Simpson wins 2nd District GOP primary

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — The Latest on Idaho's primary election (all times local):

9:35 p.m.

Mike Simpson has won the Republican primary for Idaho’s 2nd Congressional District.

Simpson, who has been in office since 1999, defeated Kevin Rhoades, a Boise resident and small businessman. Rhoades tried to position himself to the right of Simpson. But Simpson has a long history of bringing in federal dollars for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Idaho National Laboratory, one of the largest employers in Simpson’s district as well as the state.

President Donald Trump endorsed Simpson in a tweet earlier on Tuesday.

Idaho’s 2020 primary became the state’s first mail-in primary due to the coronavirus pandemic, and then a ruling in a federal lawsuit gave voters an extra week to request ballots.

Simpson will be a heavy favorite in the fall.

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9:30 p.m.

Paulette Jordan has won the Idaho Democratic primary for U.S. Senate.

Jordan, who was her party’s 2018 gubernatorial nominee, garnered national attention during that campaign amid hopes from supporters that she could become the first Native American governor in the United States. She lost to Republican and then Lt. Gov. Brad Little. Jordan is a former state lawmaker.

She’ll face incumbent Sen. Jim Risch, who will be heavily favored in November in conservative Idaho. Risch ran unopposed in the GOP primary.

Jordan is a member of the Coeur d’Alene Tribe with a long history of working on the tribal council. Jordan has generally advocated for progressive policies, including teacher loan forgiveness, better rural education and better access to health care.

Idaho’s 2020 primary became the state’s first mail-in primary because of the coronavirus pandemic. A ruling in a federal lawsuit gave voters an extra week to request ballots.