Idaho Democrat is latest Senate nominee to drop out in boost to independent rival

quote:

---

The Democratic Senate nominee in Idaho has dropped out of the race, clearing a path for an independent candidate to take on the Republican incumbent and following a playbook used by Democrats in other ruby-red states.

“After much consideration and many conversations with my family and my supporters, I have made the difficult decision to exit this race and focus where I think I can have a larger impact,’’ Idaho Democrat David Roth said in a statement.

The move leaves Todd Achilles, a former Democratic state legislator and an Army veteran, as the main challenger to Republican Sen. Jim Risch.

Democrats have long struggled in Idaho, one of the nation’s most Republican states. Donald Trump carried the state three times, winning it by more than 35 points in 2024, and a Democrat has not won a Senate race here since Frank Church in 1974.

Achilles has positioned himself as a moderate who can appeal to voters across the political spectrum. “I reject the left-right divide because the challenge ahead of us is those at the top versus those at the bottom — those in power against the people,’’ he says on his campaign website.

In Nebraska, independent Dan Osborn was the beneficiary of a similar strategy in his ultimately unsuccessful run against Republican Sen. Deb Fischer in 2024, when Democrats did not hold a primary. Osborn is back this cycle, trying to oust Republican Sen. Pete Ricketts in a state that hasn’t elected a Democrat to statewide office since Sen. Ben Nelson was reelected in 2006.

Last week, Democratic Senate nominee Cindy Burbank withdrew from the Senate race in a boost to Osborn. But anti-abortion pastor William Forbes, who lost the primary to Burbank, is suing to force state Democrats to find a replacement for Burbank, the Nebraska Examiner reported.

---