Mike Simpson

Born in Burley, Simpson was raised in Blackfoot, where his father was a dentist. He graduated from Blackfoot High School in 1968, Utah State University in Logan in 1972, and the dental school of Washington University in St. Louis in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1977. Simpson practiced dentistry in Blackfoot until his election to Congress in 1998. He was elected to the Blackfoot City Council in 1980 and to the state legislature in 1984, the first of seven terms. He was the speaker of the Idaho House before his election to Congress.

Elections

1998

Simpson entered the 1998 campaign for the U.S. House seat vacated by Mike Crapo, who was running for United States Senate. He defeated former Democratic congressman Richard Stallings, who held the seat from 1985 to 1993, in the general election with 52% of the vote. He has never faced another contest that close; Stallings was the last Democrat to win even 40% of the vote.

Simpson did not face serious opposition in 2000, 2002, or 2004. In 2006, Simpson defeated former Democratic state representative Jim D. Hansen, son of former Republican congressman Orval Hansen, with 61% of the vote.

2008

Simpson won the Republican primary 85.2% of the vote, defeating two primary challengers.

Simpson won the general election with 71% of the vote, defeating Democratic nominee Debbie Holmes.

During the 2008 presidential primaries, Simpson was an early supporter of former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney and a member of his Congressional Whip Team.

2010

Simpson won the Republican primary with 58.3% of the vote, defeating Chick Heileson, Russ Mathews, and Katherine Burton.

Simpson was re-elected with 68.8% of the vote, defeating Democratic nominee Mike Crawford and Independent candidate Brian Schad.

2012

In the Republican primary, Simpson defeated Chick Helieson with 69.6% of the vote.

Simpson was re-elected with 65.1% of the vote, defeating Democratic state senator Nicole LeFavour in the general election.

2014

In the Republican primary, Simpson defeated lawyer Bryan Smith with 61.8% of the vote.

Simpson was re-elected with 61.4% of the vote, defeating former congressman Richard Stallings in the general election.

2016

In the Republican primary, Simpson defeated perennial candidate Lisa Marie with 73% of the vote.

Simpson was re-elected with 62.9% of the vote, defeating Jennifer Martinez and Anthony Tomkins in the general election.

2018

Simpson won the Republican nomination unopposed.

Simpson was re-elected with 60.7% of the vote.

2020

Simpson was re-nominated with 72% of the vote, defeating former mixed martial arts fighter Kevin Rhoades in the Republican primary.

Simpson was re-elected with 64.1% of the vote, defeating Democratic nominee Aaron Swisher in the general election.

2022

Simpson was renominated with 54.6% of the vote, defeating 2014 opponent Bryan Smith 54.6%-32.7%, with three other candidates splitting the rest of the vote.

Simpson was re-elected with 63.6% of the vote.

2024

Simpson won the Republican primary with 54.7%, defeating Scott Cleveland and Sean Higgins. He outspent his two primary opponents 6-1, spending $552,233. Cleveland spent $83,725 and received 35.8% of the vote, while Higgins spent $1,021 and received 9.5% of the vote.

Simpson was re-elected with 61.4% of the vote.

2026

Simpson won the Republican primary with 63.3% of the vote, defeating Brian Keene and Perry Shumway. He outspent Shumway 300-1, spending $607,181. Shumway spent $2,836 and received 15.8% of the vote. Keene received 20.9% of the vote.

Tenure

While the Republican Party held the majority in the U.S. House of Representatives, Simpson often served as the speaker pro tempore of the House, particularly during debates on controversial legislation, due to his command of House procedure. Simpson is known to have broken several sounding boards with the gavel while calling the House to order. This inspired him to have a number of sounding boards produced in Idaho, which he presented to then speaker of the House Dennis Hastert as a joke. When the Republican Party regained control of the House of Representatives in 2010, Simpson began once again to serve frequently as Speaker Pro Tempore.

In the 111th United States Congress Simpson became the Ranking Member on the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee. He also serves as the small state representative on the 33-member House Republican Steering Committee. Known as the "committee of committees", the Steering Committee decides which Republican lawmakers become ranking members on House committees. Simpson replaced Don Young on the committee.

Larry Craig scandal

On June 11, 2007, U.S. senator Larry Craig was arrested for indecent behavior in a men's restroom at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport; he pleaded guilty to a charge of disorderly conduct in August 2007 and paid $575 in court fines and fees. Simpson was openly considered for an appointment to the Senate if Craig resigned. Simpson, however, asked Governor Butch Otter to remove his name from consideration, claiming that the Idaho congressional delegation would be in a better position if he were to remain in the House and retain his seniority on the House Appropriations Committee.

Simpson criticized Senate leadership treatment of Craig. He said: "If that's how they treat their own, that tells me they're more interested in party than individuals, and the party is made up of individuals. How you treat them says a lot about your party." Simpson demanded that Craig be treated fairly, saying "They have people over there [in the Senate Republican Conference] in far worse trouble that they haven't said a thing about."

2013 government shutdown

In October 2013, Simpson voted to end the United States federal government shutdown of 2013.

Gun rights

Simpson was one of the members of Congress to sign the D.C. v. Heller amicus brief which supported a recognition of the Second Amendment as an individual right.

Idaho-focused environmental legislation

Simpson's hallmark legislation is the Central Idaho Economic Development and Recreation Act (CIEDRA), which would create 312,000 acres of wilderness in central Idaho, much of which is currently a wilderness study area. He has faced substantial resistance from groups like the Sierra Club, which claim the bill lacks "wilderness values" because it allows for motorized access to certain parts of the wilderness area and some federal land would be transferred to the State of Idaho to promote the economic development of the local community and the recreational use of National Forest land and other public lands in central Idaho. Simpson has also faced opposition from groups that oppose new federal land designations, and wilderness designations particularly, because of restricted access to wilderness areas. In August 2015, a revised version of CIEDRA, the Sawtooth National Recreation Area and Jerry Peak Wilderness Additions Act, passed Congress and was signed by President Obama, creating the Hemingway-Boulders, Jim McClure-Jerry Peak, and White Clouds wilderness areas, which cover a total of 275,665 acres (111,558 ha) of central Idaho.

On March 21, 2014, Simpson introduced the bill To amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to maintain or replace certain facilities and structures for commercial recreation services at Smith Gulch in Idaho (H.R. 4283; 113th Congress). The bill would require the United States secretary of agriculture to permit private entities to repair or replace certain commercial facilities on United States Forest Service land in Idaho. Simpson said, "this legislation clarifies Congress's intent of the 2004 amendments to the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act which continued the existing use and occupancy of commercial services in this corridor of the Salmon River". The legislation passed the House, but stalled in the Senate.

In February 2021, Simpson announced a "Salmon and Energy" concept intended to restore Snake River salmon while protecting agricultural and energy interests across the Columbia River basin.

Committee assignments

For the 118th Congress:

• Committee on Appropriations
  • Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies
  • Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies (Chairman)
  • Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies

Party leadership

• House Republican Steering Committee

Caucus membership

• Afterschool Caucuses
• House Potato Caucus, Co-chair
• House Sugar Caucus, Co-chair
• Oral Health Caucus, Co-chair
• Congressional TRIO Caucus, Co-chair
• Congressional Arts Caucus
• Congressional Western Caucus
• Nuclear Cleanup Caucus
• Republican Main Street Partnership
• Rare Disease Caucus
• Congressional Caucus on Turkey and Turkish Americans
• Congressional Taiwan Caucus

Since 1998, Simpson has been known as a moderate Republican. For example, he has supported the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities, voting each year against Republican amendments to strip them of funding. In the past he has opposed earmarks.

Esquire listed Simpson as one of the 10 best members of Congress in October 2008. The magazine wrote, "More than any other representative, Simpson lives by the philosophy that democratic representation is a matter of finding not advantageous positions but common ground". The magazine's portrayal of Simpson echoes one of his personal philosophies, which is embodied in Henry Clay's words: "Politics is not about ideological purity or moral self-righteousness. It is about governing, and if a politician cannot compromise he cannot govern effectively." This quotation is framed and hangs in Simpson's Washington D.C. office. Simpson played a key role in the election of John Boehner as House majority leader in the 109th United States Congress. He was close and loyal to Speaker John Boehner.

Donald Trump

During the 2016 U.S. presidential election, Mike Simpson declined to endorse Donald Trump, the only Republican in Idaho's congressional delegation to do so. Simpson called him "unfit to be president," and later stated he would not vote for Trump in the general election, a departure from other Idaho Republicans such as Jim Risch, Mike Crapo, and Raúl Labrador who backed Trump.

After the firing of FBI Director James Comey, Simpson said he'd believe Comey's version of events over Trump's. Simpson was one of few Republicans calling for an independent commission to look into the ties between the president and Russia.

In 2025, Simpson called for renaming the Opera House at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts after first lady Melania Trump. The editorial board of the Idaho Statesman described the move as sycophantic.

Immigration

In 2021, Simpson was one of 30 Republicans who voted for the Farm Workforce Modernization Act, which would grant legal status to certain illegal immigrants working in agriculture and establish a pathway to permanent residency contingent on continued farm work.

Simpson voted for the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2020, which authorized DHS to nearly double the available H-2B visas for the remainder of FY 2020.

Simpson voted for the Consolidated Appropriations Act (H.R. 1158).

Simpson supports Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).

LGBT rights

In 2021, Simpson was among the House Republicans to sponsor the Fairness for All Act, the Republican alternative to the Equality Act. The bill would prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity, and protect the free exercise of religion.

In 2021, Simpson was one of 29 Republicans to vote to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act. This bill expanded legal protections for transgender people and contained provisions allowing transgender women to use women's shelters and serve time in prisons matching their gender identity.

In 2022, Simpson was one of 47 House Republicans to vote with the Democratic Party for the Respect for Marriage Act, repealing the Defense of Marriage Act. He later voted for the final form of the bill as passed in the Senate in December.

Jim Jordan speaker nomination

After the removal of Kevin McCarthy as Speaker of the House, Simpson was one of 18 Republicans who voted against Jim Jordan, who had been endorsed by Donald Trump, in all three ballots for Speaker of the House. This prompted sharp criticism from the Idaho Republican Party, which said it had been “inundated” with complaints from voters and accused Simpson of aligning with Democrats and failing to represent the priorities of Idaho constituents

Judgeships

Simpson has pushed to divide the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, sponsoring bills to that effect in 2007, 2011, 2017, and 2021. None of these bills were successful.

In 2010, Simpson joined congressman Walt Minnick in his effort to secure a third federal judge for Idaho. Simpson said, "The caseload of the Idaho District Court has increased significantly in recent decades resulting in Idaho's district judges carrying a disproportionate share of cases in relation to their colleagues in other states."

As of May 2024, Idaho still has two federal judgeships.

2020 election

In December 2020, Simpson was one of 126 Republican members of the House of Representatives to sign an amicus brief in support of Texas v. Pennsylvania, a lawsuit filed at the United States Supreme Court contesting the results of the 2020 presidential election. The Supreme Court declined to hear the case on the basis that Texas lacked standing under Article III of the Constitution to challenge the results of an election held by another state.

In January 2021, Simpson voted to certify both Arizona's and Pennsylvania's results in the 2021 United States Electoral College vote count.

On May 19, 2021, Simpson was one of 35 Republicans to join all Democrats in voting to approve legislation to establish the January 6 commission meant to investigate the attack of the U.S. Capitol.

Health care

Simpson has committed to repealing the Affordable Care Act (also known as Obamacare), questioning its constitutionality and effectiveness.

In 2014, Simpson was an original co-sponsor of the Newborn Screening Saves Lives Reauthorization Act of 2013 (H.R. 1281; 113th Congress), a bill that would amend the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize grant programs and other initiatives to promote expanded screening of newborns and children for heritable disorders.

In 2017, Simpson voted for and presided over the vote on the American Health Care Act of 2017.

Tax reform

Simpson supports tax reform. When asked about the Grover Norquist pledge to oppose any net increase in taxes, Simpson said, "Well, first, the pledge: I signed that in 1998 when I first ran. I didn't know I was signing a marriage agreement that would last forever."

Simpson voted for the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. After passing the bill, he said he spoke to Idaho farmers, ranchers and businesses who called for a simplified tax code and reform. He said the bill would "create economic growth in the United States by unleashing American small businesses and unburdening middle-class families so they can make better financial decisions with their own money."

Climate change

In a 2019 conference in Boise, Simpson said: "climate change is a reality. It’s not hard to figure out. Go look at your thermometer." In his speech, he tied climate change to the viability of salmon in Idaho lakes and rivers.

Energy

Simpson is a support of nuclear power, extolling its virtues as an environmentally friendly source of energy with minimal carbon output. His support for nuclear energy plays a significant role in his membership of the United States House Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development, which oversees the Idaho National Laboratory, a main site for nuclear and alternative energy research in the United States.

On June 20, 2014, Simpson introduced the Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2015 (H.R. 4923; 113th Congress), a bill that would make appropriations for energy and water development and related agencies for FY2015. The bill would appropriate $34 billion, which is $50 million less than these agencies then received. The appropriations for the United States Department of Energy and the United States Army Corps of Engineers are made by this bill.

Ukraine

In 2022, Simpson voted to provide approximately $14 billion to the government of Ukraine.

Social issues

Simpson supports efforts to make it illegal to desecrate the American flag.

Abortion

Simpson is anti-abortion. He has a zero rating from NARAL Pro-Choice America and a 100% rating from the National Right to Life Committee for his voting record on abortion. He opposes using federal monies to fund abortions, embryonic stem cell research, restricting the transport of minors over state lines to receive abortions, partial-birth abortions except to save a mother's life and human cloning. He supports cutting federal funding of Planned Parenthood.

Big Tech

In 2022, Simpson was one of 39 Republicans to vote for the Merger Filing Fee Modernization Act of 2021, an antitrust package that would crack down on corporations for anti-competitive behavior.

Pesticides

Simpson sponsored H.R. 4754 (Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2026) which would shield pesticides makers including Bayer by not allowing glyphosate to be labeled under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) as carcinogenic. This would end lawsuits against Monsanto which often allege that a lack of cancer warning amounts to mislabeling under FIFRA.

2024

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1998

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