James Elroy Risch was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and moved to Idaho in the early 1960s. He earned a B.S. in forestry in 1965 and a J.D. in 1968, both from the University of Idaho. Before entering federal service, he served as Ada County Prosecuting Attorney starting in 1970 and taught criminal law at Boise State University. He served in the Idaho State Senate from 1975 to 1988 and again from 1995 to 2002. He was elected Lieutenant Governor of Idaho in 2002, served as Governor from 2006 to 2007, and has been a U.S. Senator since 2009. He is currently 82 years old and will be 83 on Election Day 2026. If reelected, he would be 89 at the end of his fourth term.
Risch has had a long political career spanning over 50 years, beginning as Ada County Prosecuting Attorney in 1970. He served 14 years in the Idaho State Senate (with a gap), was elected Lieutenant Governor, briefly served as Governor when Dirk Kempthorne resigned, and has represented Idaho in the U.S. Senate for 18 years. He operates a successful Angus ranch and has other business interests. Risch is known as a serious, deliberate politician focused on foreign policy and fiscal conservatism. He is a member of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity and served on the University of Idaho Law Review.