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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Chenoweth Simply Speaks Her Mind She Is Painted Nationally As An Extremist But Draws From Strong Core Of Support At Home

Associated Press

The pattern is simple:

Helen Chenoweth opens her mouth. She talks about salmon, white males or militias. She sparks controversy.

The media jump on her comments. Canyon County supporters rise to her defense. She travels to Moscow and faces a hostile crowd at a town hall meeting.

Love her or hate her, U.S. Rep. Helen Chenoweth knows how to make waves nationally and in Idaho. And that is what her supporters want her to do.

But who are her supporters? Who does Helen Chenoweth represent?

The freshman Republican clearly is loved in Canyon County, said Jasper LiCalzi, an assistant professor of politics at Albertson College of Idaho.

Chenoweth does not moderate her positions, and she speaks her mind, LiCalzi said. Outside of Idaho, such traits paint her as an extremist, he said.

But this weakness in national politics is a strength at home, reflecting the conservative stronghold that is Canyon County, LiCalzi said.

“She has this core of support,” he said. “These people will go to the mat for her.”

Chenoweth excites voters, such as Nampa rancher Marcella Stewart, who see the government as too intrusive. They are independent, and they want the government to leave them alone.

“We definitely need some change,” said Stewart, a campaign contributor who stays in regular contact with the Chenoweth camp. “We have to get back to real sound governing.”

They also are angry about federal laws regulating endangered species and land use. They say the government does not understand their Western lifestyle. And the media are against them, too, Stewart said.

The media, Chenoweth supporters say, will not tell the truth about issues such as Idaho salmon, an issue on which Chenoweth generated sparks when she suggested salmon are not an endangered species.

Yes, Stewart said, salmon are endangered in Idaho. But, so what? There are plenty in Alaska.

“In Alaska, there are so many of the salmon that they’re considering them trash fish,” Stewart said.

Mike Reynoldson, executive director of the Idaho Republican Party, said Chenoweth is blunt, like her supporters. She does not hide her conservative positions however controversial.

After the Oklahoma City bombing, the lawmaker implied that government policies may have prompted the bombers to action, touching on her theme that Americans are tired of federal over-regulation.

Chenoweth condemned the bombing outright after being widely criticized for her comment. But she has not backed away from ripping the federal government, and she will not let national tragedies sway her from her political path, Reynoldson said.

“Oklahoma City is a tragic thing, but it does not take away from what the Republicans are trying to accomplish in Congress,” Reynoldson said. “They’re going to stick with their agenda.”

Chenoweth also is viewed as supporting the little guy, such as the small rancher who told her that black government helicopters are storming his ranch. Most politicians would discount such stories, but Chenoweth is willing to keep an open mind, Reynoldson said.

LiCalzi said Chenoweth’s mouth, however, sometimes gets in her way. When she claims to have evidence that the government is landing helicopters on Idaho ranches, her stance that government is too big is clouded by how she says it.

“The people agree with her when it comes to the federal government, (but) then she makes some unsubstantiated comments that kind of hurt the cause,” LiCalzi said.

And that leaves openings for critics, who are ready to pounce.

Carl Van Slyke, chairman of the Canyon County Democratic Party Central Committee, said Chenoweth does not represent Idaho’s mainstream, although she appears to be popular in Canyon County.

Elsewhere, though, her popularity is not as secure. During a recent town hall meeting in Moscow, opponents criticized her for her environmental stands and laughed when she said she is working to protect water in the West.

Van Slyke and the state Democratic Party point to Chenoweth’s abortion stand, which includes cutting federal funds for abortions in cases of rape and incest, as an example of her right-wing extremism.

She also is supported by militia groups, although Chenoweth has said that is an unsolicited endorsement.

White supremacists even have praised her for running what they call a race-based campaign.

“I don’t consider her mainstream by a long shot,” Van Slyke said. “I consider her clear out on the right side.”

LiCalzi said all this could make Chenoweth vulnerable in the next election in 1996, especially in the primaries if a Republican challenger successfully uses her record to apply an extremist brand.

But LiCalzi said it is too early to judge how effective Chenoweth has been or will be. Congress has been in session for only 100 days, and the House has dealt solely with the GOP’s “Contract With America.”

The budget process now under way will be more telling, he said. Party unity is more likely to break down, and Chenoweth will begin pursuing her own interests. Then, voters will see how Chenoweth fits into the national Republican Party, LiCalzi said.

Supporters, however, say she already has done what they wanted her to do: Stick to her guns, which is a trait they say politicians lack.

“I think Helen will do a fine job,” rancher Stewart said. “There again, if the media doesn’t go in and try to tear everything down.”