Russ Fulcher
Russ Fulcher | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Idaho's 1st district | |
Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Raúl Labrador |
| Member of the Idaho Senate | |
| In office January 2005 – December 1, 2014 | |
| Preceded by | Jack Noble |
| Succeeded by | Lori Den Hartog |
| Constituency | 21st district (2005–2012) 22nd district (2012–2014) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Russell Mark Fulcher March 9, 1962 Boise, Idaho, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Kara (div. 2018) |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | Boise State University (BBA, MBA) |
| Website | House website |
Russell Mark Fulcher[1] (born March 9, 1962) is an American businessman and politician serving as the U.S. Representative for Idaho's 1st congressional district since 2019. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served in the Idaho Senate where he represented Legislative District 21 from 2005 to 2012 and Legislative District 22 from 2012 until 2014.
Fulcher ran for the position of Governor of Idaho in 2014 but narrowly lost the nomination to incumbent Butch Otter. He was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2018 after a divorce scandal and succeeded incumbent Raúl Labrador, who retired from Congress to run, unsuccessfully, for Governor of Idaho.
Early life and education[]
A fourth-generation Idahoan, Russ Fulcher was born in Boise, Idaho, but grew up on a dairy farm in Meridian, Idaho. Fulcher received both a bachelor's and master's degree in business administration from Boise State University in 1984 and 1988, respectively. He also completed a course on electronic engineering through Micron Technology.
Career[]
While a member of the Idaho legislature, Fulcher worked as a broker in the commercial real estate business. Prior to that, he was involved in Idaho's technology industry. Fulcher spent much of that time working in international business development with Micron Technology.[citation needed]
Idaho Senate[]
Idaho Senate District 21[]
In 2005, Fulcher was appointed by Governor Dirk Kempthorne to the Idaho State Senate representing Idaho's 21st Legislative District, which encompasses large portions of Boise, Meridian and Kuna, to replace , who resigned after a conflict of interest. Fulcher was first elected in 2006 and served through 2012.[2][3]
Idaho Senate District 22[]
Fulcher then served in the Idaho Senate representing District 22 from 2012 to 2014.[4]
He served has State Senate Majority Caucus Leader from 2008 to 2012, and from 2013 to 2014.[5]
Committees[]
Fulcher served on the following Committees:
- Senate Education Committee (Member)
- Senate State Affairs Committee (Vice-Chairman)[6]
U.S. House of Representatives[]
Elections[]
- 2018
On June 15, 2017, Fulcher announced that he would seek the Republican nomination for Idaho's 1st congressional district in the 2018 election.[7][8]
He was endorsed by the incumbent representative, Raúl Labrador,[9] and Texas Senator Ted Cruz.[10]
Fulcher won the Idaho Republican Party primary with 43.1% of the vote, defeating David H. Leroy, Luke Malek, Christy Perry, , Alex Gallegos, and Nick Henderson.[11] Fulcher won 18 of 19 counties in Idaho's 1st congressional district. He was one of two candidates to win his home county.[12]
He won the general election in November with 62.7% of the vote, defeating Cristina McNeil[11] (Democrat), W. Scott Howard[13] (Libertarian), and Marvin "Pro-Life" Richardson (Constitution).[14]
- 2020
Fulcher ran for and won reelection on November 3, 2020, with 67.8% of the vote, defeating Rudy Soto (Democrat) and Joe Evans (Libertarian).
Tenure[]
In December 2020, Fulcher was one of 126 Republican members of the House of Representatives who signed 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, in which Joe Biden prevailed[15] over incumbent Donald Trump. 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 the election held by another state.[16][17][18]
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued a statement that called signing the amicus brief an act of "election subversion." Additionally, Pelosi reprimanded Fulcher and the other House members who supported the lawsuit: "The 126 Republican Members that signed onto this lawsuit brought dishonor to the House. Instead of upholding their oath to support and defend the Constitution, they chose to subvert the Constitution and undermine public trust in our sacred democratic institutions."[19][20] New Jersey Representative Bill Pascrell, citing section three of the 14th Amendment, called for Pelosi to not seat Fulcher and the other Republicans who signed the brief supporting the suit. Pascrell argued that "the text of the 14th Amendment expressly forbids Members of Congress from engaging in rebellion against the United States. Trying to overturn a democratic election and install a dictator seems like a pretty clear example of that."[21]
On January 12, 2021, Fulcher allegedly assaulted a female Capitol security officer after setting off a metal detector outside the House floor, triggering an investigation by the U.S. Capitol Police.[22]
Committee assignments[]
- Committee on Natural Resources
- Committee on Education and Labor
- Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Human Services (Ranking Member)
- Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Investment
Caucus memberships[]
- Freedom Caucus{cn}}
- Republican Study Committee[23]
Electoral history[]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Russ Fulcher | 42,793 | 43.1 | |
| Republican | David H. Leroy | 15,451 | 15.6 | |
| Republican | Luke Malek | 14,154 | 14.3 | |
| Republican | Christy Perry | 11,110 | 11.2 | |
| Republican | Michael Snyder | 10,255 | 10.3 | |
| Republican | Alex Gallegos | 3,478 | 3.5 | |
| Republican | Nick Henderson | 2,003 | 2.0 | |
| Total votes | 99,244 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Russ Fulcher | 197,167 | 62.7 | |
| Democratic | Cristina McNeil | 96,932 | 30.8 | |
| Independent | Natalie Fleming | 6,188 | 2.0 | |
| Libertarian | W. Scott Howard | 5,435 | 1.7 | |
| Independent | Paul Farmer | 4,479 | 1.4 | |
| Constitution | Marvin "Pro-Life" Richardson | 3,181 | 1.0 | |
| Independent | Gordon Counsil | 1,054 | 0.3 | |
| Independent | Michael J. Rath (write-in) | 91 | 0.0 | |
| Total votes | 314,527 | 100.0 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
Other political campaigns[]
2014 gubernatorial race[]
On November 23, 2013, Fulcher officially announced his intention to run against incumbent governor Butch Otter in the 2014 Idaho gubernatorial election.[24] Fulcher was endorsed by Congressman Raúl Labrador.[25]
Fulcher lost against Otter in the Republican primary in May 2014, earning 43.6% of the vote.[26]
2016 presidential election[]
Fulcher was a Ted Cruz delegate at the 2016 Republican National Convention.[27] He supported Donald Trump in the general election.[28]
2018 gubernatorial race[]
Fulcher announced on August 24, 2016, that he was running for governor.[29][30]
On June 15, 2017, he announced that he was dropping out of the 2018 Idaho gubernatorial election and would instead run for Idaho's 1st congressional district in the 2018 cycle.[31]
Personal life[]
He married Kara Fulcher and together they have three children.[citation needed]
References[]
- ^ Dan Popkey, Twenty years and a revolution in the Republican Party separate Otter and Fulcher, The Idaho Statesman
- ^ "Who Is Russ Fulcher?". Idaho Statesman. November 25, 2013.
- ^ "2012 General Results Legislative". www.sos.idaho.gov. Retrieved April 10, 2017.
- ^ "2012 General Results Legislative". www.sos.idaho.gov. Retrieved May 3, 2017.
- ^ Miller, John. "Denney ousted as house speaker". Argus Observer. Ontario, OR. Associated Press. Retrieved May 3, 2017.
- ^ Project Vote Smart - Senator Russ Fulcher - Biography
- ^ "Russ Fulcher makes it official: He's leaving Idaho governor's race to run for Congress". idahostatesman. Retrieved June 15, 2017.
- ^ "Fulcher drops out of guv race, switches to 1st CD, winning Labrador's endorsement". Spokesman.com. Retrieved June 15, 2017.
- ^ "Fulcher shifts gears, runs for Congress". Idaho Education News. June 15, 2017. Retrieved June 15, 2017.
- ^ "Ted Cruz Endorses Russ Fulcher in Idaho Congressional Race". US News And World Report. March 18, 2018. Retrieved April 19, 2018.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Almukhtar, Sarah (May 15, 2018). "Idaho Primary Election Results". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
- ^ "Idaho Secretary of State-US Representative District 1 – by County".
- ^ "Home | W. SCOTT HOWARD FOR IDAHO". www.wsh4idaho.org. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
- ^ Almukhtar, Sarah (January 5, 2019). "Idaho Election Results: First House District". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 5, 2019.
- ^ Blood, Michael R.; Riccardi, Nicholas (December 5, 2020). "Biden officially secures enough electors to become president". AP News. Archived from the original on December 8, 2020. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
- ^ Liptak, Adam (December 11, 2020). "Supreme Court Rejects Texas Suit Seeking to Subvert Election". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on December 11, 2020. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
- ^ "Order in Pending Case" (PDF). Supreme Court of the United States. December 11, 2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 11, 2020. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
- ^ Diaz, Daniella. "Brief from 126 Republicans supporting Texas lawsuit in Supreme Court". CNN. Archived from the original on December 12, 2020. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
- ^ Smith, David (December 12, 2020). "Supreme court rejects Trump-backed Texas lawsuit aiming to overturn election results". The Guardian. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
- ^ "Pelosi Statement on Supreme Court Rejecting GOP Election Sabotage Lawsuit" (Press release). Speaker Nancy Pelosi. December 11, 2020. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
- ^ Williams, Jordan (December 11, 2020). "Democrat asks Pelosi to refuse to seat lawmakers supporting Trump's election challenges". TheHill. Archived from the original on December 12, 2020. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
- ^ Police investigating Fulcher's physical contact with officer witness says, Lewiston Tribune, Hayat Norimine, February 18, 2021. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
- ^ "Membership". Republican Study Committee. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
- ^ "Sen. Russ Fulcher announces for governor". idahostatesman. Retrieved April 10, 2017.
- ^ "Raul Labrador backs Russ Fulcher for Idaho governor". Spokesman.com. Retrieved November 3, 2016.
- ^ "Statewide Totals". www.sos.idaho.gov. Retrieved May 1, 2017.
- ^ "Idaho's Semanko: GOP floor fight not about dumping Trump | Idaho Statesman". www.idahostatesman.com. Retrieved April 14, 2017.
- ^ Idahoans for Liberty Campaign 2016 (November 8, 2016), Russ Fulcher Idaho leading on States Rights, retrieved May 2, 2017
- ^ "Russ Fulcher explains his qualifications for Idaho governor". idahostatesman. Retrieved November 3, 2016.
- ^ "Russ Fulcher for Governor 2018 – YouTube". June 14, 2017. Archived from the original on June 14, 2017. Retrieved June 14, 2017.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
- ^ Russ Fulcher (June 14, 2017), "Russ Fulcher For Congress | My Announcement", youtube.com, retrieved June 15, 2017
External links[]
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Russ Fulcher. |
- Congressman Russ Fulcher official U.S. House website
- Close partner Brandi Swindell
- Russ Fulcher for Congress
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Profile at Vote Smart
- Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
- Legislation sponsored at the Library of Congress
- Financial details at the National Institute on Money in State Politics
- Appearances on C-SPAN
| show Members of the United States House of Representatives from Idaho |
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- 1963 births
- Boise State University alumni
- Idaho Republicans
- Idaho state senators
- Living people
- People from Meridian, Idaho
- Members of the United States House of Representatives from Idaho
- Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives
- 21st-century American politicians