Idaho Democrat is latest Senate nominee to drop out in boost to independent rival

By Daniela Altimari, Posted July 29, 2026 at 5:07pm, Updated at 5:58pm

The Democratic Senate nominee in Idaho has dropped out of the race, clearing a path for an independent candidate to take on the Republican incumbent and following a playbook used by Democrats in other ruby-red states.

"After much consideration and many conversations with my family and my supporters, I have made the difficult decision to exit this race and focus where I think I can have a larger impact,'' Idaho Democrat David Roth said in a statement. The move leaves Todd Achilles, a former Democratic state legislator and an Army veteran, as the main challenger to Republican Sen. Jim Risch.

Democrats have long struggled in Idaho, one of the nation's most Republican states. Donald Trump carried the state three times, winning it by more than 35 points in 2024, and a Democrat has not won a Senate race here since Frank Church in 1974.

"Sober Democrats understand that some places are so red — and the national Democratic brand is so damaged — that they need to get creative in order to win races,'' CQ Roll Call elections analyst Nathan L. Gonzales of Inside Elections said in an email. "In places where a combination of Democratic voters and independents is not enough to win, Democrats need a way to get disaffected Republicans. But even if some Republicans are disgruntled, voting for a Democrat is still a bridge too far."

In Nebraska, independent Dan Osborn was the beneficiary of a similar strategy in his ultimately unsuccessful run against Republican Sen. Deb Fischer in 2024, when Democrats did not hold a primary. Osborn is back this cycle, trying to oust Republican Sen. Pete Ricketts in a state that hasn't elected a Democrat to statewide office since Sen. Ben Nelson was reelected in 2006. Last week, Democratic Senate nominee Cindy Burbank withdrew from the Senate race in a boost to Osborn.

The phenomenon has also extended to the House side this cycle. Earlier this month, Alaska Democrat Matt Schultz dropped out of the race for the state's at-large House seat, leaving independent Bill Hill as the main challenger to Republican Rep. Nick Begich.

Still, backing an independent is a bit of a gamble for Democrats, who might not be able to count on a party-line vote should the candidate get to Congress. "There are some risks with not supporting a traditional nominee who would vote the party line,'' Gonzales said. "But Democrats would rather take their chances supporting an independent who might be helpful some of the time over a Republican who won't be with [them] on anything."

## Resisting pressure

But efforts to get Democratic Senate nominees to drop out in other red-leaning states have been less successful. In Montana, Democrat Alani Bankhead has so far resisted pressure to exit the race in advance of an Aug. 10 deadline to help independent Seth Bodnar in his quest to succeed retiring Republican Sen. Steve Daines.

But after the primary, Bankhead declared that she would remain in the race — a decision she reiterated this month, telling Montana Television Network, "Over 48,000 people voted for me; zero people voted for [Bodnar]."

And in South Dakota, Democratic nominee Julian Beaudion has faced calls from party activists to exit the race and leave independent Brian Bengs as the main competitor against Republican Sen. Mike Rounds. But Beaudion, who has the backing of former President Joe Biden, has said he's not dropping out. "I am not in this to play political games,'' he told KOTA Territory News last month. "We are not going anywhere."