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.

Achilles has positioned himself as a moderate who can appeal to voters across the political spectrum. “I reject the left-right divide because the challenge ahead of us is those at the top versus those at the bottom — those in power against the people,’’ he says on his campaign website.

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. But anti-abortion pastor William Forbes, who lost the primary to Burbank, is suing to force state Democrats to find a replacement for Burbank, the Nebraska Examiner reported.

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. But Democrats in Alaska, unlike those in other deep-red states, have had more success due to the state’s ranked-choice voting system, with Mary Peltola winning two elections for the House seat  in 2022.

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 even if Bankhead drops out, the Montana secretary of state’s office told Semafor that Democrats would have to find a replacement candidate, a move that would benefit the Republican nominee, former U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme. 

Recent polling has suggested Bodnar would be competitive with Alme without a Democrat in the race, but Alme had a clear edge with more than two candidates on the ballot. 

During the Democratic primary, a group known as the  Progressive Vet PAC spent millions boosting Bankhead in the apparent belief that she would be more likely than a primary rival to drop out after winning the nomination. The group’s treasurer is reportedly an ally of former Montana Sen. Jon Tester, the last Democrat to win a Senate election in Big Sky Country, who is supporting Bodnar’s candidacy.  

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].” Progressive Vet PAC announced last month that it would cease spending on her behalf, saying a Democrat “does not have a viable path” to winning the seat. 

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. Bengs, a Navy and Air Force veteran, was the Democratic nominee against Senate Republican leader John Thune in 2022.  

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.”

Not all candidates see the independent path as their best option to beat a Republican in a red-leaning state. 

In Kansas, pastor Adam Hamilton considered running for Senate as an independent but opted instead to run as an “independent-minded” candidate on the Democratic ticket. 

He is one of nearly a dozen Democrats competing in the Aug. 4 primary to take on Republican Sen. Roger Marshall.