United States Senate election in Idaho, 2026 (May 19 Republican primary)
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| U.S. Senate, Idaho |
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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 |
A Republican Party primary takes place on May 19, 2026, in Idaho to determine which Republican candidate will run in the state's general election on November 3, 2026.
| Candidate filing deadline | Primary election | General election |
|---|---|---|
Heading into the election, the incumbent is Jim Risch (Republican), who was first elected in 2008.
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.[1] As of October 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.[2][3]
For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.
Thirty-three of the 100 U.S. Senate seats are up for election, and another two seats are up for special election. Democrats hold 13 of the seats up for election, and Republicans hold 22. As of January 2026, nine members of the U.S. Senate announced they are not running for re-election. To read more about the U.S. Senate elections taking place this year, click here.
This page focuses on Idaho's United States Senate Republican primary. For more in-depth information on the state's Democratic primary and the general election, see the following pages:
- United States Senate election in Idaho, 2026 (May 19 Democratic primary)
- United States Senate election in Idaho, 2026
Candidates and election results
Republican primary
The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
Republican primary for U.S. Senate Idaho
Incumbent Jim Risch (R), Joe Evans (R), Denny LaVe (R), and Josh Roy (R) are running in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate Idaho on May 19, 2026.
Candidate | ||
 | Jim Risch | |
 | Joe Evans  | |
 | Denny LaVe | |
 | Josh Roy | |
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| = 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.
Party: Republican Party
Incumbent: No
Submitted Biography: "Idaho First. Constitution Always. I’m Joe Evans — an Idaho-grown American, U.S. Army veteran, and lifelong advocate for individual liberty — and I’m running for the United States Senate because Idaho deserves representation that answers to the people, not Washington insiders. I was raised in Idaho, shaped by hard work, personal responsibility, and service. I’m the grandson of two World War II veterans and Southwest Idaho farmers who understood that freedom is never free and that strong communities are built by neighbors helping neighbors — not by distant bureaucracies. Those values didn’t come from politics. They came from family, service, and lived experience. Screen Shot 2020-02-20 at 7.17.35 PM Why I’m Running Washington, D.C. has forgotten who it works for. Career politicians talk about the Constitution while voting against it. They talk about fiscal responsibility while running trillion-dollar deficits. They talk about freedom while empowering unelected agencies to regulate every aspect of American life. I’m running for U.S. Senate to restore constitutional government, rein in federal overreach, protect individual liberty, and make sure Idaho’s voice is heard — not overridden. Government exists to protect rights, not manage lives. Service, Work, and Real-World Experience I served in the United States Army because I believe this country — and the freedoms it represents — are worth defending."
Party: Republican Party
Incumbent: No
Submitted Biography: "Idaho deserves leadership rooted in real life - not politics. I am Josh Roy - husband, father, and community-first leader - running for U.S. Senate to put Idaho families and small businesses first. Leadership that works as hard as Idaho does.I admit I have no experience as an elected official. I am running for office while working a high pressure, 50 hour-a-week job in a pulp mill, and raising a family. I recognize this election as a unique opportunity. It is time for a fresh perspective in Washington. It is time for a non-career politician to serve. We need someone who is still grounded in the struggles of everyday citizens. I am going to Washington to fight the regulations that vex the common man. I will fight to defend the needs of the citizens of Idaho for everyday livability. I have extensive professional experience making painful, high stake decisions. Pulp mills are extremely difficult to staff and operate. Downtime cost's often run past $50,000 per day, resulting in very high stress environments. I will bring this leadership experience to the US Senate. If elected I will be the only member of the senate with 20 years heavy industrial experience. I will help the citizens of Idaho rebuild our nation. We need a complete economic rejuvination from harvesting and mining through to the finished products. Very few members of congress can feel at home at a farm, mine, smelter, rolling mill, sawmill, steel mill or machine shop."
Voting information
- See also: Voting in Idaho
Campaign finance
| Name | Party | Receipts* | Disbursements** | Cash on hand | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jim Risch | Republican Party | $3,504,593 | $1,820,726 | $3,875,871 | As of December 31, 2025 |
| Joe Evans | Republican Party | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
| Denny LaVe | Republican Party | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
| Josh Roy | Republican Party | $8,944 | $1,405 | $7,538 | As of December 31, 2025 |
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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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Ballot access
The table below details filing requirements for U.S. Senate 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. Senate candidates, 2026 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | Office | Party | Signatures required | Filing fee | Filing deadline | Source |
| Idaho | U.S. Senate | Ballot-qualified party | 1,000 | $500.00 | 2/27/2026 | Source |
| Idaho | U.S. Senate | Unaffiliated | 1,000 | $500.00 | 2/27/2026 | Source |
See also
- United States Senate election in Idaho, 2026 (May 19 Democratic primary)
- United States Senate election in Idaho, 2026
- United States Senate Democratic Party primaries, 2026
- United States Senate Republican Party primaries, 2026
- United States Senate elections, 2026
- U.S. Senate battlegrounds, 2026
External links
Footnotes
