Chenoweth May Have Challenger In ‘98 Coeur D’Alene Businessman Tony Paquin Considers Run In Republican Primary

At this rate, the U.S. presidential candidate for 2000 could be announced any day now.

Monday, just six official session days into the 105th Congress, 38-year-old Coeur d’Alene businessman Tony Paquin announced he might challenge Idaho Congresswoman Helen Chenoweth in the 1998 Republican primary.

The standard exploratory committee forms immediately and includes a retired Naval officer and Coeur d’Alene resident Sandy Clark.

Why the rush?

“This is a serious undertaking,” Paquin said. “It’s a big deal to challenge an incumbent and win. I need a year to do it.”

Paquin moved to the Lake City in 1991 and started a computer software company, Agency One. It was sold to AMS in 1993.

He calls himself a life-long Republican, was involved in the push for term limits, and is president of the Idaho Tax Reform Coalition.

Paquin is going to spend the next several months trolling for support in Idaho’s First Congressional District.

There are people to meet, letters to write and a bit of advertising to undertake. Decision day is in May.

Paquin said Chenoweth is too focused on two issues - natural resources and being a constitutionalist - to be effective.

Paquin said the birth of his son six years ago has a lot to do with his decision.

When he thinks about where his son is going to go to school and work, he worries.

“Students in the U.S. scored lower on math tests than students in Estonia, which wasn’t even a country five years ago,” Paquin said.

He also worries that current lawmakers are taking the costs of Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid and “charging that all to my son’s generation.”

Is Chenoweth threatened?

“It’s too early in the session and she has too much work to do to worry about campaign issues,” said Khris Bershers, Chenoweth’s spokeswoman.

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