2026 forecast ยท Idaho Senate

Jim Risch is all but certain to win Idaho's Senate seat.

Todd Achilles vs Jim Risch. The model has Risch ahead by 22.5 points, winning 100 percent of 2,000 simulated elections.

Safe RModel R +22.5Polls R +22.3Updated October 22, 2026
Todd Achilles
Independent
34.7%
251,854 projected votes
Jim Risch
Republican
57.2%
415,020 projected votes
100%Risch
0%Achilles
Risch all but certainEach square is one simulated election night, Risch wins about 100 of 100
RatingSafe R100% chance for Risch
Model marginR +22.5Polls R +22.3
80 percent rangeR +15.5 to R +29.22,000 simulations
Projected votes725,731Risch 57.2%

The county map

Four ways to read the state: margin, shift from 2024, vote bubbles and turnout

Idaho Senate by county

Ada CountyAdams CountyBannock CountyBear Lake CountyBenewah CountyBingham CountyBlaine CountyBoise CountyBonner CountyBonneville CountyBoundary CountyButte CountyCamas CountyCanyon CountyCaribou CountyCassia CountyClark CountyClearwater CountyCuster CountyElmore CountyFranklin CountyFremont CountyGem CountyGooding CountyIdaho CountyJefferson CountyJerome CountyKootenai CountyLatah CountyLemhi CountyLewis CountyLincoln CountyMadison CountyMinidoka CountyNez Perce CountyOneida CountyOwyhee CountyPayette CountyPower CountyShoshone CountyTeton CountyTwin Falls CountyValley CountyWashington CountyAdaCanyonKootenaiBonnevilleBannockTwin FallsBonnerLatahNez PerceBinghamJeffersonMadison
D +40R +40Click a county to zoom ยท arrow keys step through counties by size
Where the margin is won
Ada County: Achilles +13,583Blaine County: Achilles +4,787Latah County: Achilles +2,109Teton County: Achilles +869Kootenai County: Risch +32,037Canyon County: Risch +25,829Bonneville County: Risch +15,288Twin Falls County: Risch +11,146Bonner County: Risch +9,191Bingham County: Risch +7,840Jefferson County: Risch +7,280Madison County: Risch +5,043Idaho County: Risch +5,034Payette County: Risch +4,973Gem County: Risch +4,520Cassia County: Risch +4,425Franklin County: Risch +3,896Nez Perce County: Risch +3,888Boundary County: Risch +3,510Elmore County: Risch +3,281Minidoka County: Risch +3,187Fremont County: Risch +3,049Bannock County: Risch +3,040Jerome County: Risch +2,679Washington County: Risch +2,387Gooding County: Risch +2,335Owyhee County: Risch +2,224Benewah County: Risch +2,035Clearwater County: Risch +1,943Lemhi County: Risch +1,911Caribou County: Risch +1,645Shoshone County: Risch +1,576Boise County: Risch +1,540Bear Lake County: Risch +1,375Oneida County: Risch +1,308Custer County: Risch +1,028Adams County: Risch +991Lewis County: Risch +890Power County: Risch +853Lincoln County: Risch +731Butte County: Risch +669Valley County: Risch +469Camas County: Risch +230Clark County: Risch +147
Achilles +21,348 net votes from 4 countiesStatewide R +22.6, a 164,075 vote marginRisch +185,423 net votes from 40 counties

Vote share

Each candidate's projected share and the range of 80 percent of simulations

Todd AchillesIND ยท 0% to win
34.7%
Jim RischRepublican ยท 100% to win
57.2%
Natalie FlemingI
6.2%

Scale runs from 25 to 75 percent. The dot is the forecast, the band is the 80 percent range and the brighter tick marks 50 percent.

Projected statewide vote

725,731 votes
CandidateVotesShare
Jim Risch R415,02057.2%
Todd Achilles IND251,85434.7%
Natalie Fleming I44,7056.2%
Matt Loesby L14,2242.0%
Total725,731100%

Each candidate's expected vote in the On Point simulation, at the forecast's projected turnout.

Every simulated outcome

2,000 sims
D +5.0: 1 simulationsD +3.8: 0 simulationsD +2.6: 1 simulationsD +1.3: 0 simulationsD +0.1: 0 simulationsR +1.1: 1 simulationsR +2.3: 2 simulationsR +3.6: 4 simulationsR +4.8: 1 simulationsR +6.0: 1 simulationsR +7.2: 7 simulationsR +8.5: 9 simulationsR +9.7: 14 simulationsR +10.9: 17 simulationsR +12.1: 33 simulationsR +13.4: 38 simulationsR +14.6: 55 simulationsR +15.8: 86 simulationsR +17.0: 98 simulationsR +18.3: 121 simulationsR +19.5: 128 simulationsR +20.7: 164 simulationsR +21.9: 175 simulationsR +23.2: 203 simulationsR +24.4: 183 simulationsR +25.6: 142 simulationsR +26.8: 152 simulationsR +28.1: 131 simulationsR +29.3: 78 simulationsR +30.5: 56 simulationsR +31.7: 36 simulationsR +33.0: 31 simulationsR +34.2: 17 simulationsR +35.4: 9 simulationsR +36.6: 2 simulationsR +37.9: 1 simulationsR +39.1: 1 simulationsR +40.3: 0 simulationsR +41.5: 1 simulationsR +42.8: 1 simulationsD +5.6R +43.4

80 percent of simulations fall between R +15.5 and R +29.2. Negative margins are Democratic wins.

The trend

Each side's chance of winning over the forecast's recent updates

0%25%50%75%100%0% Achilles100% Risch30 updates agoToday

Polling

Every poll in the average, and how the model reads it

The Idaho Senate polling average
10%20%30%40%50%60%JulAugSepOct26.7Achilles47.2Risch
The line is the On Point average: a robust LOWESS fit through the polls, weighted by recency, sample, voter screen and pollster grade, refit three times so outliers count for lessDot size is each poll's weight todayHover or use the arrow keys to read any day
What moves the average today
Peak Insights (R)Sep 30 ยท 500 LV ยท NR19%Risch +25.0
Peak Insights (R)Oct 15 ยท 500 LV ยท NR19%Risch +27.0
Change Research (D)Jul 30 ยท 1,213 LV ยท D19%Risch +24.0
Peak Insights (R)Aug 13 ยท 500 LV ยท NR17%Risch +34.0
The Bullfinch GroupAug 7 ยท 608 LV ยท F16%Achilles +0.5
Advanced Targeting ResearchSep 16 ยท 700 RV ยท NR11%Achilles +9.0

This is the same On Point polling average as the full average page. The forecast reads the polls through its own Election Day projection, shown as the On Point average in the table below, and blends it with partisan lean and fundamentals.

Polls of the race

Full average
PollsterSampleAgeMargin
On Point averageWeighted averageR +22.3
Peak Insights (R)500 LV0dR +27.027 to 54
Peak Insights (R)500 LV15dR +25.024 to 49
Advanced Targeting Research700 RV29dD +9.048 to 39
Peak Insights (R)500 LV63dR +34.018 to 52
The Bullfinch Group608 LV69dD +0.534 to 33.5
Change Research (D)1,213 LV77dR +24.021 to 45
The Bullfinch Group774 RV136dR +4.036 to 40

Each margin is the poll as the pollster published it. The forecast counts every poll after its house effect and the undecided split, which is what the trail above shows; hover a margin for the counted value. Lean R and Lean D mark partisan leaning firms.

Model margin
Risch +22.5
Chance of winning
Todd Achilles0%
Jim Risch100%
Simulated vote
Todd Achilles34.7%
Jim Risch57.2%
Natalie Fleming6.2%
Matt Loesby2.0%
How the model gets there
Partisan leanR +37.5
FundamentalsR +25.7
With pollsR +21.1
Early vote turnoutR +1.4
With early voteR +22.5

Read from 28,945 ballots cast so far in Idaho, against the party mix the forecast expected of them, with similar states and primary turnout. Early vote tracker

Who has endorsed

15 public endorsements in this race, each with where it was reported.

Todd Achilles4
  • American Federation of Government Employeeslabor unionsource
  • National Organization for Women PACWomen's rights PACsource
  • VoteVetsProgressive veterans PACsource
  • National Education AssociationNational teachers unionsource
Jim Risch11
  • Donald TrumpPresident of the United Statessource
  • Mike CrapoU.S. senator from Idahosource
  • Russ FulcherU.S. representative, ID-01source
  • Brad LittleGovernor of Idahosource
  • Kelly AnthonIdaho Senate president pro temporesource
  • Mike MoyleSpeaker of the Idaho Housesource
  • Brent ReganIdaho conservative leadersource
  • Mike LeeU.S. senator from Utahsource
Every endorsement on Watchdog

How we got here

From the state's partisan lean to the forecast, one stage at a time

D +45R +45Partisan leanthe state's baselineR +37.5Fundamentalsapproval, economy, candidatesR +25.7With pollsaverage R +22.3R +21.1With early voteturnout so farR +22.5

Who votes for whom

Estimated vote by group from the model's simulated electorate

Estimated vote by group

model crosstabs
GroupShareAchillesRisch
GenderMen49%31.560.4
Women51%40.051.8
Age18 to 2914%38.852.3
30 to 4422%35.256.8
45 to 6432%34.058.0
65+33%36.955.2
RaceWhite86%33.158.9
Latino8%47.743.9
Asian and other5%60.729.9
Race and genderWhite men42%27.864.3
White women45%38.053.9
Latino men4%45.046.3
Latino women4%50.741.1
All other races5%60.729.9

Every county

The projected vote in each county, largest first

Projected vote by county

44 counties
CountyAchillesRischOtherTotalMargin
Statewide251,351415,42658,954725,731R +22.6
Ada County108,01494,43114,073216,518D +6.5
Canyon County22,74848,5776,79678,121R +33.0
Kootenai County19,43151,4685,74976,648R +41.9
Bonneville County12,08327,3714,92644,380R +34.4
Bannock County12,95715,9972,93331,887R +9.4
Twin Falls County7,99119,1373,11530,243R +36.9
Bonner County6,68015,8711,59324,144R +38.1
Latah County9,1827,0731,07517,330D +12.3
Nez Perce County5,7179,6051,13616,458R +23.4
Bingham County3,36011,2001,80016,360R +47.9
Jefferson County1,5458,8251,48111,851R +61.4
Madison County2,5447,5871,66411,795R +42.8
Blaine County7,6972,91051111,118D +43.3
Payette County1,9216,8947369,551R +51.9
Elmore County2,4055,6867918,882R +36.9
Gem County1,7866,3067528,844R +51.0
Idaho County1,4136,4475478,407R +59.7
Cassia County1,1925,6178417,650R +57.7
Jerome County1,5794,2586206,457R +41.4
Minidoka County1,2594,4467206,425R +49.5
Valley County2,5843,0533095,946R +7.5
Boundary County9734,4834555,911R +59.4
Franklin County5634,4595225,544R +70.0
Fremont County8623,9116325,405R +56.2
Teton County2,8561,9875155,358D +16.4
Shoshone County1,5763,1524285,156R +30.5
Gooding County1,1103,4454625,017R +46.2
Washington County9723,3593214,652R +51.0
Benewah County9152,9503004,165R +48.6
Owyhee County7833,0073344,124R +53.6
Lemhi County8992,8103854,094R +46.4
Boise County1,0592,5993484,006R +38.3
Clearwater County8002,7432313,774R +51.1
Bear Lake County5611,9362322,729R +49.9
Caribou County4012,0462662,713R +60.4
Power County7061,5592112,476R +33.8
Adams County5301,5212152,266R +43.5
Custer County4891,5172562,262R +45.0
Oneida County2291,5371851,951R +66.5
Lincoln County3581,0891601,607R +44.4
Lewis County2801,1701201,570R +56.0
Butte County1808491271,156R +57.8
Camas County12335348524R +42.8
Clark County3818533256R +56.2

Projected 2026 votes from the On Point simulation: each county's expected turnout times its simulated vote share. Totals may differ from the race total by rounding.

Methodology
Every county is rebuilt by simulating voters going to the polls, 2,000 times, from On Point Polling survey data, past results, and the polling average. How the model works.