U.S. Representative
Election Results
| Candidate | Votes | Pct |
|---|---|---|
| Raul Labrador (R) | 199,445 | 62.97% |
| Jimmy Farris (D) | 97,403 | 30.75% |
| Rob Oates (L) | 12,264 | 3.87% |
| Pro-Life (I) | 7,600 | 2.40% |
* Race percentages are calculated with data from the Secretary of State's Office, which omits write-in votes from its calculations when there are too few to affect the outcome. The Spokane County Auditor's Office may have slightly different percentages than are reflected here because its figures include any write-in votes.
About the Race
In the contest for North Idaho’s congressional seat this year, one-term incumbent GOP Rep. Raul Labrador faces a challenge from first-time candidate and Democratic challenger Jimmy Farris, a former NFL football player and Lewiston native.
Also in the race are Libertarian candidate Rob Oates of Caldwell, and “Pro-Life,” an independent candidate formerly known as Marvin Richardson.
Labrador, a former state lawmaker and attorney, has made a name for himself in his first term as a tea party favorite and hard-line conservative; he’s frequently appeared on national TV, and has been prominent in helping GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney court Hispanic votes around the country. But this is a congressional seat whose last two occupants each served just one term: Former Democratic Rep. Walt Minnick, and former GOP Rep. Bill Sali.
Congressmen serve two-year terms; their salary is $174,000 a year, plus health care benefits.
Featured Candidates
Raul Labrador
- Party:
- Republican
- Age:
- 57
- City:
- Eagle, Idaho
- Occupation:
- Incumbent congressman
Education: Earned bachelor’s degree from Brigham Young University and a law degree from the University of Washington.
Work experience: Immigration attorney
Political experience: Three-term congressman. Co-founder of the “Freedom Caucus” in the House, a group of conservatives who successfully engineered the ouster of then-House Speaker John Boehner. Ran unsuccessfully for House majority leader in 2014. Served two terms in the Idaho state House.
Family: Married. Has five children.
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Jimmy Farris
- Party:
- Democrat
- City:
- Meridian, Idaho
- Occupation:
- Retired NFL football player, former sports broadcaster
Complete Coverage
Eye on Boise: Labrador mum on Boehner vote abstention
BOISE – Idaho Rep. Raul Labrador not only abstained from the vote to re-elect John Boehner as speaker of the U.S. House, he collected a vote himself for the post. Ohio GOP Rep. Justin Amash, who’s at odds with his party leadership and recently was stripped of his committee assignments, sent out this tweet about his decision to vote for Labrador instead of Boehner: “Proud 2 vote 4 @raul_labrador 4 Spkr. Raul would defend liberty & work honestly w/Ds on debt reduction. We must act now 4 sake of next gen.”
Eye on Boise: Henderson going strong, excited to lead
BOISE – Idaho state Rep. Frank Henderson, R-Post Falls, who was appointed chairman of the House Business Committee a day after he celebrated his 90th birthday, is excited about his new role. “The composition of the whole committee includes a number of experienced legislators, so I think, if I can give it effective leadership, that it’s going to be a very productive committee,” Henderson said.
Eye on Boise: Labrador admits who’s boss when Cantor visits
BOISE – U.S. House Majority Leader Eric Cantor stopped in Boise last week to raise funds for U.S. Rep. Raul Labrador’s re-election campaign and urge Idahoans to send the freshman Republican back to Washington for another term. “I believe in Raul,” Cantor declared. “He has come in and joined this freshman class and has proven himself an independent thinker.”
Labrador, Farris explain views in debate
BOISE – Idaho GOP Rep. Raul Labrador wants to raise the Social Security retirement age to 70, cut a third of the staff at the Pentagon and ban all abortions other than those to save the life of the mother. The freshman congressman took all three stands during a debate broadcast live Thursday night on Idaho Public Television. His Democratic challenger, Jimmy Farris, differed sharply on the retirement age and abortion, but found common ground with Labrador on trimming military spending.