Idaho's 1st Congressional District election, 2026

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Idaho's 1st Congressional District
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. Voting in Idaho
Race ratings
Cook Political Report: Solid Republican 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
Idaho's 1st Congressional District U.S. Senate • 1st • 2nd Idaho elections, 2026 U.S. Congress elections, 2026 U.S. Senate elections, 2026 U.S. House elections, 2026 Alabama U.S. House racesAlaska U.S. House raceArizona U.S. House racesArkansas U.S. House racesCalifornia U.S. House racesColorado U.S. House racesConnecticut U.S. House racesDelaware U.S. House raceFlorida U.S. House racesGeorgia U.S. House racesHawaii U.S. House racesIdaho U.S. House racesIllinois U.S. House racesIndiana U.S. House racesIowa U.S. House racesKansas U.S. House racesKentucky U.S. House racesLouisiana U.S. House racesMaine U.S. House racesMaryland U.S. House racesMassachusetts U.S. House racesMichigan U.S. House racesMinnesota U.S. House racesMississippi U.S. House racesMissouri U.S. House racesMontana U.S. House racesNebraska U.S. House racesNevada U.S. House racesNew Hampshire U.S. House racesNew Jersey U.S. House racesNew Mexico U.S. House racesNew York U.S. House racesNorth Carolina U.S. House racesNorth Dakota U.S. House raceOhio U.S. House racesOklahoma U.S. House racesOregon U.S. House racesPennsylvania U.S. House racesRhode Island U.S. House racesSouth Carolina U.S. House racesSouth Dakota U.S. House raceTennessee U.S. House racesTexas U.S. House racesUtah U.S. House racesVermont U.S. House raceVirginia U.S. House racesWashington U.S. House racesWest Virginia U.S. House racesWisconsin U.S. House racesWyoming U.S. House raceSubmit

All U.S. House districts, including the 1st Congressional District of Idaho, are holding elections in 2026. The general election is November 3, 2026. To learn more about other elections on the ballot, click here.

Candidates and election results

Note: The following list includes official candidates only. Ballotpedia defines official candidates as people who:

• Register with a federal or state campaign finance agency before the candidate filing deadline
• Appear on candidate lists released by government election agencies

Note: At this time, Ballotpedia is combining all declared candidates for this election into one list under a general election heading. As primary election dates are published, this information will be updated to separate general election candidates from primary candidates as appropriate.

General election

The general election will occur on November 3, 2026.

General election for U.S. House Idaho District 1

Incumbent Russ Fulcher, Ken Brungardt, and Sarah Zabel are running in the general election for U.S. House Idaho District 1 on November 3, 2026.

		Candidate
		Russ Fulcher (R)
	Submit photo	Ken Brungardt (D)
		Sarah Zabel (Independent)

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined.
= 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.
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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.

Sarah Zabel

Party: Independent

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

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."

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Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.

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As a country, we are facing serious problems, but we have overcome equally challenging problems before. We know how to solve our problems.

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The federal government is burdening the economy with tariffs and excessive workforce controls. Reduce those burdens and we can make living more affordable.

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We need to reform our laws and enforce them fairly and evenly.

Voting information

See also: Voting in Idaho

Election information in Idaho: Nov. 3, 2026, election.

What is the voter registration deadline?

• In-person: Nov. 3, 2026
• By mail: Received by Oct. 23, 2026
• Online: Oct. 23, 2026

Is absentee/mail-in voting available to all voters?

N/A

What is the absentee/mail-in ballot request deadline?

• In-person: Oct. 30, 2026
• By mail: Received by Oct. 23, 2026
• Online: Oct. 23, 2026

What is the absentee/mail-in ballot return deadline?

• In-person: Nov. 3, 2026
• By mail: Received by Nov. 3, 2026

Is early voting available to all voters?

Yes

What are the early voting start and end dates?

Oct. 13, 2026 to Oct. 30, 2026

Are all voters required to present ID at the polls? If so, is a photo or non-photo ID required?

N/A

When are polls open on Election Day?

8:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. (MT/PT)

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.

Expand all | Collapse all

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Sarah Zabel (Independent)

As a country, we are facing serious problems, but we have overcome equally challenging problems before. We know how to solve our problems.

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.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Sarah Zabel (Independent)

National debt, affordability, and foreign affairs.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Sarah Zabel (Independent)

True motivation to serve their constituents and the nation as a whole.

What do you perceive to be the United States’ greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade?

Sarah Zabel (Independent)

We are facing significant challenges with affordability, especially of health care. Going forward, the economic disruption posed by artificial intelligence and robotics will become increasingly significant.

Do you believe that two years is the right term length for representatives?

Sarah Zabel (Independent)

Yes. It ensures continuing accountability to the voters.

Do you believe that compromise is necessary or desirable for policymaking?

Sarah Zabel (Independent)

Yes. Our laws affect the whole nation. Congress can't just serve a single constituency.

The Constitution says that all bills for raising revenue must originate in the House. What role would this power play in your priorities if elected?

Sarah Zabel (Independent)

We need to reform our tax policies. Revising tax law will be a very high priority for me.

What is an accomplishment that you are proud of?

Sarah Zabel (Independent)

I researched and wrote a book about the science of depression. It opened my eyes about mental health and illness and was truly challenging.

What role should the United States government have in the development or use of artificial intelligence?

Sarah Zabel (Independent)

The U.S. government must ensure that people are held accountable for what they do. In the area of artificial intelligence, the government needs to ensure transparency, so that people know when they are interacting with AI rather than a person. They need to know when artifacts such as video or audio recordings are generated by AI. The learning path of AI must be documented. The government can ensure such transparency by establishing technical standards and legal accountability for their violation.

You can ask candidates in this race to fill out the survey by clicking their names below:

• Ken Brungardt
• Russ Fulcher

Campaign finance

Name	Party	Receipts*	Disbursements**	Cash on hand	Date
Russ Fulcher	Republican Party	$316,420	$272,299	$224,130	As of September 30, 2025
Ken Brungardt	Democratic Party	$8,787	$1,635	$7,152	As of September 30, 2025
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." ** According to the FEC, a disbursement "is a purchase, payment, distribution, loan, advance, deposit or gift of money or anything of value to influence a federal election," plus other kinds of payments not made to influence a federal election. *** Candidate either did not report any receipts or disbursements to the FEC, or Ballotpedia did not find an FEC candidate ID.

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.
• 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.

Race ratings: Idaho's 1st Congressional District election, 2026
Race tracker	Race ratings
	12/2/2025	11/25/2025	11/18/2025	11/11/2025
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.

District analysis

This section will contain facts and figures related to this district's elections when those are available.

See also

Idaho	2026 primaries	2026 U.S. Congress elections
Idaho congressional delegation Voting in Idaho Idaho elections: 2026 • 2025 • 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018	Democratic primary battlegrounds Republican primary battlegrounds U.S. Senate Democratic primaries U.S. Senate Republican primaries U.S. House Democratic primaries U.S. House Republican primaries	U.S. Congress elections U.S. Senate elections U.S. House elections Special elections Ballot access

External links

• Search Google News for this topic

Footnotes

[show]

Idaho's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Mike Crapo (R)

Jim Risch (R)

Representatives

District 1

Russ Fulcher (R)

District 2

Michael Simpson (R)

Republican Party (4)

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Election information

Ballot access for major and minor party candidates • List of candidates running for election • List of congressional challengers • Congressional incumbents not running for re-election

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Super PACs/Organizations

American Bridge 21st Century • American Crossroads • American Unity PAC • Campaign for Primary Accountability • Club for Growth Action • Congressional Leadership Fund • Cooperative of American Physicians IE Committee• Crossroads Generation • Ending Spending Action Fund • Endorse Liberty • Fair Share Action • FreedomWorks for America • Government Integrity Fund • House Majority PAC • Independence USA Fund • League of Conservation Voters • Liberty for All PAC • Majority PAC • National Association of Realtors • NEA Advocacy Fund • Now or Never PAC • Planned Parenthood Votes • Ready for Hillary • Republicans for a Prosperous America • Restore America's Voice PAC • SEIU Pea-Federal • Women Vote!

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