 | 1956 | 1960 | 1964 | 1968 | 1972 | 1976 | 1980 | 1984 | 1988 | 1992 | 1996 | 2000 | 2004 | 2008 | 2012 | 2016 | 2020 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winning Party | D | R | R | D | D | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
- See also: Party control of Idaho state government
Congressional delegation
The table below displays the partisan composition of Idaho's congressional delegation as of October 2025.
| Congressional Partisan Breakdown from Idaho | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | U.S. Senate | U.S. House | Total |
| Democratic | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Republican | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Independent | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Vacancies | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 2 | 2 | 4 |
State executive
The table below displays the officeholders in Idaho's top four state executive offices as of October 2025.
| Office | Officeholder |
|---|---|
| Governor | |
| Lieutenant Governor | |
| Secretary of State | |
| Attorney General |
State legislature
Idaho State Senate
| Party | As of October 2025 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 6 | |
| Republican Party | 29 | |
| Other | 0 | |
| Vacancies | 0 | |
| Total | 35 | |
Idaho House of Representatives
| Party | As of October 2025 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 9 | |
| Republican Party | 61 | |
| Other | 0 | |
| Vacancies | 0 | |
| Total | 70 | |
Trifecta control
Idaho Party Control: 1992-2025
No Democratic trifectas • Thirty one years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.
| Year | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governor | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
| Senate | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
| House | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ A majority in the U.S. House of Representatives, when there are no vacancies, is 218 seats.
- ↑ Inside Elections also uses Tilt ratings to indicate an even smaller advantage and greater competitiveness.
- ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Nathan Gonzalez," April 19, 2018
- ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Kyle Kondik," April 19, 2018
- ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Charlie Cook," April 22, 2018
- ↑ Cook Political Report, "2025 Cook PVI℠: District Map and List (119th Congress)," accessed July 1, 2025
