James Risch

Todd Achilles’ campaign as an independent challenger to a three-term incumbent Republican senator in Idaho remains an uphill battle. But the 59-year-old Boise resident is boasting of several positive developments.

The Democrat in the field dropped out in late July, meaning the race is now basically a 1-on-1 showdown between Achilles and Sen. Jim Risch. Achilles’ internal polling shows him with a bona fide chance of pulling off the upset. He says his campaign has raised more than $1 million in donations.

Plus, “nobody in this state is really happy about reelecting Jim Risch,” Achilles said during an interview Friday afternoon with Lewiston Tribune editors.

That being said, Risch cruised to victory in his three previous runs for a U.S. Senate seat. He collected 62% of the vote in 2020, 65% in 2014 and 57% in 2008. Idaho voters haven’t elected a non-GOP senator since picking Frank Church, a Democrat, in 1974.

Achilles pledges to focus on the economy, which he says no longer serves working-class people, and Congress, which is dysfunctional because of partisanship and self-serving politicians.

Achilles is one of a handful of independent Senate candidates who will appear on November’s general election ballot. He and independents Dan Osborn of Nebraska and Brian Bengs of South Dakota are all in 1-on-1 races against Republican incumbents.

Achilles said that if as few as four independents are elected to the Senate, that group would have enormous sway over how the chamber functions, since neither the Republicans nor Democrats would have a majority. He said the independent faction could pull the Senate out of its partisan gridlock.

Here are a few more points that came up during Achilles’ visit to the Tribune:

Achilles’ campaign has often questioned Risch’s decision to run for another six-year term at the age of 83.

Being a senator “should be an incredibly hard job, and not something that folks in their 80s should be able to do,” Achilles said. “I get lots of other octogenarians saying, ‘What the hell is this guy doing? Because I know I could never do this job.’”

Achilles is hoping to schedule a debate with Risch, and has the 1912 Center in Moscow reserved for Sept. 24. The event will be hosted by the League of Women Voters, along with Mormon Women for Ethical Government and Babe Vote.

Risch “is clearly doing everything he can to avoid a debate,” Achilles said, “and what we’re trying to do is bring as many civic organizations together to make it really hard for him to continue to avoid having a debate.”

Achilles is critical of the Trump administration’s decision to go to war in Iran, and chides Risch, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, for going along with the venture.

Pete Hegseth is “the worst secretary of defense in the history of the country, in the history of the position, and he needs to be removed,” Achilles said.

It will be difficult for the U.S. to withdraw from the war with Iran, Achilles said. No options are ideal. He said pursuing economic sanctions against Iran and rushing pipelines into place to allow oil to bypass the Strait of Hormuz are his preferred options.

Achilles is calling for healthcare reform, but stops short of backing Medicare for all. For many people, health insurance starts with their employer, and those employers, especially the major ones, must not shirk that responsibility, he said.

He added that a public option for health insurance must be available to those who own their own businesses or don’t have access to employer coverage. He recommended strengthening Obamacare (the Affordable Care Act) by removing the compromises that allowed it to pass in 2010.

Baney may be contacted at [email protected] or (208) 848-2251. Follow him on X @MattBaney_Trib.