Chenoweth’s Been Extremely Quiet Lately Lawmaker Seems To Be Going Out Of Her Way To Avoid Controversy

U.S. Rep. Helen Chenoweth is being very careful what she says these days.

It could be because of the influence of Tony Paquin, the Coeur d’Alene businessman who is traveling Idaho’s 1st Congressional District trying to line up support to run against Chenoweth in next May’s Republican primary.

Paquin says he holds the same conservative values as Chenoweth but that, as the nominee, he would lack Chenoweth’s extremism. He has described himself as Chenoweth without the embarrassment.

But in several appearances over the past week, it was hard to accuse Chenoweth of saying or doing anything extreme.

She was careful in an appearance at a Rotary Club meeting in Boise to talk about balancing the budget. Later in the week, she appeared before professor John Freemuth’s political science class at Boise State University.

Freemuth described her answers to the students’ questions as “measured and thoughtful.”

Chenoweth also went on KTVB’s “Viewpoint” television program and again appeared to be going out of her way to avoid controversy.

How does she feel about U.S. Sen. Dirk Kempthorne’s legislation revamping the Endangered Species Act?

“I look forward to studying the markup version,” she said. “I think all Americans support the spirit of the Endangered Species Act.”

Three years earlier, she had suggested salmon couldn’t be endangered because it is sold in cans in grocery stores.

And how about her stand on a possible anti-gambling initiative in Idaho? She will study the proposal when it comes up.

In two of three appearances in Boise during the past week, she promised again to serve only three terms, meaning the term she will seek in next year’s elections would be her last.

What are her plans after that?

She talks of the freedom to do whatever she wants, take any job she wants, pursue any door that opens.

Pretty bland stuff for a Republican who has created local and even national controversy with remarks interpreted as denigrating minorities and supporting militia groups.

She denies that she’s ever been an extremist.

“I guess if I’m extreme, I’m extreme in the cause of freedom and liberty, and I won’t back down from that,” she said.

She won’t even say anything bad about Labor went all out to defeat her in the last election, backing Democrat Dan Williams. But he fell just 6,500 votes short out of 260,000 votes cast.

Chenoweth doesn’t expect Democrats to make the same effort in 1998.

“I don’t think I’m a good investment for them,” she said. “They threw everything they had last time.”

Dave Whaley, AFL-CIO president for Idaho, said he expects to know by November whether there will be another flood of national labor money against her next year.

The new, kinder Chenoweth said she’s had a few conversations with Whaley and union members should appreciate her efforts fighting to keep jobs in America.

The question remains whether the “new” Chenoweth will keep voters from defecting to Paquin next May.