Freshman Rep. Bill Sali, R-Idaho, has a challenger in Tuesday’s primary for his 1st District seat, but the competition is nowhere near the level he faced two years ago.

The opponent, Matt Salisbury, is a first-time candidate short on both money and exposure who does not differ significantly from Sali on most issues.

Salisbury’s status as a veteran of the Iraq War has given him some credibility in the district, however, and he may still win respectable numbers at the polls this evening.

It’s not surprising that Sali drew a primary challenger in his first re-election bid, given his history of intraparty conflict. Before coming to Congress, Sali was known for having a blunt demeanor that even some of his fellow Republicans — including 2nd District Rep. Mike Simpson — found abrasive.

Sali toned down his behavior once he got to Congress, and he became president of his freshman class. Still, resentment lingers among some Idaho Republicans. After all, 74 percent of them voted for someone else when Sali won a six-person primary two years ago.

On the Democratic side of the 1st District ballot, businessman Walt Minnick is running unopposed.

CQ Politics rates the November race as Republican Favored. The district would be considered Safe Republican, but Sali won by a surprisingly small margin — 5 percentage points — in 2006. Sixty-eight percent of 1st District residents voted for President Bush in 2004.

Meanwhile, the competition to replace Republican Sen. Larry E. Craig, who announced his retirement after revelations that he had been arrested in a Minneapolis airport bathroom, appears all but set.

Former Democratic Rep. Larry LaRocco is likely to face Republican Lt. Gov. Jim Risch for the seat. It’s a rematch of the 2006 lieutenant governor’s race, when Risch easily defeated LaRocco, 58 percent to 39 percent.

For the full version of this story and the latest coverage, please visit CQ Politics.