Republican · Idaho's 1st District · 2026
Russ Fulcher
Fulcher grew up on a dairy farm in Meridian, where his family's roots reach back to nineteenth century homesteaders.
Biography
Russ Fulcher grew up on a dairy farm in Meridian before making his career in Idaho's technology industry.1 A fourth generation Idahoan, he graduated from Meridian High School and earned bachelor's and master's degrees in business at Boise State University.1
Fulcher spent 24 years working for Micron Technology and Preco Electronics, with business taking him across the United States and to dozens of countries.1 He also obtained certifications in electronic engineering.1 Before Congress, he spent ten years in the Idaho Senate, including service as majority caucus chairman.1 His state committee work included education and state affairs.1
He entered the House in January 2019 and serves on Energy and Commerce and Natural Resources.1 Fulcher has championed overtime tax relief; the 2025 tax law created a temporary income tax deduction for qualifying overtime premium pay.23 In March 2026, he cosponsored the COMPETE Act, a proposal for short term health insurance policies with initial terms up to twelve months and optional renewal guarantees.4
Fulcher faces Democrat Kaylee Peterson, independent Sarah Zabel and Constitution Party candidate Brendan Gomez in Idaho's First District.5 In an October interview, he identified data privacy, including information collected through phones, vehicles and surveillance cameras, as unfinished congressional work.2 He supports stronger immigration enforcement while considering changes to legal worker visas and greater accountability for employers.2
Record and controversies
Capitol security account
In 2021, a HuffPost reporter said Fulcher pushed past a Capitol Police officer at a security checkpoint; Fulcher disputed the account.6 In February, Capitol Police sent his office a letter saying there was no current investigation; Boise State Public Radio reported that police had not immediately answered its question about an earlier investigation.6
Public lands disposal vote
The Idaho Capital Sun reported that Fulcher supported a May 2025 committee amendment that would have sold federal lands in Nevada and Utah.7 It passed the committee but was excluded from the final budget law.7 In the August 2026 interview, Fulcher said he did not want to sell public lands and explained that his vote supported Nevada's approach, whose landscape he said differed from Idaho's.7