A new poll of registered Idaho voters finds that independent candidate Todd Achilles and Libertarian Matt Loesby combine for 50 percent support in a hypothetical U.S. Senate matchup including Republican U.S. Sen. Jim Risch, with Achilles receiving the largest share.
The poll, conducted by Advanced Targeting Research, was released Thursday and examined responses from 700 registered Idaho voters surveyed between September 13 and September 16 by text and through live interviews. When respondents were asked to choose among Achilles, Loesby, and Risch, Achilles received 45.5 percent compared with 39.4 percent for Risch and 4.5 percent for Loesby. Another 10.6 percent were unsure.
Achilles, a former state legislator, is running as an independent candidate this November with support from outside groups including the national Forward Party and Independent Veterans of America. He is joined by Loesby, who won the Libertarian nomination in Idaho’s May 19 primary as the only candidate seeking the party’s U.S. Senate nod. Risch is seeking reelection.
A second independent candidate, Natalie Fleming, is also on the general election ballot, though ATR did not include her in its Senate question.
There initially was also a Democrat in the race, David Roth, who won the Democratic nomination in the primary before ending his campaign in late July. Roth had faced pressure from some Democrats to step aside in favor of Achilles but said when ending his campaign that he believed he could make a greater difference by helping Democrats elsewhere on the ballot. Roth, who ultimately did not endorse Achilles, later formally withdrew his name from the November ballot, attributing his withdrawal to a lack of support from the Democratic Party.
In a separate question, the firm asked voters to choose between Achilles and Risch. In a two-way matchup, Achilles received 50.1 percent compared with Risch’s 38.5 percent, while 11.4 percent of voters said they were unsure whom they would support.
ATR also surveyed voters on the race for governor, asking respondents to choose among Republican Brad Little, Democrat Terri Pickens, former state Supreme Court Justice and independent candidate John Stegner, and Libertarian Paul Sand. Little received 37.3 percent, followed by Pickens at 27.2 percent, Stegner at 12.8 percent, and Sand at 2.8 percent. Almost one-fifth of respondents said they were unsure.
Like its Senate question, the gubernatorial matchup also omitted a candidate who will appear on the general election ballot. Constitution Party candidate Pro-Life was not included, though he is also running for governor this November alongside Little, Pickens, Stegner, and Sand.
Advanced Targeting Research said the survey was not commissioned by any candidate in the race. The survey also has a reported margin of error of ±3.7 percentage points.
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