James Elroy Risch ( RISH; born May 3, 1943) is an American lawyer and politician who has served as the junior United States senator from Idaho since 2009. A member of the Republican Party, he served as lieutenant governor of Idaho under governors Dirk Kempthorne and Butch Otter. He also served from May 2006 to January 2007 as the 31st governor of Idaho. Raised in Milwaukee, Risch moved to Idaho in the early 1960s. After graduating from the University of Idaho, he received a B.S. degree in forestry in 1965 and earned a J.D. in 1968. Afterward, he taught criminal law at Boise State University, and in 1970 was elected as Ada County prosecuting attorney. In 1974, he was elected to the Idaho Senate, where he represented the 21st legislative district from 1974 to 1988. In 1995, Governor Phil Batt appointed Risch to represent the 18th legislative district in the state Senate; he held the position until 2002. Risch ran for lieutenant governor of Idaho in 2002, defeating incumbent Jack Riggs in the primary. He served under Governor Dirk Kempthorne from 2003 to 2006. After Kempthorne resigned to become the United States Secretary of the Interior in May 2006, Risch was sworn in as governor. He chose not to run for a full term as governor in the 2006 gubernatorial election and instead ran for reelection as lieutenant governor. After winning the nomination, he served under Governor Butch Otter from 2007 to 2009. Risch ran for the U.S. Senate seat held by the retiring Larry Craig in the 2008 election. He won the election, defeating Democratic nominee Larry LaRocco. Risch was reelected in 2014 and 2020.