Campaign Trail Lined With Controversy Republican District 2 Senate Primary Candidates Are No Strangers To Criticism

One candidate promotes family values despite a trail of court records that raise questions about his marital fidelity.

The incumbent has trouble grasping the magnitude of the state budget.

Two of the candidates only recently joined the Republican Party.

And all three are accused of being cheats.

The candidates - Tom Daugherty, Ian James and incumbent Clyde Boatright - are vying for the District 2 state Senate seat in Tuesday’s Republican primary.

Boatright, 65, and Daugherty, 37, have been around long enough to collect a few skeletons in their political closets.

So has the 25-year-old James. The recent University of Idaho graduate was summoned before the UI Judicial Council in 1994 on complaints that he had cheated on four political science tests, turned in another student’s work as his own and threatened students and faculty members who knew of his alleged academic dishonesty.

James also was accused of scalping congressional All-Star baseball tickets while interning for former U.S. Rep. Larry LaRocco, D-Idaho. James purchased the tickets for $120 and sold them for $1,000, according to the complaint.

Of all the allegations, James admits only to scalping the baseball tickets to raise money for a children’s foster home in Washington, D.C.

As for the alleged cheating, he said, “A student was accused of cheating on the test. I stood up to defend that student, so it was perceived that I might have some sort of involvement.”

James sued the University, claiming it didn’t have the authority to carry out the disciplinary proceedings. The 2nd District Court dismissed James’ objections.

The matter was resolved quietly, and James received his degree. Attorneys for James and the university declined to comment.

As far as interning for a Democrat, James said he did it for the experience and would have preferred to work for Sen. Larry Craig, a Republican.

A few problems in his past, however, doesn’t mean he can’t win.

Boatright won the seat in 1994 despite his opponent questioning whether he should be in a position of public trust.

In the early 1990s, questions arose about whether Boatright had gained personally from his management of the Panhandle Area Transit system.

Boatright bought land and an airport shuttle bus, then leased it back to the non-profit organization. Boatright also built a PAT office building without permission from the state, according to a 1991 audit.

The matter appears to be all but forgotten, now. Fellow senators have found Boatright to be a conscientious lawmaker, attentive to his constituent’s wishes.

With only two years of Senate experience, Boatright still has a few things to learn about government.

In the past session, he confounded colleagues when he changed his mind on an amendment to a bill at a critical moment. By changing his vote, he caused the bill to conflict with itself, and it was sent back to committee.

And in a recent interview, Boatright mistakenly repeated that the state’s general tax budget was $1.4 million. When asked if he didn’t mean “billion,” he said, “$1.4 million. I thought it was $1.4 million.”

Daugherty said he is taking on Boatright because he believes the incumbent lacks leadership ability. He points to Boatright’s inability to get the Idaho Anti-Bomb Act passed.

Boatright carried the bill to the Legislature for the Kootenai County prosecutor, who has been frustrated by the lack of state laws against possession of explosives.

The law was rewritten twice, Boatright said, but still didn’t satisfy the Judiciary and Rules Committee because “it was so complicated.”

Daugherty also accused Boatright of failing to pay for videos that he rented from Daugherty’s store, North of Hollywood. Boatright allegedly left the videos in front of the door after hours and they were stolen.

Daugherty said Boatright refused to pay for them. Boatright said Daugherty lost his temper and threatened to sue him.

Daugherty has had his share of alleged transgressions, too. Married with two children, Daugherty promotes himself as an advocate of the family and Christian values.

Yet, less than two years ago, his wife filed for divorce, accusing Daugherty of mental cruelty and adultery. Daugherty said the accusations are false, despite his wife’s court testimony that the adulterous acts had been videotaped.

The case was dismissed last year when the couple failed to pursue it. Instead, they started attending New Life Community Church, where they worked out their problems.

The divorce action “really was the result of the negative campaign” in 1994 when he ran for Kootenai County commissioner as an Independent, Daugherty said. He and Mike Anderson were the targets of an inflammatory flier, accusing the two of lying and committing crimes.

Daugherty still has a lawsuit pending against one of the people responsible for the flier. The money spent on the lawsuit and the campaign, in addition to the public airing of past problems, caused a “dismal situation” in his domestic life, Daugherty said.

It wasn’t the first time the couple had tangled in court. In 1990, the courts awarded Daugherty custody of their daughter during a separation.

And in 1988, Daugherty was charged with misdemeanor battery, stemming from an argument with his common-law wife (the two since have wed). He pleaded guilty to a lesser charge and was fined $100.

In 1986, Daugherty improperly drew unemployment. He wasn’t eligible to collect the assistance because he owned the fledgling video business. The state ordered him to repay the $4,296 and Daugherty complied after unsuccessfully appealing the order.

Daugherty said he became a Republican in order to raise more campaign funds and because of a swing to the right in political philosophy.

“I’ve grown older, and I’ve grown more conservative,” he said. “I think I’ve always felt in my heart what was right.”

, DataTimes