Demos Hope To Pull Plug On Chenoweth Party Takes Aim, Distributing Magazine Article Labeling Representative One Of ‘Ten Dimmest Bulbs’

A national Democratic campaign committee sent out copies of a magazine article Thursday naming U.S. Rep. Helen Chenoweth No. 2 on a list of the “Ten Dimmest Bulbs in Congress.”

Chenoweth spokeswoman Khris Bershers dismissed the article, from the Madison, Wis.-based liberal magazine The Progressive, as “utter political nonsense” that “doesn’t even deserve a response.”

But its distribution is part of a continuing push by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee to target Chenoweth and other Republicans in Congress it believes are vulnerable in 1996.

“It’s definitely a seat that we are focused on for the ‘96 election,” said Tricia Primrose, spokeswoman for the committee in Washington, D.C. “There is an effort to communicate with people and let them know how she’s representing them in Washington.”

Since March, the Democratic committee has sent out about a dozen press releases about Chenoweth, focusing on her votes in Congress. The most recent, a version of which went out for all 73 Republican freshmen congressmen, looked at how many times Chenoweth has voted with House Speaker Newt Gingrich (she got a 92 percent rating).

Keith Rupp, Chenoweth’s chief of staff, said, “This isn’t news to us. Helen’s been saying all along that she expects the Democrats to try to take back this seat.”

Chenoweth beat two-term Democrat Larry LaRocco for the 1st Congressional District seat last fall.

“She sticks to her beliefs and isn’t going to be swayed by criticism from the other party,” Rupp said. “She’s representing the people of Idaho, and that’s what they elected her to do.”

Chenoweth, who is recovering from surgery this week, wasn’t available for comment. Bershers said she’s resting and will be back on her feet next week.

The magazine article places Chenoweth in the company of Rep. Sonny Bono, R-Calif., and Rep. John Christensen, R-Neb., whom it called “unquestionably the dumbest man to serve in the 104th Congress.”

Chenoweth was needled for her remarks about black helicopters being used to enforce the Endangered Species Act in Idaho, for her comments about salmon not being endangered when they’re available in cans at the grocery store and for telling a witness at a hearing in North Carolina that she couldn’t understand the testimony because “you all talk so funny down here.”

The article also quoted her as asking on the House floor, “Excuse me, but can someone please explain what an ecosystem is?”

Rupp said, “The Progressive is a very liberal magazine.”

Other articles in the September issue include “Bosnia: The Problem for Peace Activists” and an interview with former California Gov. Jerry Brown. The magazine has 30,000 subscribers.

Primrose said she sent the article to media outlets in the districts of six of the 10 lawmakers on the list.

“We need 17 seats (to regain a majority),” she said. “So I’m not going to let one opportunity where we stand a decent chance go by. In Rep. Chenoweth’s case, I think we have a good chance.”

Rupp said, “Helen’s plan is to keep representing the people of the 1st District as best she can, to keep their voices heard here in Washington. If the Democrats don’t like that, I guess we’ll just see what happens.”

, DataTimes