In May, David Roth, 44, of Idaho Falls, won the Democratic primary race for US Senate, contesting the seat currently held by Republican Jim Risch.
But Roth ended his campaign on July 28. He had been under pressure from the Idaho Democratic Party to prove he was a viable candidate. He had also faced pressure from different quarters to drop out and endorse Independent (and former Democrat) Todd Achilles. But Roth refused to make the endorsement, citing differences of opinion on policy matters.
Read the reporting by the Idaho Capital Sun:
Idaho Democrat David Roth ends campaign for US Senate seat held by Risch
In an announcement on his campaign website he said, “I have concluded that I can make the greatest difference by focusing my time and energy on helping Democrats win up and down the ballot and in communities across Idaho.”
In pragmatic terms, Roth’s campaign was going nowhere. According to Federal Election Commission data, he had raised about $8,600. That compares to Achilles, who has raised more than $692,000 and Risch who has a war chest exceeding $3 million.
Could we appoint a replacement?
That is a logical question to ask, particularly in a year when we’ve seen other national candidates, like Graham Platner in Maine, leave races and be replaced.
But in Idaho, the answer is “No”, according to Lauren Necochea, Chair of the Idaho Democratic Party. In an email to State Central Committee members on July 30, she described a series of meetings with Idaho Attorney General Raul Labrador and Secretary of State Phil McGrane about appointing a replacement for John Garrett, a candidate for state senate in District 8 who had to drop out in June.
Necochea reported that Labrador and McGrane cited legislation passed in 2025 as House Bill 278. Buried in that bill (and not mentioned in the bill’s statement of purpose) is language that narrows the section pertaining to post-primary appointments to vacancies in cases of death or disqualification.
Despite repeated attempts from Necochea an others to argue their case, SOS McGrane wouldn’t budge.
She concluded her memo by saying, “The same law applies to David Roth’s withdrawal. When David communicated with me about his intention to exit the race, he was aware that no Democrat could be appointed to the vacancy.“
Will the IDP endorse Achilles?
At this point, we don’t know. NPC Dems Chair Pete Gertonson has written to Lauren Nechochea twice, asking for guidance. But as of the time of this writing, the IDP has not taken a public stance.
Some of us, in Nez Perce and other surrounding counties, signed a petition earlier this year to get Todd Achilles on the ballot in the first place. He is a credible candidate, and vastly preferable to another term by Jim Risch.
But whether the Idaho Democratic Party will endorse him is yet to be seen.
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The featured image above is from the Idaho Capital Sun. It shows, from left, US Senator James Risch, Democratic candidate David Roth, and Independent candidate Todd Achilles.
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