Keough faces Tea Party tests

State Sen. Shawn Keough, R-Sandpoint, the co-chairwoman of the powerful Joint Appropriations and Finance Committee, will have her hands full of Tea Party candidates for the rest of the year. She will be challenged by one in both the GOPrimary (Glenn Rohrer of Priest Lake) and the general election (“Democrat” Steve Tanner of Bonners Ferry). Keough will also face an attack Web site run by anonymous posters who have already been attacking her. In the two House races, Democrat Kate McAllister, a Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce official, will try to win the Democratic nomination to face controversial Rep. Heather Scott, R-Blanchard, in the general election. And Scott’s Malheur Wildlife Refuge traveling buddy, Rep. Sage Dixon, R-Ponderay, will await the outcome of a two-way race on the Democratic side to see who his challenger will be in November.