COEUR d’ALENE — After battling renal cancer last year, U.S. Rep. Russ Fulcher said he’s got a clean bill of health and he’s ready for another fight — the one for Idaho’s first congressional district.

“I’m all in for this next go around,” he told The Press in a sit-down interview Friday.

Fulcher was first elected to Congress in 2018 after serving five terms as a state senator and running unsuccessfully for Idaho governor in 2014.

Though Libertarian Joe Evans and Democrat Michael Banner have announced their candidacies, no Republican challengers have emerged so far.

The May 17 primary election will move ahead as planned, after the Idaho Supreme Court upheld the state’s newly drawn congressional district map on Friday.

After 110 years with only two House seats, Idaho must wait at least another decade to add a third congressional district.

The results of each census are used to calculate the number of House memberships to which each state is entitled.

With only 435 seats to go around, adding a seat to one state necessitates the removal of a seat from another state.

The U.S. Census Bureau listed Idaho as one of 10 “runner-up” states that almost gained a seat, though it’s unclear how many more residents Idaho needed to count in order to qualify for a third U.S. representative.

Fulcher said he has a good working relationship with his counterpart in Idaho’s second congressional district, U.S. Rep. Mike Simpson, who will face at least one challenger in the Republican primary.

“We represent the people in our state in a way that reflects their values,” Fulcher said.

That includes protecting the interests of Idahoans from outsiders who may not understand their needs.

“Don’t try to use the hammer of federal law in areas where you have no idea how they’ll be received,” he said.

He pointed to the Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act as an example.

Introduced by Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney of New York, the bill would designate 23 million acres across five western states as wilderness, including 9.3 million acres in Idaho.

Proponents say the bill would protect the mountains, meadows and rivers of the American West from deforestation, pollution and development.

Fulcher said he sees potential pitfalls.

“That’s just devastating to us,” he said, noting that he plans to fight the bill. “That relegates it to forest fires, because you can’t touch it.”

Idaho isn’t the only place on Fulcher’s mind these days. He also spoke about the threat of an imminent Russian invasion of Ukraine.

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan warned Friday that there is a “very distinct possibility” Russia will soon invade, urging Americans to leave Ukraine immediately.

New intelligence reportedly indicates that Russia is prepared to launch an invasion, with 130,000 troops and major weaponry surrounding Ukraine on three sides.

Fulcher said he suspects Russia may be posturing.

“If (Russian President Vladimir Putin) decides to (invade), he’ll do it and within days he’ll have it done,” he said.

Fulcher was among a group of U.S. legislators who visited Ukraine’s border during the Trump administration and returned with recommendations to sanction Russia.

He said the Trump administration made it clear that the U.S. would not tolerate incursion across Ukraine’s border.

“In my opinion, the current administration isn’t giving (Putin) that clarity,” he said.

U.S. and European officials are reportedly finalizing sanctions that target major Russian banks and individuals' finances. Fulcher said he’s in favor of these drastic measures that would “hit Putin in his personal pocketbook.”

Meanwhile, President Biden has said he won’t send American troops to defend Ukraine — a decision with which Fulcher agrees.

“I don’t support, at this stage, putting boots on the ground,” he said.