Arrest of manager casts pall over Otter campaign
Dan Popkey
February 16, 2005
Idaho Statesman
Rep. C.L. "Butch" Otter remains the front-runner for the GOP nomination for governor in 2006, but the arrest of his campaign manager for felony DUI is the sort of unforeseen event that could make for an upset by Lt. Gov. Jim Risch.
Risch knows he's an underdog. Otter has every advantage — money, charm, an unbroken string of election victories dating to 1986, and broad support from the establishment.
Risch needs some breaks, and however callous it may sound, the arrest of Jason Lehosit for a third DUI is good fortune for Risch.
It dredges memories of Otter's own DUI conviction and sets tongues wagging, particularly in Eastern Idaho, where Otter has been weak in the past and folks have long memories about personal foibles.
Otter knows voters will be reminded of his past. He told me that every time he hears about a DUI, he relives his ordeal along I-84 in 1992.
"Whether it's Jason, whether it's somebody close to me, whether it's somebody that I don't know, you can't help but go through that experience," Otter said.
A jury convicted Otter in 1993 after he offered a laughable list of excuses for failing field sobriety tests: his stocking feet were stung by weeds and gravel; he'd run eight miles and his knee hurt; he was hungry; he'd soaked his chewing tobacco in Jack Daniels. On top of all that, the reason a Meridian police officer observed him swerving was he was reaching for his cowboy hat, which had been blown off by the wind in his open car.
Jurors didn't buy it, and Otter abandoned plans to run for governor, trying for re-election as lieutenant governor instead. He knew his career was in peril. "It may well be over," Otter told me after his tearful apology to the state Senate.
Democratic Chairman Bill Mauk said then that Otter would "be a fool to seek re-election, but I'd love to see him test the waters."
Given the circumstances, Otter came out swimmingly. He carried 31 of 44 counties in a three-way GOP primary in 1994. He went on to defeat Democrat John Peavey, winning 53 percent of the vote.
But Peavey might have won had Otter not benefited from the national GOP landslide led by Newt Gingrich. The primary revealed a weakness that still has Otter worried. Of the 13 counties he lost, seven were in eastern Idaho where candidates often win by big margins in Bannock, Bingham, Bonneville, Franklin, Fremont, Jefferson and Madison.
Risch won a five-way race for the same job in 2002, carrying 34 of 44 counties, including all seven eastern Idaho counties lost by Otter in 1994. Risch's strength is eastern Idaho, where Mormon voters have high standards of personal behavior.
Otter said he learned about Lehosit's troubles last week. He said he didn't know about Lehosit's guilty pleas for DUI in 2000 and on Feb. 8. On Feb. 9, Lehosit was stopped in downtown Boise and arrested a third time, registering a blood-alcohol content of .20, above the .08 legal limit, according to police.
Otter said Lehosit should have disclosed his problems, "but maybe I should have asked him, too. Maybe it's partly my fault. I don't know; it's hard to lay blame."
Lehosit resigned Friday, calling his long-time colleague, Jeff Malmen, chief of Otter's congressional staff. Malmen often drank at Bittercreek Ale House with Lehosit but told me his friend's drinking problem was news to him. How did he disguise it? "Beats me," said Malmen. "I have no clue."
Lehosit, 28, is a sweet guy from a fine family, a capable fund-raiser who rose quickly in the GOP. He started making phone calls for Gov. Phil Batt's 1994 campaign and went on to raise money for Sen. Larry Craig in 1996. He was finance director for Gov. Dirk Kempthorne in 1998 and Otter in 2000, and managed Kempthorne's re-election race in 2002 and Otter's re-election in 2004.
"It's a terrible situation," said Boise State political scientist Jim Weatherby. "He's held some significant positions and now all of that is jeopardized."
Malmen said Lehosit, who didn't return my phone calls, is in an alcohol rehabilitation program in another state. Malmen said Lehosit's family and friends are supporting him, and Otter said he wishes Lehosit well.
"Of course I feel for him," Otter said. "I feel for anybody that has an error in judgment that way because I know how easy it is to make the right decision."
Lehosit's judgment has hurt Otter, but he did the right thing by swiftly resigning, getting into rehab and minimizing the fallout.
Weatherby said it's hard to say whether Lehosit's resignation will be remembered as a significant event. "Some people were writing Butch's political obituary 13 years ago, and look how wrong they were. But there is emerging here a very tough battle, and all issues could be on the table."
Otter is looking for a new campaign manager. My hunch is he'll be more cautious about his next selection, and do everything else he can to avoid handing Risch another break.
Originally posted at http://www.idahostatesman.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050216/NEWS010702/502160335/1002/NEWS01
The editorial posted here is provided by permission of its original publisher and does not necessarily reflect the views of Idaho Public Television.