A Democrat Who Flies High

By CHRISTOPHER JOHN FARLEY

Not every Friend of Bill's is in trouble this election cycle. Larry EchoHawk, who has actually posed for pictures with President Clinton, is leading the race for Governor of Idaho by about 15 points over his Republican opponent, Phil Batt, according to a statewide poll. If he wins, EchoHawk will become America's first Native American Governor. EchoHawk's strong showing is a major surprise because he is running for chief executive of a state that is largely Republican and white. EchoHawk, currently the state's attorney general, even favors gun control, anathema to many Idahoans.

What Idaho voters find appealing in EchoHawk is his record for integrity, independence and positions that are generally so conservative that many Republicans are willing to overlook his party affiliation. "I would say that I'm a mainstream Idaho Democrat," says EchoHawk. "But when you compare Idaho Democrats to New York Democrats, you'll find quite a few differences." EchoHawk is opposed to abortion rights, favors the death penalty and supports a two-year limit on benefits to people on welfare. He has been friends with Clinton, but not always in agreement with him, ever since the two served on the Democratic National Committee's policy commission in the mid- 1980s. In the Idaho race, EchoHawk and his Republican rival have been sparring over who is the more conservative candidate. Batt likes to paint his opponent as a closet liberal and big spender. Says Batt: "When you come down to it, he's a ! Clinton Democrat, I'm a Reagan Republican, and there's a tremendous difference."

EchoHawk has always resisted typecasting. The son of a Pawnee father and a mother of German ancestry, he became a devout Mormon and attended Brigham Young University. After graduating from the University of Utah College of Law, he worked as a tribal lawyer for the Shoshoni. When he took over as attorney general in 1991, he angered many in that tribe and others by supporting a state constitutional amendment that banned casino-style gambling, an industry that many tribes depend on for their livelihoods. "I think that issue helped show the people of Idaho that I would do my duty. They knew it was hard for me, for the first time to be opposite the Idaho Indian tribes." Many Native Americans have hard feelings over that; only three of the state's six tribes have endorsed his candidacy so far. Says Barrett Moffett, a member of the Nez Perce Tribal Executive Committee: "There's certainly a split within our tribe whether to vote for him or not. How he will treat the tribes of Idaho is difficult to predict."

At the same time, Batt charges that EchoHawk's ancestry is providing him with special advantages. "He gets attention because he comes from an unusual background," says Batt, a former Idaho lieutenant governor. "I don't get that kind of free media." Batt also charges that EchoHawk's campaign has received a lot of help from out of state. Actor Dustin Hoffman has reportedly donated $50,000.

EchoHawk, 46, says he wants the public to stay focused on political issues, but realizes that discussions of his race are unavoidable. "We don't talk about my Native American heritage on the campaign trail, but with a name like EchoHawk, you don't pass for Irish," he says. "I think people are very aware that this could be a historic election for America." After all, Idaho has done it before. In 1914 the state chose Moses Alexander, the country's first Jewish Governor elected to a full term.

With reporting by Dan Cray/Los Angeles