by Melissa Davlin, Idaho Reports
Former US Senator Steve Symms passed away on Thursday, according to Gov. Brad Little’s office. He was 86 years old.
Symms was first elected to the US House of Representatives in 1972. He served three terms in the House, then ran for Senate against longtime incumbent Democrat Frank Church. Symms beat Church by about 4,000 votes statewide during the national Republican electoral wave in 1980.
Symms was born in Nampa in 1938. He graduated from Caldwell High School before serving in the United States Marine Corps. He had a bachelor’s degree in agriculture from the University of Idaho, where he played football.
“Senator Steve Symms was a true patriot – a military veteran and dedicated public servant whose roots in agriculture helped informed his decisions back in D.C. representing Idaho’s interests,” Little said in a statement. “A conservative who was elected during the ‘Reagan Revolution,’ Steve Symms routinely pushed back on government overreach, stood up for the working people of Idaho, and defended the freedoms we hold dear as Americans. God bless this fighter for Idaho values. Teresa and I share our deep condolences for the family and many, many loved ones of Senator Steve Symms.”
Trent Clark wrote about Symms’ conservative legacy in Aug. 2023 in the Idaho State Journal. “Symms was continuously at the right edge of the spectrum in the United States Senate,” Clark wrote. “He had a consistent American Conservative Union rating at or near 100 percent, was a darling of the Heritage Foundation and solidly anchored the conservative Senate Steering Committee.”
Clark’s column came out shortly after Symms’ wife, Loretta, passed away.
“On Monday, Aug. 7, Steven D. Symms stared down at his headstone in Caldwell’s Canyon Hills Cemetery, where he buried the ashes of his dear Loretta, wife and companion of 40-plus years,” Clark wrote, quoting Symms as saying “My name is there, but I’m not ready to call it quits right yet.”
Little ordered the lowering of both US and Idaho state flags immediately until sunrise on Monday, Aug. 12, to honor Symms.
Melissa Davlin | Host, Lead Producer
Melissa Davlin is the lead producer and host of Idaho Reports. She has covered the Idaho Legislature since 2012. She also produces for Outdoor Idaho and Idaho Experience. Melissa serves as the president of the Idaho Press Club. She has won multiple awards for her work, including a regional Emmy for her documentary on Chinese immigration in Idaho, Idaho Press Club broadcast reporter of the year for 2015 and 2019, the Idaho Press Club First Amendment Award, the University of Idaho Silver and Gold Alumni Award, and the 2019 Boise State University Enhancing Public Discourse award. She lives in Boise with her husband and children.