Rep. Mike Simpson (R) Elected 1998, 4th term
Born:	Sept. 8, 1950, Burley
Home:	Blackfoot
Education:	UT St. U., 1968-72; WA U. Dental Schl., D.D.S. 1977
Religion:	Mormon
Marital Status:	married (Kathy)
Elected  Office:	Blackfoot City Cncl., 1980-84; ID House of Reps., 1984-98, Speaker, 1993-98.
Professional Career:	Practicing dentist, 1977-98.
DC Office	1339 LHOB20515, 202-225-5531; Fax: 202-225-8216; Web site: www.house.gov/simpson
State Offices	Boise, 208-334-1953; Idaho Falls, 208-523-6701; Pocatello, 208-478-4160; Twin Falls, 208-734-7219.
Additional Info
Committees · Ratings · Key Votes · Election Results District Demographics
More On Idaho
At A Glance · State Profile District Map Redistricting · Almanac Home
Recent News Coverage
Search the CongressDaily, Hotline, House Race Hotline, National Journal and Technology Daily archives using the form above:
[an error occurred while processing this directive]

The 2d District of Idaho, from central Boise east to the Utah and Wyoming borders, is one of America's most Republican districts. It's also one of the most picturesque. The thick forests, mountain ranges and river valleys close by the Montana border are strongly Republican and suspicious of government. Southeast Idaho is part of the Mormon heartland, and the LDS presence runs deep; eastern Idaho's first Mormon settlements were in Franklin, Bear Lake and Caribou Counties. The old frontier and railroad town of Pocatello was once a Democratic outpost, home to unionized rail workers, a liberal college campus and a far more diverse population than the surrounding parts (Idaho State University used to be known as the place where Mormon kids went to lose their religion). But Pocatello has moved in a Republican direction as union strength declined and the conservative Mormon influence increased. Fifty miles north on I-15, Idaho Falls serves as the metropolis for a vast region stretching from West Yellowstone, Wyoming to the Salmon River Mountains. The nearby Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory, a massive facility that occupies 890 square miles and employs more than 8,000 workers, is located on a windswept, desolate range--exactly why the federal government selected the site in the 1940s to test nuclear reactors. West of INEEL, in the year-round resort community of Sun Valley (Blaine County), celebrities from Bill Gates and Arnold Schwarzenegger to John Kerry and Teresa Heinz have spurred rapid development, which has led to calls for restrictions on growth. Blaine is in the one Idaho county that voted for Kerry, 59%-40%. The other counties in the 2d District voted for George W. Bush by percentages that range between 61% (Teton County) and 92% (Madison County). The district also includes the east side of Boise.

The congressman from the 2d District is Mike Simpson, a Republican first elected in 1998 when incumbent Mike Crapo ran successfully for the Senate. Simpson grew up in Blackfoot, became a dentist and joined his father's practice there. He was elected to the city council in 1980 and to the state House in 1984; he didn't declare himself as a Republican until then and was opposed by the local Republican organization. In 1993 he became Speaker, but kept up his dental practice as well. In the legislature he was known as a moderate in a conservative House, affable and able to get differing sides together. When Governor Phil Batt announced he would retire in 1998, Simpson wanted to run for his office; Senator Dirk Kempthorne's decision to seek the office closed that option. Crapo's decision to run for Kempthorne's Senate seat opened up the House seat for Simpson.

There was a serious contest for the district. In the Republican primary, state Representative Mark Stubbs called for lower payroll taxes; he had opposed nuclear programs at INEEL, while Simpson wanted more work at the facility. But the big issue was term limits. Simpson refused to take a pledge to serve only three terms; the other candidates did. Term limits advocates spent large sums against Simpson. Angry at these ads, Batt endorsed Simpson five days before the election. Simpson ran ads against "outsiders" and "out-of-state folk." Simpson beat Stubbs, 47%-41%. The Democratic nominee was Richard Stallings, a former history professor elected to the House in 1984 and re-elected three times; in 1992 he ran against Kempthorne for the Senate and lost 57%-43%. Stallings talked about his conservative voting record in the House, called for more education spending and pointed with anxiety at falling farm commodity prices. Simpson wanted a smaller federal role in education; he favored tax cuts and individual investment accounts in Social Security. Simpson won 53%-45%, losing the most visible parts of the district--Pocatello, Sun Valley, Boise--but carrying just about everything else.

In the House, Simpson has been relatively moderate for a western Republican. In his first two years, he set out to build relationships with each of his 434 colleagues--preferably, he said, in one-on-one informal conversations. But he did not get to know all of them--the House is a big place--and that reinforced his opposition to term limits. More than most western Republicans, he has reached out to Democrats on economic and social issues. The Idaho Statesman called him "a savvy and solutions-oriented lawmaker." He helped to establish a bipartisan caucus to talk about the trade-related needs of farmers and ranchers. He called for a middle ground on resource issues, but criticized the Clinton administration for acting unilaterally to expand the Craters of the Moon National Monument and filed a bill to prevent similar actions. George W. Bush signed two of his bills; one, to protect hunting rights in the expanded portions of the Craters of the Moon monument, and the other to overhaul a job-training program for veterans. To promote a delicate balance between economic development and a project of the Nature Conservancy, Simpson advanced a proposal for a huge and long-discussed land transfer in Custer County, including a slice of the Sawtooth National Recreation Area. "I want your grandchildren to be able to enjoy the White Clouds like I did when I was young," he told a local group. In 2003, he showed his skills as a party insider when he got a seat on the Appropriations Committee.

Simpson has been reelected without difficulty.

Committees

• Appropriations (31st of 37 R): Energy & Water Development & Related Agencies; Interior, Environment & Related Agencies (Vice Chmn.); Military Quality of Life & Veterans Affairs & Related Agencies.
• Budget (17th of 22 R).

Group Ratings (More Info)
	ADA	ACLU	AFS	LCV	ITIC	NTU	COC	ACU	NTLC	CHC
2004	0	11	13	9	80	55	95	92	65	75	--
2003	10	--	0	5	--	58	97	88	--	--	--

National Journal Ratings (More Info)
	2003 LIB	--	2003 CONS		2004 LIB	--	2004 CONS
Economic	31%	--	68%		23%	--	76%
Social	47%	--	53%		42%	--	58%
Foreign	11%	--	80%		17%	--	78%
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 * 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 Y 11. Bar Cuba Embargo Funds N 12. Intelligence Reorg. Y

Election Results (More Info)
	Candidate	Total Votes	Percent	Expenditures
2004 general	Mike Simpson (R)	193,704	71%	$498,082
	Lin Whitworth (D)	80,133	29%	$68,209
2004 primary	Mike Simpson (R)	unopposed
2002 general	Mike Simpson (R)	135,605	68%	$320,236
	Edward Kinghorn (D)	57,769	29%	$12,467
	Other	5,508	3%
Prior winning percentages: 2000 (71%); 1998 (53%)

2004 Presidential Vote Bush (R) 194,166 (69%) Kerry (D) 86,183 (30%)

2000 Presidential Vote Bush (R) 165,559 (67%) Gore (D) 68,055 (28%)

For 1992 and 1996 presidential results in the Second 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: 43,598 square miles
• Population in 2000: 645,179; 67.0% urban; 33.0% rural
• Median Household Income: $36,934; 12.6% are below the poverty line
• Occupation: 23.8% blue collar; 57.3% white collar; 18.9% gray collar; 14.0% military veterans
• Race/Ethnic Origin: 87.1% White, 0.5% Black, 0.9% Asian, 1.2% Amer. Indian, 0.1% Hawaiian, 1.3% Two+ races, 0.1% Other, 8.9% Hispanic origin
• Ancestry: 16.0% English, 12.2% German, 6.4% Irish
• Click here for statewide demographic data.