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Idaho's 2nd Congressional District election, 2024 (May 21 Republican primary)

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Idaho's 2nd Congressional District
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Democratic primary
Republican primary
General election
Election details
Filing deadline: March 15, 2024
Primary: May 21, 2024
General: November 5, 2024
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: Safe Republican
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, 2024
See also
Idaho's 2nd Congressional District
1st • 2nd
Idaho elections, 2024
U.S. Congress elections, 2024
U.S. Senate elections, 2024
U.S. House elections, 2024

A Republican Party primary took place on May 21, 2024, in Idaho's 2nd Congressional District to determine which Republican candidate would run in the district's general election on November 5, 2024.

Incumbent Michael K. Simpson advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Idaho District 2.

All 435 seats were up for election. At the time of the election, Republicans had a 220 to 212 majority with three vacancies.[1] As of June 2024, 45 members of the U.S. House had announced they were not running for re-election. To read more about the U.S. House elections taking place this year, click here.

In the 2022 election in this district, the Republican candidate won 63.6%-36.4%. Daily Kos calculated what the results of the 2020 presidential election in this district would have been following redistricting. Donald Trump (R) would have defeated Joe Biden (D) 59.8%-36.9%.[2]

Candidate filing deadline Primary election General election
March 15, 2024
May 21, 2024
November 5, 2024


A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. In Idaho, parties decide who may vote in their primaries. As of July 2025, the Democratic Party allows unaffiliated voters to vote in its primary, while the Republican Party only allows voters registered with its party to vote in its primary. Unaffiliated voters can choose to affiliate with a party on Election Day.[3][4][5]

For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.

This page focuses on Idaho's 2nd Congressional District Republican primary. For more in-depth information on the district's Democratic primary and the general election, see the following pages:

Candidates and election results

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Idaho District 2

Incumbent Michael K. Simpson defeated Scott Cleveland and Sean Higgins in the Republican primary for U.S. House Idaho District 2 on May 21, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Michael K. Simpson
Michael K. Simpson
 
54.7
 
53,476
Image of Scott Cleveland
Scott Cleveland Candidate Connection
 
35.8
 
35,036
Image of Sean Higgins
Sean Higgins Candidate Connection
 
9.5
 
9,333

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 97,845
Candidate Connection = 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.

Scott Cleveland

Image of Scott Cleveland

WebsiteFacebookTwitter

Party: Republican Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Submitted Biography:  "I am conservative and an America-first, based patriot. I'm a Christian, husband of 35 years, and successful business owner in Eagle, Idaho. I'm 62 years old and in excellent health. Most of my work history is in the financial services industry including 23 years with a Fortune 100 firm. Active in my community, I have served on several boards and acted as treasurer in a few of them. I am the founder of TVCOP - Treasure Valley Council of Patriots. I am currently serving as the 3rd Vice Chairman of the Ada County GOP, the largest County Central Committee in Idaho. I was elected by the membership of the Committee in the fall of 2023. My voting record is and will be to support the Constitution and the entirety of the Idaho Republican Party Platform. My belief is this: America is still great but headed in the wrong direction. The career politicians in Washington, D.C. no longer serve the best interests of everyday average Americans. Congress and the President are beholden to lobbyists and special interest groups. My opponent has been in office for decades and needs to retire. I am competent, willing, and able to serve the citizens of Idaho to the best of my ability."

Key Messages

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

America is still great but off track. Our founding fathers did not include term limits when ratifying the United States Constitution. I plan to submit a bill to limit members of Congress to two terms.

Stop reckless spending. Our nation is over 30 trillion dollars in debt. We must get back to fiscally sound policy before it is too late.

Our rights come from God not the government. Our leaders are failing to follow the United States Constitution daily.

This information was current as of the candidate's run for U.S. House Idaho District 2 in 2024.

Sean Higgins

Image of Sean Higgins

WebsiteFacebookYouTube

Party: Republican Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Submitted Biography:  "Sean is a native tater. He was born in Pocatello, where his parents were part of a local family bakery business. They then moved to Boise, where he played soccer and ran track from elementary to high school. He continued playing soccer in college at Concordia University in Portland before transferring to Oral Roberts University and graduating with a Finance degree. He then accidentally became a teacher. He said he would never do that since his parents were teachers. He then made a pit stop in the Houston area. Despite missing Idaho, he was fortunate to visit most US states and confirm Idaho is the best one, in case you didn't already know! Sean moved back home to Idaho and stumbled into the IT world. Sean is passionate about Idaho and the mountains. He is camping, backpacking, snowshoeing, and more as often as he can. Sean also enjoys DIY projects, shooting, and road trips. "

Key Messages

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

Term Limits

US Border

US Budget

This information was current as of the candidate's run for U.S. House Idaho District 2 in 2024.

Voting information

See also: Voting in Idaho

Election information in Idaho: May 21, 2024, election.

What was the voter registration deadline?

  • In-person: May 21, 2024
  • By mail: Postmarked by April 26, 2024
  • Online: April 26, 2024

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

N/A

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

  • In-person: May 17, 2024
  • By mail: Received by May 10, 2024
  • Online: May 10, 2024

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

  • In-person: May 21, 2024
  • By mail: Received by May 21, 2024

Was early voting available to all voters?

N/A

What were the early voting start and end dates?

May 6, 2024 to May 17, 2024

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

N/A

When were polls open on Election Day?

8:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. (MST/PST)


Campaign finance

Name Party Receipts* Disbursements** Cash on hand Date
Michael K. Simpson Republican Party $1,555,835 $1,589,029 $105,206 As of December 31, 2024
Scott Cleveland Republican Party $105,632 $106,349 $-717 As of December 31, 2024
Sean Higgins Republican Party $5,364 $1,021 $4,343 As of May 1, 2024

Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2024. 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.

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 2024 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 was the map in use at the time of the election. Click the map below to enlarge it.

2023_01_03_id_congressional_district_02.jpg
See also: Primary election competitiveness in state and federal government, 2024

This section contains data on U.S. House primary election competitiveness in Idaho.

Idaho U.S. House competitiveness, 2014-2024
Year Districts/
offices 		Seats Open seats Candidates Possible primaries Contested Democratic primaries Contested Republican primaries % of contested primaries Incumbents in contested primaries % of incumbents in contested primaries
2024 2 2 0 6 4 0 1 25.0% 1 50.0%
2022 2 2 0 8 4 0 1 25.0% 1 50.0%
2020 2 2 0 7 4 1 2 75.0% 2 100.0%
2018 2 2 1 13 4 2 1 75.0% 0 0.0%
2016 2 2 0 9 4 1 2 75.0% 2 100.0%
2014 2 2 0 10 4 1 2 75.0% 2 100.0%

Post-filing deadline analysis

The following analysis covers all U.S. House districts up for election in Idaho in 2024. Information below was calculated on April 7, 2024, and may differ from information shown in the table above due to candidate replacements and withdrawals after that time.

Six candidates ran for Idaho’s two U.S. House districts, including two Democrats and four Republicans. That’s three candidates per district, less than in the previous three election cycles. There were four candidates per district in 2022, 3.5 candidates per district in 2020, and 6.5 in 2018.

The total number of candidates that ran for the U.S. House in 2024 is also lower than any other year this decade.

No seats were open in 2024, meaning all incumbents ran for re-election. There was one House seat open in 2018, the only election cycle this decade in which a House seat was open.

Four candidates—one Democrat and three Republicans—ran for the 2nd Congressional District, the most candidates that ran for a seat in 2024.

One primary—the 2nd Congressional District Republican primary—was contested in 2024. One primary was contested in 2022 and three primaries were contested in 2020.

Rep. Michael K. Simpson (R-2nd) was the only incumbent in a contested primary in 2024.

Candidates filed to run in the Democratic and Republican primaries in both districts, meaning no seats were guaranteed to either party.

Partisan Voter Index

See also: The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index

Heading into the 2024 elections, based on results from the 2020 and 2016 presidential elections, the Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district was R+14. This meant that in those two presidential elections, this district's results were 14 percentage points more Republican than the national average. This made Idaho's 2nd the 87th most Republican district nationally.[6]

2020 presidential election results

The table below shows what the vote in the 2020 presidential election would have been in this district. The presidential election data was compiled by Daily Kos.

2020 presidential results in Idaho's 2nd based on 2024 district lines
Joe Biden Democratic Party Donald Trump Republican Party
36.9% 59.8%

Inside Elections Baselines

See also: Inside Elections

Inside Elections' Baseline is a figure that analyzes all federal and statewide election results from the district over the past four election cycles. The results are combined in an index estimating the strength of a typical Democratic or Republican candidate in the congressional district.[7] The table below displays the Baseline data for this district.

Inside Elections Baseline for 2024
Democratic Baseline Democratic Party Republican Baseline Republican Party Difference
36.3 60.1 R+23.8

Presidential voting history

See also: Presidential election in Idaho, 2020

Idaho presidential election results (1900-2020)

  • 9 Democratic wins
  • 22 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
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
See also: Party control of Idaho state government

Congressional delegation

The table below displays the partisan composition of Alabama's congressional delegation as of May 2024.

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 May 2024.

State executive officials in Idaho, May 2024
Office Officeholder
Governor Republican Party Brad Little
Lieutenant Governor Republican Party Scott Bedke
Secretary of State Republican Party Phil McGrane
Attorney General Republican Party Raúl Labrador

State legislature

Idaho State Senate

Party As of February 2024
     Democratic Party 7
     Republican Party 28
     Other 0
     Vacancies 0
Total 35

Idaho House of Representatives

Party As of February 2024
     Democratic Party 11
     Republican Party 59
     Other 0
     Vacancies 0
Total 70

Trifecta control

The table below shows the state's trifecta status from 1992 until the 2024 election.

Idaho Party Control: 1992-2024
No Democratic trifectas  •  Thirty 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
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
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
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

Ballot access

The table below details filing requirements for U.S. House candidates in Idaho in the 2024 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Idaho, click here.

Filing requirements for U.S. House candidates, 2024
State Office Party Signatures required Filing fee Filing deadline Source
Idaho U.S. House Ballot-qualified party 500[8] $300.00 3/15/2024 Source
Idaho U.S. House Unaffiliated 500[9] $300.00 8/30/2024 Source

See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ A majority in the U.S. House when there are no vacancies is 218 seats.
  2. ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' 2020 presidential results by congressional district, for new and old districts," accessed September 15, 2022
  3. ↑ Idaho Secretary of State's Office, "Primary Elections in Idaho," accessed July 2, 2025
  4. ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "State Primary Election Types," accessed July 2, 2024
  5. ↑ ACLU Idaho, "2024 Your Rights as an Idaho Voter," accessed July 2, 2025
  6. ↑ Cook Political Report, "The 2022 Cook Partisan Voting Index (Cook PVI℠)," accessed January 10, 2024
  7. ↑ Inside Elections, "Methodology: Inside Elections’ Baseline by Congressional District," December 8, 2023
  8. ↑ Petition signatures only required in lieu of a filing fee.
  9. ↑ Petition signatures only required in lieu of a filing fee.


Idaho's current delegation to the United States Congress
Senators
Mike Crapo (R)
Jim Risch (R)
Representatives
District 1
District 2
Republican Party (4)


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