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Show A4 Page - THE DAILY HERALD, Provo, Utah, Thursday, October 13, 1994 Despite problems, EchoHawk holds strong lead in Idaho race ' . But the results were virtually identical to polls taken by the same firm in January and May, indicating Batt has essentially made no progress in cutting into Echo-Hawk- 's double-dig- it lead. By QUANE KENYON AP Capitol Writer BOISE, Idaho Democratic gubernatorial candidate Larry EchoHawk acknowledges he "took some bullets" over holding a fund-raisin- The new poll, however, was taken just as news was breaking that EchoHawk, a Mormon, was appearing at the Salt Lake fundraiser in conjunction with his appearance at the church's General Conference across the street. His church has a longstanding public policy of staying out of partisan politics, and EchoHawk later acknowledged it wasn't a good idea to use a church building for political fund raising. He said it would have been handled differently had he been in charge instead of a Utah supporter. But it wasn't. The debate now is over the political fallout. Both Batt and EchoHawk are counting on good support from eastern Idaho. It's bedrock Republican country. It's also heavily event last weekend g ina Mormon Church building afcjoss from Salt Lake City's Tem-ri- a Square. His campaign also allows that it tw; as brought up short by the Clin-itip- n White House after EchoHawk lambasted the president's character, that newspaper interview also Jeft Idaho Democrats grumbling .about their standard-beare- r. Still, a new poll shows Republican Phil Batt w ith a long way to go to overtake EchoHawk in the race replace retiring Democrat Cecil '"Andrus. " ' Batt sloughs off the poll as just a ."'snapshot" of public attitude in late 'September and remains confi-tlent'will rally to victory in the campaign's final four weeks. Mormon. ; The question is whether typical Mormon-Republica- n voters there go for one of their own, EchoHawk, or back their party. Two years ago, it was no contest. Politics won out over religion. In the U.S. Senate race, Republican Dirk Kempthorne, a Method0 ist, carried eastern Idaho by votes over Mormon Democrat City fund-raise- r. Then, there's the White House. Republicans and some Demobelieve the Air Force ancrats nouncement in the past week to do more study on the Mountain Home Air Force Base training range expansion was engineered by the White House to protect EchoHawk from having to take a position. EchoHawk had consistently straddled the fence. Either way he could have gone would have alienated an important bloc of typically Democratic voters. Indian tribes and environmentalists opposed the expansion plan. Those in the Mountain Home area backed it as insurance on the future operation of the air base. The Air Force decision came the same day as the final state hearing that could have forced EchoHawk 11,-00- Richard Stallings. Stallings, the congressman from that won district, only five of the 15 eastern counties and lost his home four-ter- As it was, the decision only fueled the GOP campaign to link EchoHawk with Clinton a president whose Idaho popularity rating could be approaching single digits. Two weeks started distancing himself from Clinton, even though earlier he told voters his ability to talk to the White House was a strong asset. crats but short on Mormons. Last week's poll showed EchoHawk with a strong lead there before the controversy over the Salt Lake m county by 1 , 100 votes. Stallings suffered the same result when he fended off the GOP's strong challenge to his congresin 1986. sional The recent church-relate- d pub- licity could bolster EchoHawk's support among Mormon voters or erode it if those voters are disenchanted by their perception that their church was used politically. The fallout could extend into northern Idaho, long on Demo about that," Kress said, but he othdisputed the suggestion from ers that the EchoHawk campaign was told flatly not to count on any more help in the election. The White House, Kress said? "will have to get used to the fact that when Larry EchoHawk agrees with the administration, he will de his best to support them. When he disagrees, he will work to protect Idaho's interests." But a week ago, his criticism of Clinton went beyond differences on issues. The president, he said, needs "some basic moral values about what's right and wrong, and enough gumption, I guess, to stick to it." That upset a number of Idaho Democrats, and criticism of the president's morals didn't go un- Neuromuscular Diseases noticed in Washington. EchoHawk campaign manager Stan Kress admitted getting a call from the White House a couple of days later. to take a stand this coming week. 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