Jim Risch facts for kids

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Quick facts for kids Jim Risch
Risch in 2021

Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 2025
Preceded by	Ben Cardin
In office January 3, 2019 – February 3, 2021
Preceded by	Bob Corker
Succeeded by	Bob Menendez
Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee
In office February 3, 2021 – January 3, 2025
Preceded by	Bob Menendez
Succeeded by	Jeanne Shaheen
Chair of the Senate Small Business Committee
In office January 3, 2017 – January 3, 2019
Preceded by	David Vitter
Succeeded by	Marco Rubio
United States Senator from Idaho
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 2009 Serving with Mike Crapo
Preceded by	Larry Craig
39th and 41st Lieutenant Governor of Idaho
In office January 1, 2007 – January 3, 2009
Governor	Butch Otter
Preceded by	Mark Ricks
Succeeded by	Brad Little
In office January 3, 2003 – May 26, 2006
Governor	Dirk Kempthorne
Preceded by	Jack Riggs
Succeeded by	Mark Ricks
31st Governor of Idaho
In office May 26, 2006 – January 1, 2007
Lieutenant	Mark Ricks
Preceded by	Dirk Kempthorne
Succeeded by	Butch Otter
Majority Leader of the Idaho Senate
In office December 1, 1996 – November 30, 2002
Preceded by	Bruce Newcomb
Succeeded by	Bart Davis
36th President pro tempore of the Idaho Senate
In office December 1, 1982 – November 30, 1988
Preceded by	Reed Budge
Succeeded by	Mike Crapo
Member of the Idaho Senate from the 18th district
In office January 28, 1995 – December 1, 2002
Preceded by	Roger Madsen
Succeeded by	Sheila Sorensen
Member of the Idaho Senate from the 21st district
In office December 1, 1974 – December 1, 1988
Succeeded by	Mike Burkett

Personal details
Born	James Elroy Risch (1943-05-03) May 3, 1943 (age 82) Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Vicki Risch (m. 1968)
Children	3
Education	University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee University of Idaho (BS, JD)
Signature

James Elroy Risch (born May 3, 1943) is an American lawyer and politician. He has been a U.S. Senator for Idaho since 2009. He is a member of the Republican Party. Before becoming a senator, he served as Lieutenant Governor of Idaho and even as Governor of Idaho for a short time.

Jim Risch grew up in Milwaukee. He moved to Idaho in the early 1960s. He studied at the University of Idaho, earning degrees in forestry and law. Later, he taught criminal law at Boise State University. In 1970, he became the prosecuting attorney for Ada County. He was first elected to the Idaho Senate in 1974.

In 2002, Risch became the Lieutenant Governor of Idaho. When the governor resigned in 2006, Risch stepped in as the 31st Governor of Idaho. He decided not to run for a full term as governor. Instead, he ran for and won reelection as lieutenant governor in 2006. He served in that role until 2009.

In 2008, Risch ran for the U.S. Senate and won. He has been reelected twice, in 2014 and 2020.

Early Life and Education

Jim Risch was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. His father, Elroy A. Risch, worked as a lineman for a phone company. His mother, Helen B. (née Levi), had Irish, Scottish, and English family roots.

Risch attended the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee before transferring to the University of Idaho in Moscow. He earned a degree in forestry in 1965. He then continued his studies at the university's law school, where he received his law degree in 1968.

At age 27, Risch started his political career in Boise. He was elected as the prosecuting attorney for Ada County in 1970. While working as a prosecutor, he also taught classes on criminal justice at Boise State College. He also became a successful lawyer, earning a lot of money.

State Politics

Serving in the Idaho Senate

Jim Risch was first elected to the Idaho Senate in 1974. He quickly became a leader, serving as the majority leader starting in 1976. Later, he became the president pro tempore, which is a top leadership role in the state Senate.

After a break from the Senate, Governor Phil Batt appointed Risch to fill a vacant seat in 1995. In 1996, Risch was again elected as the Senate Majority Leader.

Lieutenant Governor of Idaho

In 2002, Risch ran for Lieutenant Governor of Idaho. He won the election and served under Governor Dirk Kempthorne from 2003 to 2006. The lieutenant governor is like a vice-governor, ready to step in if the governor cannot serve.

Governor of Idaho

On May 26, 2006, Jim Risch became governor of Idaho. This happened when Governor Kempthorne resigned to take a job in the U.S. government. Risch appointed Mark Ricks to be his lieutenant governor.

As governor, Risch made some changes. He closed Idaho's office in Washington D.C. and opened new offices within Idaho. He also called a special meeting of the Idaho Legislature to discuss a new law to help with property taxes. In December 2006, he issued an order that state agencies must check if new employees are legal citizens.

Risch served as governor for about seven months. He chose not to run for a full term as governor. Instead, he decided to run for lieutenant governor again.

Returning as Lieutenant Governor

Risch won the election for lieutenant governor in 2006. He served under Governor Butch Otter from 2007 until January 2009. He then resigned from this role to become a U.S. Senator.

U.S. Senate

Risch's official portrait, 2009

Elections for Senator

2008 Election

In 2007, Jim Risch announced he would run for a U.S. Senate seat. In May 2008, he became the Republican candidate. In the main election, he won against Democratic candidate Larry LaRocco with 58% of the votes.

2014 Election

Risch won the Republican primary election with a large majority of votes. He then defeated his opponent, Nels Mitchell, in the general election with 65.3% of the votes.

2020 Election

In 2020, Risch ran without any opponents in the Republican primary. He then won the general election against Democratic candidate Paulette Jordan with 62% of the votes.

Time in the Senate

2010s

In 2017, Senator Risch was one of 22 senators who asked President Donald Trump to remove the United States from the Paris Agreement. This agreement is about countries working together to fight climate change.

In August 2017, Risch supported President Trump's strong warnings to North Korea about launching missiles.

In March 2018, Risch briefly threatened to stop a government spending bill. This was because the bill included changing the name of a protected area to honor a former Idaho governor he had disagreed with. He eventually agreed to the bill.

In January 2019, Risch helped introduce a law that would place sanctions (penalties) on the government of President of Syria Bashar al-Assad. This law also aimed to improve cooperation with Israel and Jordan.

2020s

On January 21, 2020, during the first day of arguments in a trial about President Trump, a courtroom artist drew Risch appearing to fall asleep.

In 2020, Risch was the leader of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He decided not to ask Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to speak at a budget meeting. At that time, an official was investigating a decision by the government to sell weapons to Saudi Arabia without Congress's approval.

Risch was at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, when supporters of President Trump entered the building. He called the event "unpatriotic and un-American." He suggested it happened because people deeply distrusted the election results.

In 2021, Risch delayed the approval of Deborah Lipstadt, a historian, for a job as a special envoy to fight antisemitism.

Committee Work

Senators work in different groups called committees. These groups focus on specific topics. Jim Risch is part of several important committees:

Committee on Energy and Natural Resources: This committee deals with energy, public lands, and water.
Committee on Foreign Relations: This committee handles issues with other countries. Risch is currently the top Republican member (Ranking Member) on this committee.
Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship: This committee helps small businesses.
Select Committee on Ethics: This committee looks into rules for senators.
Select Committee on Intelligence: This committee oversees intelligence agencies.

Other Groups

Senate Republican Conference: This is a group for all Republican senators.
Congressional Coalition on Adoption: This group supports adoption.

Foreign Policy Views

Saudi Arabia

In 2019, Risch worked to calm disagreements among Republican senators. They were concerned about how the Trump government responded to the killing of a Saudi journalist.

Israel Anti-Boycott Act

In March 2018, Risch supported a law called the Israel Anti-Boycott Act. This law would stop federal contractors from supporting or joining boycotts against Israel and Israeli settlements.

Turkey Sanctions

Risch supported a bill in 2019 that aimed to punish Turkey. This was because Turkey had carried out military actions in Syria and bought a missile system from Russia. The bill also aimed to protect allies like the Kurds.

Ethiopia

In October 2022, Risch criticized the Biden government. He felt they were too slow to place sanctions on the government of Ethiopia, where serious problems were happening during the Tigray War.

NATO

In July 2024, Risch supported a report that suggested making NATO stronger. NATO is a military alliance of many countries. The report also talked about planning for possible interference from China.

Political Positions

Jim Risch is known for his conservative political views. This means he often supports traditional ideas and limited government involvement.

Guns

The NRA Political Victory Fund (NRA-PVF), a group that supports gun rights, has given Risch a high grade for his voting record on gun issues.

In 2013, Risch and other Republican senators said they would try to block any bills that they felt threatened gun rights. This included bills that would expand background checks for gun sales. Risch believes that the right to own guns includes the right to buy and sell them freely. He also said that more background checks would make it harder for gun dealers to work with the government.

In 2016, Risch voted against proposals that would have stopped people on a terrorist watch list from buying guns. He also voted against expanding background checks for sales at gun shows and online. However, he voted for other bills that would alert authorities if someone on a terrorist list tried to buy a gun.

Health Care

Risch supports getting rid of and replacing the Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare. He voted against the ACA when it was first introduced in 2010.

In 2020, Risch introduced a bill called the Global Health Security and Diplomacy Act. This bill aimed to improve how the U.S. government works with other countries to prevent and respond to health threats like pandemics.

2021 U.S. Capitol Attack

On May 28, 2021, Risch chose not to vote on creating a special group to investigate the 2021 United States Capitol attack.

Veteran Affairs

On August 2, 2022, Risch was one of only 11 senators who voted against the PACT Act. This bill aimed to expand health care and benefits for veterans who were exposed to harmful substances during their service.

Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023

Risch was among the 31 Republican senators who voted against the final passage of the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023. This act was about managing the government's money.

Personal Life

Jim Risch is Roman Catholic.

Images for kids

Risch with Ivanka Trump, Lauren Gibbs and Shauna Rohbock at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea
Risch with Hong Kong activists who have become prominent figures in the 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests