Idaho Republican U.S. Sen. Crapo wins fifth term

BOISE (AP) — Idaho Republican Senator Mike Crapo on Tuesday won a fifth term in the deeply conservative state that hasn’t elected a Democratic senator since 1974.

The 71-year-old had a huge fundraising advantage and name recognition over other candidates heading into the election.

Crapo raised about $6.5 million compared to about $26,000 for his Democratic challenger, 41-year-old David Roth, who topped the remaining candidates in fundraising. Crapo had more than $5.5 million cash on hand at the end of June, according to federal election tracking.

Other candidates in the race are Independent Scott Cleveland, Libertarian Idaho Sierra Law and Constitution Party candidate Ray Writz.

The difference between Crapo and Roth are stark, perhaps most notably on abortion.

Crapo lauded the U.S. Supreme Court decision in June that stripped away women’s constitutional protections for abortion, a ruling that triggered in Idaho one of the most strict abortion bans in the nation.

Roth, executive director of the Bonneville Youth Development Council in Idaho Falls, posted on his website that “a woman has the right to make her own healthcare decisions.”

Crapo became the ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee in 2021, putting him in a position to potentially chair the committee if Republicans take control of the now evenly-divided Senate. He previously served as chair of the Senate Banking Committee.

Crapo, who received a bachelor’s degree from Brigham Young University and a law degree from Harvard Law School, has a long political career in Idaho. He served in the Idaho Senate for six years before being elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Idaho’s 2nd district, taking office in 1993. He served there for six years before winning election to the U.S. Senate in 1998.