Chenoweth’s Campaign Chief Leaves Her Job Julia Zaher Said She No Longer Is Working For Chenoweth Because Of Differences Of Opinion And Management Style

Congresswoman Helen Chenoweth’s campaign coordinator has left her job with the freshman Republican, whose campaign remains more than $100,000 in debt.

Julia Zaher, a former Christian Broadcasting Network reporter now living in Boise, said on Friday that she no longer is working for Chenoweth because of differences of opinion and expectation about management style.

Zaher said she was temporarily helping Sen. Larry Craig’s campaign prepare for the Idaho Republican’s birthday party and 1996 re-election campaign kickoff next month.

Chenoweth said Zaher left by mutual agreement.

“We remain friends and I have a great deal of respect for her,” Chenoweth said.

Chenoweth, who reported a campaign debt of $170,000 with $95,000 owed to herself through the end of last year, said the debt still totals more than $100,000, but that has nothing to do with Zaher’s departure.

“It simply is freeing myself from the demands of a very busy Congress to get the requests out there,” she said. “We are in a transition here. I have a lot of good people who are mobilizing. It is very heartening to me.”

Idaho Republican Party Chairman Randy Smith said the GOP is doing everything it can to help Chenoweth retire her campaign debt.

In the meantime, Smith said he was skeptical that Boise businessman Doug Dorn, who is considering challenging her in next year’s Republican primary, will actually make the race. But he said he has not discouraged Dorn.

“Frankly, I don’t see any Republican challenger who looks at the facts and the figures being very anxious to take on the campaign,” Smith said. “I think Helen has rock solid support, so I think it’s going to be tough for anyone to beat her in the primary.”

Chenoweth said she also doubts Dorn will run.

Dorn himself, who ran unsuccessfully for the GOP’s gubernatorial nomination last year, would say only that he will decide by August whether to become a candidate for the 1st Congressional District seat. He said a congressional campaign would cost $1 million.

“The question is whether people are a million dollars upset,” Dorn said. “I don’t know the answer to that.”

Democrat Dan Williams, a Boise lawyer who intends to challenge Chenoweth next year, already has launched his own fund-raising campaign.