When my family came to Idaho in the 1880s, there were fewer than 40,000 people in the entire territory. Like so many others who came then, we were common folk seeking to build a new life in what was to become the 43rd star on the U.S. flag.
We were loggers, farmers, truckers, dairymen, educators and activists in our communities. The library at the Idaho School for the Blind was named after my grandfather. My dad has a shelter in a Meridian park named after him. My brother was Idaho high school principal of the year in 2000. I followed their example by dedicating myself to public service.
I’ve been a conservative Republican ever since I worked the 1972 congressional campaign for Steve Symms, an apple farmer from Sunnyslope who championed fiscally responsible government, the rule of law and individual liberty. The establishment saw us as outsiders.
We weren’t supposed to win. But we did and these basic beliefs became the foundation for the Idaho GOP’s “brand” ever since. As former Idaho Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter would remind us, integrity begins when you “ride for the brand.”
Sadly, much has changed. Something isn’t right these days. Our Republican “brand” is under siege by forces from within. Our loyalty is questioned when we fail to “follow our political party, right or wrong.” We are expected to just “go along” when our party leaders support actions counter to our Idaho values. And in Idaho, integrity means doing the right thing, regardless of political pressures. This doesn’t mean I am a Democrat. But I cannot be a “go along” Republican anymore, either.
Unfortunately, Idaho Sen. Jim Risch has become the very poster child of an entitled “go along, party right or wrong” Washington, D.C., insider.
A Washington, D.C., blogger said Risch, as chairperson of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, is “one of the most powerful men in the world” and warned us “disgruntled and discredited former Republicans” that his “poll” showing him with 55% approval means his reelection is inevitable. He says Risch is the “best known brand in Idaho politics.” I don’t buy it and am offended my party thinks I am that shallow and stupid.
This thinly-veiled attempt at intimidation is based on bogus numbers cooked up by a Las Vegas hired gun to slow the momentum of independent candidate Todd Achilles. It is fascinating to me, after 50 years in public office, 45% of Idahoan do not support Risch’s reelection, and that’s before the campaign begins. The reality is 39% of Idahoans view Risch unfavorably while only 30% view him favorably. That is a nine-point deficit. Risch knows Achilles is within striking distance, and he is now running away from his record.
Achilles is not the most powerful man in the world, but he is more in touch with Idaho’s true conservative values than Risch pretends to be.
When I was elected U.S. Senate sergeant-at-arms, I assumed responsibility for the security of the U.S. Capitol and the 1,700 members of the U.S. Capitol Police. While I had retired long before Jan. 6, 2021, I knew many of the officers and was well-versed in the security protocols.
But after that day, the officers were under gag orders and couldn’t discuss it. Risch never asked for my perspective about Jan. 6 and flatly refused to discuss it with me when I asked him directly. Then he just “went along with” the idea of a taxpayer-funded $1.8 billion slush fund that could pay the convicted insurrectionists President Donald Trump pardoned. I know most Idahoans are as appalled by this as I am.
But that isn’t the worst of it. Three people have power to shape U.S. foreign policy: the president, the secretary of state and the chairperson of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. As chairperson, Jim Risch has held zero hearings. He is complicit with the war in Iran, lack of support for Ukraine and the trash talk about our allies and NATO. When his committee went to Europe to meet with other NATO countries, he stayed in Washington, D.C. When it comes to deciding whether the U.S. should invade Cuba, take over Greenland or put boots on the ground in Iran, it’s crickets from the one man with the constitutional responsibility for oversight.
He talks the talk but has totally bought into the “follow my party, right or wrong” ideology, forsaking Idaho values. He misses votes to approve a Bureau of Land Management director with a history of wanting to sell public lands, so he can’t be held accountable. He supports violating the individual liberty of those arrested and detained without due process. He supports open-ended funding for an ill-trained army of federal agents who are empowered to wander through rural Idaho in search of hard-working immigrants, very few of whom violated any of the outdated immigration laws Risch should have changed years ago.
Risch is 83 years old. He is already the oldest Idahoan to ever serve in Congress. Within the U.S. Senate, he is the fourth-oldest member and among its top 10 richest members. He is the same age as former President Joe Biden and retiring Sen. Mitch McConnell. If elected again, he will be nearly 90 at the end of his term.
Achilles is 58, an Army veteran and grew up on a family sheep farm in Oregon. He isn’t an attorney but a successful businessman in the tech sector. He isn’t beholden to either party boss. He isn’t a liberal. In fact, as a legislator, he was known for being able to work across party lines to solve real Idaho problems, Achilles believes term limits is a notion whose time has come.
Risch may be one of the most powerful men in the world, but he and his party leaders don’t “ride for the Idaho brand” anymore. I believe it’s time we Idahoans make common sense and integrity matter more than political party labels. I am proud to be a “disgruntled Republican” if that means supporting a candidate for the Senate who answers to his constituency rather than the power brokers in Washington, D.C.
About the Author
Casey served as chief of staff to Larry Craig both in the U.S. House and Senate, deputy chief of staff to then-Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, president of the Idaho Association of Commerce and Industry, director of Gov. Dirk Kempthorne’s transition and as the 34th sergeant-at-arms for the U.S. Senate. He now lives in Star with his wife, Julia. This column originally appeared in the Lewiston Tribune.
Paid for by Todd Achilles for Idaho / J. Patrick Riceci, Treasurer. Copyright (C) 2026 Achilles for Idaho. All rights reserved.
Bravo, thanks for sharing this with us!
Great perspective for Idaho voters of all persuasions!