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James E. Risch

RepublicanJames E. Risch

U.S. Senator · Idaho

RepublicanFederal

U.S. Senator from Idaho

12 tracked promises, 5 rated

Idaho

Idaho

Represents Idaho statewide

95/100
Trust rating
Strongly keeps promises
95
0 · Broken50 · Mixed100 · Kept
A transparent rescale of the Integrity Score (+90) to 0–100, aggregated from 5 rated promises. Never an opaque single score.
How this is calculated →

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).

62.6%
Win share
538,446
Votes for winner
859,827
Total cast
  • Jim Risch · Republican62.6%
  • Paulette Jordan · Democrat33.2%
  • Natalie M Fleming · Other2.9%
  • 1 Other Candidate1.2%

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 includes sponsorship of bills related to energy policy, particularly in geothermal and nuclear energy, as evidenced by his sponsorship of the CLEAN Act and the ARC Act. His involvement in foreign policy includes bills such as the Deter PRC Aggression Against Taiwan Act and the PEACE in Sudan Act. His sponsorship of resolutions related to Arbor Day and small manufacturers of firearms suggests engagement with cultural and economic issues. 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 are consistent with his declared positions on energy, foreign policy, and agriculture. For instance, his support for geothermal energy is reflected in the CLEAN Act, and his focus on foreign policy is evident in the Deter PRC Aggression Against Taiwan Act. What this can't tell you: The motivations behind his legislative choices are not disclosed; The effectiveness of his sponsored bills in achieving their intended outcomes is unclear; There are no statements on file to provide additional context or insights into his positions. Confidence: high (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 2024. 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. The tracked-positions tile counts sourced stated positions — claims about what they believe, not conduct — and is likewise never scored.

Roll-call data last updated September 7, 2026 · source: Voteview.

Bills sponsored over time

19bills sponsored
19 pending
05101520Bills2024: 19 pending192024

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

0%
0 of 19 sponsored bills became law
19 pending

Bills SPONSORED in the 118th–119th Congresses, by their latest action. Source: Congress.gov.

Campaign finance over time

$0
Cash on hand · 2026
$4.0M
Raised, 20242026
RaisedSpentCash on hand
$0$1.3M$2.5M$3.8M$5M2024: raised $632K2024: spent $462K20242026: raised $3.4M2026: spent $2.2M20262024: cash on hand $02026: cash on hand $0
Where the money came from · 2026
Small-dollar (unitemized): $140K (5%)Large individual (itemized): $1.9M (65%)65%PAC / committee: $897K (30%)30%
  • Small-dollar (unitemized)$140K5%
  • Large individual (itemized)$1.9M65%
  • PAC / committee$897K30%

By election cycle. Source: FEC.

Committee memberships

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 promises

The line steps at each recorded assessment and holds between them; it ends on the current published score.

−100 worked against0+100 kept
Integrity Score by assessment date. Score ranges from −100 (worked against) to +100 (kept).
DateIntegrity Score
Jul 2026100
Jul 2026100
Jul 202685
Jul 202689
Jul 202690
Jan 202790 (current, held from last rating)

Promise status over time

How the tracked promise record has evolved.

5 tracked
  • Kept5
  • Against0
  • No opportunity0
  • In progress0
0246Jul 2026Jul 2026Jul 2026

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.

Not yet scoredNot yet rated 7— tracked, but not counted toward Integrity

Topic coverage

12 promises across 9 topics

What 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
Kept Worked against No opportunity / not yet scored

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).

10
22
35
45
50

Significance weights each promise in the Integrity Score.

Tracked promises

12 tracked promises

Fully Keptmedium confidence

Pledged to maintain a bipartisan commitment to send Ukraine the military support it needs to win the war, including armor, air defense, and aircraft.

Foreign Policy / UkraineSpecific · measurablePromised Dec 2022
SourcesU.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations (Risch/Crapo release, April 23, 2024)· archivedU.S. Senate (official roll call vote record)· archivedU.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations· archived
Partialmedium confidence

Named reducing the national debt as his top priority, framing the debt as an existential threat he will focus on.

Fiscal / National DebtSpecific · measurable
SourcesAda County Republican PartyCommittee for a Responsible Federal Budget (citing CBO)Sandpoint ReaderU.S. Senate Committee on the Budget· archivedOffice of U.S. Senator James E. Risch· archived
Fully Kepthigh confidence

Co-introduced a constitutional Balanced Budget Amendment, committing to support requiring the federal government to balance its budget.

Fiscal / National DebtPromised Feb 2021
SourcesOffice of U.S. Senator Mike Crapo (U.S. Senate)· archivedOffice of U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (hydesmith.senate.gov)· archivedCongress.gov (Library of Congress) — S.J.Res.6, 117th Congress
Fully Kepthigh confidence

Committed to defend Second Amendment rights and work to roll back federal gun control laws.

Second Amendment
SourcesU.S. Senate (Sen. Bill Cassidy press release, Jan. 10, 2025)· archivedAda County Republican PartyU.S. Senate (Roll Call Vote 66, 115th Congress, H.J.Res.40)· archivedU.S. Senate (Roll Call Vote 242, 117th Congress, S.2938 Bipartisan Safer Communities Act)· archived
Fully Kepthigh confidence

Committed to support free and fair trade that opens export markets for Idaho agricultural products and protects farmers from predatory practices.

Agriculture / Trade
SourcesCapital PressU.S. Senate — Roll Call Vote 116th Congress, 2nd Session, No. 14· archivedAda County Republican PartyGovTrack — Securing American Agriculture Act (S.912, 119th Congress)
Not yet rated

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.

Foreign Policy / China-TaiwanSpecific · measurablePromised Oct 2025
SourcesU.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations· archived
Not yet rated

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.

Foreign Policy / UkraineSpecific · measurablePromised Jul 2025
SourcesU.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations· archived
Not yet rated

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.

Public LandsSpecific · measurablePromised Jun 2025
SourcesLocalNews8.com (KIFI-TV)
Not yet rated

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.

Energy / NuclearPromised Feb 2026
SourcesOffice of U.S. Senator James E. Risch (risch.senate.gov)· archived
Not yet rated

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.

Energy / NuclearPromised May 2025
SourcesU.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations· archived
Not yet rated

Introduced the Forest Protection and Wildland Firefighter Safety Act, committing to ensure timely access to fire retardant and limit litigation that delays wildfire response.

Wildfire / Forest ManagementPromised May 2025
SourcesOffice of U.S. Senator Mike Crapo (U.S. Senate)· archived
Not yet rated

Introduced the CLEAN Act, committing to require the Bureau of Land Management to hold annual geothermal lease sales to expand geothermal energy access.

Energy / GeothermalPromised Jul 2026
SourcesGem State Chronicle

Verified record

253 sponsored bills · finance on file

Facts 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.

Campaign financeas of Apr 29, 2026

FEC 2026 cycle — raised $3,937,857, spent $2,402,936, cash on hand $0.

View the FEC filing ↗

Voting record

Total votes
890
Yea
640
Nay
225
Present
0
Not voting
25

Full voting record

890 votes
  • PN1078Yea
  • PN1078Yea
  • PN73011Yea
  • PN73011Yea
  • PN932Yea
  • PN932Yea
120 of 890
Page 1 / 45

Roll-call votes, 119th Congress. Source: Voteview (voteview.com). Click any vote to verify it independently.

Positions on record

11 positions on record

The record on this issue — recorded votes this official cast, and sourced claims about what they believe. Each is labelled with which it is, because a vote is what someone did and a statement is what they said. Neither is scored, and neither affects the Integrity Score.

  • Second AmendmentStated position

    Committed to defend Second Amendment rights and work to roll back federal gun control laws.

    SourcesAda County Republican Party
    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.

    SourcesAda County Republican Party
    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.

    SourcesGem State Chronicle
    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.

    SourcesU.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations· archived
    View 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.

    SourcesU.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations· archived
    View 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.

    SourcesLocalNews8.com (KIFI-TV)
    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.

    SourcesU.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations· archived
    View 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.

    SourcesOffice of U.S. Senator Mike Crapo (U.S. Senate)· archived
    View position & sources
  • Mass Surveillance, Tracking, and Flock SafetyRecorded vote

    On record voting NAY on Durbin Amendment No. 1841, as modified, to H.R. 7888, the Reforming Intelligence and Securing America Act, an amendment whose stated purpose was to prohibit warrantless access to the communications and other information of United States persons. The amendment was rejected 42 to 50.

    SourcesSenate Roll Call Vote 148, 118th Congress, 2nd Session: On the Amendment, Durbin Amdt. No. 1841 as Modified to H.R. 7888, the Reforming Intelligence and Securing America Act. Amendment Rejected, 42 yeas to 50 nays, April 19, 2024.
    View position & sources
  • Mass Surveillance, Tracking, and Flock SafetyRecorded vote

    On record voting NAY on Paul Amendment No. 1829 to H.R. 7888, the Reforming Intelligence and Securing America Act, an amendment whose stated purpose was to append the Fourth Amendment Is Not For Sale Act to the bill. The amendment was rejected 31 to 61, a three-fifths majority being required.

    SourcesSenate Roll Call Vote 144, 118th Congress, 2nd Session: On the Amendment, Paul Amdt. No. 1829 to H.R. 7888, the Reforming Intelligence and Securing America Act. Amendment Rejected, 31 yeas to 61 nays with a three-fifths majority required, April 19, 2024.
    View 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.

    SourcesOffice of U.S. Senator Mike Crapo (U.S. Senate)· archived
    View position & sources
Disclosure
No undisclosed priorities on record

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.

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Office context & community edit history

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