RepublicanJames E. Risch
U.S. Senator · Idaho
U.S. Senator from Idaho
12 tracked promises, 5 rated
Idaho
Represents Idaho statewide
How they won their seat
Jim Risch won the 2020 U.S. Senate election in Idaho with 62.6% of the vote (538,446 votes).
- Jim Risch · Republican62.6%538,446
- Paulette Jordan · Democrat33.2%285,864
- Natalie M Fleming · Other2.9%25,329
- 1 Other Candidate1.2%10,188
Certified results. Source: MIT Election Data + Science Lab (MEDSL) ↗. A plurality winner can hold under 50% when more than two candidates run.
Inferred legislative agendas
James E. Risch's record indicates a focus on energy policy, particularly geothermal and nuclear energy, as evidenced by sponsored bills like the CLEAN Act and the ARC Act. Additionally, there are instances of foreign policy-related legislation regarding China and Ukraine, as seen in the Deter PRC Aggression Against Taiwan Act and the PEACE in Sudan Act. His involvement in various Senate committees, especially those related to foreign relations and energy, further supports these themes. Focus areas (from the record): Energy · Foreign Policy · Agriculture · Public Lands · Second Amendment Alignment with declared positions: Consistent. Risch's sponsored bills and committee memberships align with his declared positions on energy and foreign policy. However, while he has made promises regarding public lands and fiscal responsibility, the evidence does not support a conclusion about the extent of action in these areas. What this can't tell you: The record does not reveal the effectiveness of his sponsored bills or their impact on legislation; There is no information on his public statements or responses to constituents; The record does not clarify his strategic priorities or how he balances competing interests. Confidence: moderate (based on the volume of verified record on file).
Inferred, not stated. James E. Risch has not necessarily stated these as goals. This is an AI-generated, nonpartisan reading of the patterns in their verified record — sponsored legislation, committee work, roll-call votes, and campaign-finance composition — and how those patterns compare to any declared positions and tracked promises. It describes what the record emphasizes, never imputes motive, and is run through an adversarial review pass that scrubs bias, loaded language, and any claim the evidence doesn’t support. It is not a quote, a claim they made, or a rating; every underlying item is sourced in the verified record below; and it never affects the Integrity Score.
Showing 2015–2021 term. Every tile and chart below reflects this window; some record types (e.g. roll-call votes) only have data for recent years.
Activity in office
What James E. Risch has actually done in office — sourced from official roll-call and government records, shown in full below. These are facts, separate from tracked promises and never folded into any score.
- Bills sponsored
- 72
Roll-call data last updated July 20, 2026 · source: Voteview.
Bills sponsored over time
Bills sponsored per year, stacked by outcome (latest action). Outcome data covers the 118th–119th Congresses; earlier years show as “awaiting status” until enriched. Source: Congress.gov.
Bill success rate
Bills SPONSORED in the 118th–119th Congresses, by their latest action. Source: Congress.gov.
Campaign finance over time
- Small-dollar (unitemized)$123K5%
- Large individual (itemized)$1.7M67%
- PAC / committee$746K29%
By election cycle. Source: FEC.
Committee memberships
- Member, Senate Committee on Energy and Natural ResourcesOn record since Jan 2025Member
- Member, Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources — EnergyOn record since Jan 2025Member
- Member, Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources — Public Lands, Forests, and MiningOn record since Jan 2025Member
- Member, Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources — Water and PowerOn record since Jan 2025Member
- Chairman, Senate Committee on Foreign RelationsOn record since Jan 2025Chair
- Ex Officio, Senate Committee on Foreign Relations — Africa and Global Health PolicyOn record since Jan 2025Member
- Ex Officio, Senate Committee on Foreign Relations — East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity PolicyOn record since Jan 2025Member
- Ex Officio, Senate Committee on Foreign Relations — Europe and Regional Security CooperationOn record since Jan 2025Member
- Ex Officio, Senate Committee on Foreign Relations — Multilateral International Development, Multilateral Institutions, and International Economic, Energy, and Environmental PolicyOn record since Jan 2025Member
- Ex Officio, Senate Committee on Foreign Relations — Near East, South Asia, Central Asia, and CounterterrorismOn record since Jan 2025Member
- Ex Officio, Senate Committee on Foreign Relations — State Department and USAID Management, International Operations, and Bilateral International DevelopmentOn record since Jan 2025Member
- Ex Officio, Senate Committee on Foreign Relations — Western Hemisphere, Transnational Crime, Civilian Security, Democracy, Human Rights, and Global Women's IssuesOn record since Jan 2025Member
- Member, Senate Committee on Small Business and EntrepreneurshipOn record since Jan 2025Member
- Member, Senate Select Committee on EthicsOn record since Jan 2025Member
- Member, Senate Select Committee on IntelligenceOn record since Jan 2025Member
- Member, United States Senate Caucus on International Narcotics ControlOn record since Jan 2025Member
Source: Congress.gov.
Integrity
Promises kept vs. worked against — weighted breakdown+90 · based on 5 rated promises
- Partial 1
- Fully Kept 4
Teal segments are promises kept; amber and stone segments are promises worked against. The signed score weights each rated promise by significance and evidence confidence. Promise-keeping is shown separately from popularity, finance, disclosure, and stated positions. Methodology is open.
Integrity over time
In office since Jan 2015 · 5 rated promisesEach step is a real change in the sourced record — the score holds between assessments.
Promise status over time
How the tracked promise record has evolved.
- Kept5
- Against0
- No opportunity0
- In progress0
Replayed from this official’s sourced assessment history — the bands step only when an assessment is recorded or changed. Based on the most recent roll-call votes on file and the tracked promise assessments; never interpolated.
Topic coverage
12 promises across 9 topicsWhat this record covers — the number of tracked promises per topic. This is coverage, not a verdict; the kept/against shading within each bar mirrors the Integrity breakdown above.
- Energy / Nuclear2
- Fiscal / National Debt2
- Foreign Policy / Ukraine2
- Agriculture / Trade1
- Energy / Geothermal1
- Foreign Policy / China-Taiwan1
- Public Lands1
- Second Amendment1
- Wildfire / Forest Management1
Evidence & significance
Evidence quality
Strongest source cited per promise.
- Primary (official record)1083%
- Reputable news18%
- Partisan18%
Significance mix
How weighty the tracked promises are (1 = minor, 5 = defining).
Significance weights each promise in the Integrity Score.
12 tracked promises
“Introduced the Deter PRC Aggression Against Taiwan Act, committing to prepare rapid U.S. sanctions and economic measures to defend Taiwan against Chinese coercion or invasion.”
“Introduced the PEACE Act to create a U.S. Treasury fund letting European and NATO allies pay to replenish U.S. military equipment donated to Ukraine, committing to give the President a tool to make allies cover the cost of weapons for Ukraine.”
“Publicly committed to oppose and block proposals to sell off Idaho's federal public lands, assuring constituents the proposed sell-off would not become law.”
“Pledged to maintain a bipartisan commitment to send Ukraine the military support it needs to win the war, including armor, air defense, and aircraft.”
“Named reducing the national debt as his top priority, framing the debt as an existential threat he will focus on.”
“Introduced the ARC Act (Accelerating Reliable Capacity), committing to a federal risk-reduction program to mitigate financial risks and get new commercial nuclear reactors online.”
“Led the International Nuclear Energy Act, committing to build U.S. capacity to export civil nuclear technology and compete with Russia and China in global nuclear markets.”
“Introduced the Forest Protection and Wildland Firefighter Safety Act, committing to ensure timely access to fire retardant and limit litigation that delays wildfire response.”
“Co-introduced a constitutional Balanced Budget Amendment, committing to support requiring the federal government to balance its budget.”
“Committed to defend Second Amendment rights and work to roll back federal gun control laws.”
“Introduced the CLEAN Act, committing to require the Bureau of Land Management to hold annual geothermal lease sales to expand geothermal energy access.”
“Committed to support free and fair trade that opens export markets for Idaho agricultural products and protects farmers from predatory practices.”
Verified record
253 sponsored bills · finance on fileFacts imported directly from official government sources — shown separately from tracked promises and never folded into the Integrity Score. Each entry links to its primary source.
FEC 2026 cycle — raised $3,937,857, spent $2,402,936, cash on hand $0.
View the FEC filing ↗Sponsored legislation
- Sponsored S 4960: A bill to amend the Geothermal Steam Act of 1970 to increase the frequency of lease sales, to require replacement sales, and for other purposes. ↗Jul 14, 2026
- Sponsored S 4726: PEACE in Sudan Act ↗Jun 9, 2026
- Sponsored S 4621: SILVER Act ↗May 21, 2026
- Sponsored SRES 719: A resolution celebrating the 154th anniversary of Arbor Day. ↗Apr 30, 2026
- Sponsored SRES 697: A resolution welcoming Their Majesties King Charles III and Queen Camilla of the United Kingdom to the United States on the occasion of His Majesty's address to a joint meeting of Congress, and recognizing the historic global significance of the United States-United Kingdom relationship. ↗Apr 28, 2026
- Sponsored S 4108: Veteran Burial Benefit Correction Act ↗Mar 17, 2026
- Sponsored S 3814: ARC Act of 2026 ↗Feb 10, 2026
- Sponsored SRES 573: A resolution expressing the need for the United States continued leadership on matters of religious freedom. ↗Dec 18, 2025
- Sponsored SRES 536: A resolution designating December 2, 2025, as "World Nuclear Energy Day". ↗Dec 8, 2025
- Sponsored S 3085: Firearm Access During Shutdowns Act of 2025 ↗Oct 30, 2025
- Sponsored S 2960: Deter PRC Aggression Against Taiwan Act ↗Oct 1, 2025
- Sponsored S 2904: SHADOW Fleet Sanctions Act of 2026 ↗Sep 18, 2025
Showing the 12 most recent of 253 sponsored measures.
Voting record
- Total votes
- 858
- Yea
- 614
- Nay
- 220
- Present
- 0
- Not voting
- 24
Full voting record
858 votes- SJRES198Nay
- PN8518Yea
- PN9304Yea
- PN9304Yea
- S4784Yea
- PN9382Yea
- PN9303Not voting
- SJRES185Nay
- PN9382Yea
- SJRES196Nay
- PN9303Yea
- PN9302Yea
- PN9302Yea
- PN9307Yea
- PN9307Yea
- HCONRES86Nay
- PN8593Yea
- HR6644Yea
- PN73033Yea
- HR6644Yea
Roll-call votes, 119th Congress. Source: Voteview (voteview.com). Click any vote to verify it independently.
Stated positions
9 positions on recordWhat this official says they believe — sourced claims, shown distinctly from tracked promises and from any assessment of what they did. A stated position is never scored and never affects the Integrity Score.
- Second AmendmentStated position
Committed to defend Second Amendment rights and work to roll back federal gun control laws.
Sourceshttps://adagop.org/candidate/senator-jim-risch/View position & sources → - Agriculture / TradeStated position
Committed to support free and fair trade that opens export markets for Idaho agricultural products and protects farmers from predatory practices.
Sourceshttps://adagop.org/candidate/senator-jim-risch/View position & sources → - Energy / GeothermalStated position
Introduced the CLEAN Act, committing to require the Bureau of Land Management to hold annual geothermal lease sales to expand geothermal energy access.
Sourceshttps://gemstatechronicle.com/2026/07/risch-clean-act-geothermal-energy-production/View position & sources → - Foreign Policy / China-TaiwanStated position
Introduced the Deter PRC Aggression Against Taiwan Act, committing to prepare rapid U.S. sanctions and economic measures to defend Taiwan against Chinese coercion or invasion.
Sourceshttps://www.foreign.senate.gov/press/rep/release/risch-introduces-deter-prc-aggression-against-taiwan-act-to-defend-taiwanView position & sources → - Foreign Policy / UkraineStated position
Pledged to maintain a bipartisan commitment to send Ukraine the military support it needs to win the war, including armor, air defense, and aircraft.
Sourceshttps://www.foreign.senate.gov/press/rep/release/risch-wicker-introduce-bill-to-ensure-europe-pays-for-ukraine-military-salesView position & sources → - Public LandsStated position
Publicly committed to oppose and block proposals to sell off Idaho's federal public lands, assuring constituents the proposed sell-off would not become law.
Sourceshttps://localnews8.com/politics/idaho-politics/2025/06/21/senator-jim-risch-addresses-proposal-to-sell-off-public-lands-at-idaho-gop-summer-meeting/View position & sources → - Energy / NuclearStated position
Introduced the ARC Act (Accelerating Reliable Capacity), committing to a federal risk-reduction program to mitigate financial risks and get new commercial nuclear reactors online.
Sourceshttps://www.foreign.senate.gov/press/rep/release/risch-colleagues-lead-legislation-to-counter-adversary-nuclear-energy-programsView position & sources → - Wildfire / Forest ManagementStated position
Introduced the Forest Protection and Wildland Firefighter Safety Act, committing to ensure timely access to fire retardant and limit litigation that delays wildfire response.
Sourceshttps://www.crapo.senate.gov/media/newsreleases/crapo-risch-lummis-introduce-bill-to-protect-firefighters-communities-from-wildfire-threatsView position & sources → - Fiscal / National DebtStated position
Named reducing the national debt as his top priority, framing the debt as an existential threat he will focus on.
Sourceshttps://www.crapo.senate.gov/media/newsreleases/crapo-risch-introduce-balanced-budget-amendmentView position & sources →
Disclosure
A separate measure from the promise scorecard above. It tracks confirmed cases where this official has acted on or championed an issue that already existed when they ran, but which they did not disclose as a priority in their campaign. Each case meets a high evidence bar — three independent sources — and the score is shown alongside the Integrity Score, never merged into it. How this is measured.
No undisclosed priorities on record. This is not a clean-audit claim — it means none have been confirmed for this official.
Office context & community edits
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