Larocco’s Losing Effort Costly But Chenoweth Outspent The Favorite In ‘94

Two-term Democratic congressman Larry LaRocco, upset by Republican Helen Chenoweth in a featured race in Idaho’s 1994 general election, spent a record $811,000 on the campaign and wound up with a debt of more than $28,000.

Campaign finance reports filed with the secretary of state’s office Tuesday showed that LaRocco spent $730,186 in 1994. He spent another $80,700 the year before and the combined amount is the most ever for an Idaho congressional race.

But LaRocco, the heavy favorite, was outspent in 1994 by Chenoweth, who put $739,907 into the race last year and a total of about $781,000 for the election cycle. LaRocco’s 1991-92 spending of $585,000 set the previous congressional record.

Chenoweth beat LaRocco by 21,902 votes. The new Republican member of Congress listed just $3,135 in her campaign fund at the end of the year and $170,190 in unpaid debts and loans. That included personal loans of $95,500 to the campaign.

But after winning the election, Chenoweth received $55,088 in contributions to just $981 for LaRocco.

LaRocco listed a campaign balance of $4,543 and unpaid bills of $28,709, most of it to Washington, D.C., polling and consulting firms.

Gov. Phil Batt, who became the first Republican elected Idaho governor in 24 years, reported spending $1,239,391 on the campaign in 1994 and $1,386,749 for the two-year election cycle.

He beat Attorney General Larry EchoHawk, who reported spending nearly $1.3 million last year and $51,714 less than Batt overall.

Batt reported receiving $120,496 in contributions in the last six weeks of the year after the election. He had a cash balance of nearly $60,000 with no debts.

Forest products companies continued heavy donations to the new GOP governor. Boise Cascade Corp. contributed another $3,000 for a total of $24,000 for the campaign and Bennett Lumber Products, Inc., gave another $1,000 for a total of nearly $10,000.

Potlatch Corp. gave Batt $5,000 on Dec. 9, for a total of $23,000 for the campaign. Former public affairs director Todd Maddock, whose name was listed on the Potlatch donation, was appointed by Batt to the Northwest Power Planning Council seven days later.