Where are the debates? Idaho incumbents largely forgo debates and forums this year

BOISE (Idaho Capital Sun) — During the 2026 election cycle, Idaho voters have had very few opportunities to see Republican incumbents answer questions at live, public events. 

For years it was the norm for major candidates in statewide and federal races to appear live and debate each other.

“It was a tradition in Idaho,” said Betsy Russell, former longtime president of the Idaho Press Club and current president for Idahoans for Openness in Government. “That was how candidates, including incumbents seeking reelection, got out there and put their views and how they contrasted with those of their opponents, in front of all voters all across the state of Idaho.” 

Idaho Public Television, which for years has broadcast its Idaho Debates series statewide, did not have the staffing to put on the events this year, according to Melissa Davlin, IPTV producer and Idaho Press Club president. 

“I do think there are some incumbents who would have said yes to debates had that been a possibility,” Davlin said. 

Davlin also noted that there’s a national trend of candidates from both major parties declining debates. Of the 35 U.S. Senate seats up for election this year, 21 of them had no debate between the major candidates, ABC News reported. Similarly, of the 36 governors up for election, 21 of those races had no debate scheduled between two major-party candidates. 

“This is not Idaho-specific,” Davlin said. “… and you could say a big part of that is the siloing of social media. People who are running for office often have or feel like they have a direct line to voters.” 

The League of Women Voters of Idaho this year held forums for U.S. Senate candidates and gubernatorial candidates. The Republican incumbents in both of those races declined to participate. 

U.S. Sen. Jim Risch’s campaign spokesman previously told the Sun that he declined that forum because the individual who reached out to him to ask about participation had endorsed his opponent. The league’s president Jean Henscheid told the Sun that individual, former state Rep. Julie Yamamoto, had reached out in her own capacity and was not one of the event’s organizers. 

Idaho Gov. Brad Little’s campaign manager Joan Vargas did not directly answer a question about why the governor has not participated in debates this election cycle.  

“Governor Little has a proven track record of providing Idahoans historic tax relief, promoting a strong economy, cutting red tape, responsibly managing state government. On his watch, Idaho has made record investments in schools, roads, water, and other areas. Those historic accomplishments and facts are non-debatable,” Vargas wrote. 

“Governor Little has made it a priority to meet with Idaho families, businesses, and members of the press. Idahoans know what Governor Little stands for. They know he will continue to fight for them and make our state the place where our children and grandchildren choose to stay.”

Little was the only incumbent statewide elected official to not respond to the Idaho Capital Sun’s 2026 general election candidate survey. 

Idaho candidates had a long history of debating until 2022 

Elinor Chehey has helped organize debates with the League of Women Voters of Idaho since the 1970s. 

“It seemed to go real well through the ’90s and since 2000 … and then suddenly in the last five or six years, it’s been different,” Chehey said. “With less participation.” 

The last election cycle that included races for federal office as well as all of Idaho’s statewide constitutional officers was in 2022. 

That year, Idaho Public Television hosted televised debates among Republican primary and general election candidates for secretary of state, attorney general, and superintendent of public instruction. It also hosted debates for general election contests for U.S. Senate and lieutenant governor. 

Incumbents Little and U.S. Rep. Mike Simpson both announced at the time they would not participate in primary election debates, the Idaho Capital Sun reported. U.S. Rep. Russ Fulcher also joined Little and Simpson in declining to debate for the general election that year. 

Little became the first sitting governor seeking reelection to not debate his opponent, Russell said. 

“And that launched a cascade of other top officials, pretty much all Republican incumbents, who declined to debate their opponents,” Russell said. 

That year, there were also several general election debates that didn’t happen because the Democratic candidates declined, Davlin said, but the incumbents who refused were notable because they were “outliers.” 

“It used to make headlines when people weren’t willing to debate, because the expectation was that candidates would participate,” she said. 

Ahead of the 2022 debates, Simpson told the Idaho Press, “Republican voters don’t need to hear anything more from Bryan Smith,” referring to Simpson’s second-time primary opponent for Idaho’s 2nd Congressional District.

This year, Simpson campaign spokesperson Sarah Nelson told the Sun that the congressman only received one invitation for a forum hosted by the League of Women Voters of Idaho, “but unfortunately it didn’t work with the Congressman’s congressional schedule.” 

“The Congressman has always been willing to participate in debates as they work with his congressional schedule,” Nelson said. 

Fulcher’s campaign could not be reached for comment for this story.   

Incumbent Idaho state superintendent bucks trend, participates in three debates

Incumbent Republican Superintendent of Public Instruction Debbie Critchfield participated in three out of four planned debates or forums ahead of her general election contest. 

“I saw it as an opportunity to highlight and showcase the work I had done, particularly being able to go back and say four years ago, I said this is what I was going to do if you elected me, and I delivered on the results,” Critchfield said.

She withdrew from the planned debate held by the news station KTVB, because the Constitution Party candidate Teresa Roundy in the race didn’t meet the organizer’s qualifications to participate and was not invited. 

Critchfield previously participated in a debate co-organized by Idaho Education News and the College of Idaho and a forum hosted by the Idaho Association of School Administrators. 

The school administrators association forum included all candidates in the race: Critchfield, Roundy and Democrat Becky Sundin Mitchell. The Idaho EdNews debate had a campaign-fundraising threshold for participation that Roundy’s campaign did not meet, because the Constitution Party candidate has not reported any campaign contributions this year, according to the Idaho Secretary of State’s database. 

Critchfield said after she participated in an event in which Roundy was excluded, she “felt that was wrong.” She chose not to participate in another debate in which one of the candidates would be excluded. 

“All three of us had to work to get our names on the final ballot, and people were already voting,” Critchfield said of her decision to opt out of the KTVB debate. 

On Oct. 12, all three state superintendent candidates participated in a debate hosted by Idaho News 6. 

She said she still felt criticized for dropping out of one, despite being the only statewide elected officer participating in any debates. 

“It was just nonstop commentary, and so I had to laugh a little bit at myself because I thought I was the one willing to do it, and not only did I do it once, but I did it three times,” she said. 

She said she doesn’t know why her colleagues have opted out, but can understand a hesitancy to participate. 

“I think there’s some trust issues,” she said. “And I can understand that and appreciate it because I just did three, and I get it.” 

Idaho federal office challengers call on incumbents to debate 

Shortly after U.S. Sen. Jim Risch won his primary contest in May, independent challenger Todd Achilles publicly called for a debate.

Risch’s campaign couldn’t be reached for comment on this story. 

Risch has participated in debates in the past, including the 2014 general election debate on KTVB, and the 2020 general election Idaho Public Television Idaho Debates event, which took place over Zoom. 

In his 2006 run for lieutenant governor, Risch declined to participate in the live public television debate after the station refused his request to appear separately from his opponent Democrat Larry LaRocco to answer questions, the Associated Press reported at the time. Risch said then that he was concerned about “disruptive behavior” from his opponent. 

In 2008, he again skipped the public TV debate for the May Republican primary and appeared in the taped KTVB debate, the Spokesman-Review reported. 

This year, the Achilles campaign recorded a video of the independent candidate approaching Risch to ask him to debate at the Boise Airport ahead of a ceremony to remember 9/11. Risch did not respond to Achilles in the video. 

The campaign for Democrat Kaylee Peterson, who is challenging 1st Congressional District U.S. Rep. Russ Fulcher also posted a video of her approaching her opponent to ask for a debate. Peterson told the Sun the video was recorded at a Shoshone County GOP event. 

In the video, Fulcher says, “First lesson in campaigning is don’t help your opponent.” 

“… In all fairness, I think this is the third time, whatever you’re selling, Idahoans aren’t buying,” Fulcher said in the video, addressing Peterson, who has run for federal office twice before. “I’m not going to help you.” 

Peterson told the Sun she thought, “how he behaved was pretty shocking.”

“I think his reaction wasn’t something you want to see from leadership,” she said.

The Idaho League of Women voters tried to schedule a forum with 1st Congressional District candidates, but the venue canceled the reservation. Zabel held a town hall herself on Oct. 20, but Peterson said her campaign had by then agreed to attend an event elsewhere. 

Peterson and independent candidate Sarah Zabel are slated to appear at a candidate forum Oct. 23 in Moscow, hosted by the local chapter of the progressive group Indivisible. Independent gubernatorial candidate John Stegner and Libertarian U.S. Senate candidate Matt Loesby are also expected to attend the Moscow forum. 

The Moscow-Pullman Daily News reported that Fulcher, Risch and Little declined to participate in this event.