Rep. Butch Otter (R) Elected 2000, 3d term
Born:	May 3, 1942, Caldwell
Home:	Star
Education:	Col. of ID, B.A. 1967
Religion:	Catholic
Marital Status:	divorced
Elected  Office:	ID House of Reps., 1972-76; ID Lt. Gov., 1986-2000.
Military Career:	ID Natl. Guard, 1967-73.
Professional Career:	Rancher; Dir., Food Products Div., Pres., Simplot Livestock, Pres., Simplot Intl., 1963-1993.
DC Office	1711 LHOB20515, 202-225-6611; Fax: 202-225-3029; Web site: www.house.gov/otter
State Offices	Boise, 208-336-9831; Coeur d'Alene, 208-667-0127; Lewiston, 208-298-0030; Nampa, 208-466-4503.
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The 1st District of Idaho stretches from the Nevada border to Canada, including some of usually Republican Boise and all of the panhandle, historically Democratic but more recently leaning Republican. It includes two of Idaho's big growth areas, the western suburbs of Boise and the Coeur d'Alene area to the north in Kootenai County; high-tech and tourism have fueled the economy. In Nampa, whose population nearly doubled in the 1990s and replaced Pocatello as Idaho's second-largest city, commercial developers have taken over land outside Boise that not long ago grew wheat and alfalfa. Subdivisions with as many as 1,000 homes are being constructed in nearby Meridian, the fastest-growing city in Idaho, as city planners struggle to upgrade their infrastructure. Some old-timers worry that their areas may become a new version of San Jose or Orange County, but support for property rights remain strong here. Politically, the 1st District is overwhelmingly Republican. Northern mining counties were once the district's Democratic base; now it is the university town of Moscow. But every county here voted for George W. Bush in 2000 and 2004.

The congressman from the 1st District is C.L. "Butch" Otter, a Republican first elected in 2000 and something of a free spirit. His father was a journeyman electrician and lifelong Democrat. He entered an abbey to pursue the priesthood but quickly decided that was not his calling; in 1967, he graduated from the College of Idaho. He went to work for his then father-in-law, billionaire J.R. Simplot, at the J.R. Simplot Company, one of the largest potato processors in the world, owner of the largest feedlot in the nation, and an early investor in Micron Technology. In 1972 he was elected to the state House. Otter ran for governor in 1978, finishing third in the Republican primary. In 1986, he was elected lieutenant governor, and served under three governors until he was elected to Congress. Otter, a wealthy ranch owner after his 1993 divorce, believes strongly in gun ownership and property rights. But he is not the social conservative that other Idaho Republicans have been. In 1992, he won the "Mr. Tight Jeans" contest at the Rockin' Rodeo bar in Boise. While he opposes abortion, he believes that the government should stay out of people's lives. He wants to check the power of the Environmental Protection Agency. This isn't a surprise: As a ranch owner, Otter has been charged three times by the EPA for violating the Clean Water Act; in 2001, he paid a fine of $50,000 for dredging and filling wetlands without a permit. But violating federal environmental regulations is not necessarily the worst offense in Idaho.

In 2000, when Helen Chenoweth-Hage kept her pledge to limit herself to three terms, a venomous Republican primary ensued between Otter and Dennis Mansfield, who founded the Christian conservative group Idaho Family Forum. Mansfield's supporters highlighted Otter's 1993 drunk-driving conviction, following which he agreed to perform 72 hours of community service and attend 16 hours of an alcohol treatment program; he apologized and went on a speaking tour to youngsters across Idaho. One of Mansfield's ads stated: "Just what we need in Washington--another bad example for our children." But Otter had the support of most Republican insiders, including Governor Dirk Kempthorne and 29 of 31 state senators. Mansfield, running as a political outsider, backed term limits and was endorsed by the Wall Street-based Club for Growth. With help from a late get-out-the-vote campaign by the National Rifle Association and local farming and ranching interests--plus a more than 3-1 fundraising advantage--Otter won all 19 counties and defeated Mansfield 48%-27%. He easily won the general, 65%-31%.

In the House, Otter occasionally broke with conservatives on cultural issues and foreign policy. He was criticized locally when he called for a 10-year study of how to control development in the state's vast wild areas, rather than work as other members of the delegation have to develop consensus among those with different views; Idaho is one of two Western states without a federal wilderness area. He sought $50 million to restore salmon habitat in Idaho rivers. In 2001, he was one of three House Republicans to vote against the USA Patriot Act. Later, six House Republicans co-sponsored Otter's bill to repeal parts of the statute. In July 2004 he sponsored an amendment with independent Bernie Sanders to prevent authorities from using the Patriot Act to demand information on book buyers and library users; he lost on a tie vote after Republican leaders held the roll call open for 23 extra minutes to turn the outcome their way. "You win some, and some get stolen," Otter said. He called airport "pat-down" screening procedures degrading to women.

In 2002, Otter faced a re-election challenge from Betty Richardson, who was U.S. Attorney for Idaho during the Clinton administration. She called Otter too conservative for his constituents, but conceded that national Democrats were too liberal for Idaho. Otter modified his earlier position on Social Security, and said that investment in private accounts should be for amounts above the payroll deduction. Richardson spent plenty of money and carried two counties surrounding the University of Idaho, but Otter won 59%-39%. He was reelected in 2004 with 70% of the vote. In mid-2005 he was running for governor in 2006 and looked likely to have a strong primary opponent in Lieutenant Governor Jim Risch. If Otter does not run for reelection, Republicans seem likely to hold this district.

Committees

• Energy & Commerce (26th of 31 R): Commerce, Trade & Consumer Protection; Energy & Air Quality; Environment & Hazardous Materials.

Group Ratings (More Info)
	ADA	ACLU	AFS	LCV	ITIC	NTU	COC	ACU	NTLC	CHC
2004	5	20	0	0	90	82	95	100	100	92	--
2003	20	--	0	5	--	71	97	84	--	--	--

National Journal Ratings (More Info)
	2003 LIB	--	2003 CONS		2004 LIB	--	2004 CONS
Economic	21%	--	75%		15%	--	84%
Social	40%	--	58%		36%	--	61%
Foreign	51%	--	48%		51%	--	48%
For National Journal's complete 2004 Vote Ratings, as well as previous ratings dating back to 1995, please click here.

Key Votes Of The 108th Congress (More Info)
1. Drilling in ANWR Y 2. Approve Bush Tax Cuts Y 3. Medicare/Rx Bill Y 4. Bar Overtime Pay Regs. N 5. DC School Vouchers Y 6. Ban Human Cloning Y		7. Restrict Gun Liability Y  8. Ban Partial-Birth Abortion Y  9. Ban Same-Sex Marriage Y 10. Fund Iraq War N 11. Bar Cuba Embargo Funds Y 12. Intelligence Reorg. Y

Election Results (More Info)
	Candidate	Total Votes	Percent	Expenditures
2004 general	Butch Otter (R)	207,662	70%	$512,498
	Naomi Preston (D)	90,927	31%	$15,152
2004 primary	Butch Otter (R)	48,986	78%
	Jim Pratt (R)	13,433	22%
2002 general	Butch Otter (R)	120,743	59%	$997,441
	Betty Richardson (D)	80,269	39%	$476,354
	Other	5,129	2%
Prior winning percentages: 2000 (65%)

2004 Presidential Vote Bush (R) 215,069 (69%) Kerry (D) 94,915 (30%) Other 3,540 (1%)

2000 Presidential Vote Bush (R) 171,364 (68%) Gore (D) 70,523 (28%)

For 1992 and 1996 presidential results in the First District, please see the Almanac 2000 online. Please note that these older returns reflect district lines as they existed prior to 2002 redistricting.

• Cook Partisan Voting Index: R +19
• District Size: 39,972 square miles
• Population in 2000: 648,774; 65.8% urban; 34.2% rural
• Median Household Income: $38,364; 11.0% are below the poverty line
• Occupation: 26.2% blue collar; 56.1% white collar; 17.7% gray collar; 15.5% military veterans
• Race/Ethnic Origin: 89.0% White, 0.3% Black, 0.9% Asian, 1.2% Amer. Indian, 0.1% Hawaiian, 1.5% Two+ races, 0.1% Other, 6.8% Hispanic origin
• Ancestry: 15.4% German, 10.6% English, 8.2% Irish
• Click here for statewide demographic data.