Wyoming Vote Tracker

So I did a quick search on some news about the quickly approaching Gubernatorial race in the state of Wyoming. I know, I know. It’s only 2009, but keep in mind, it’s October of 2009, the same October of 2009 that comes after the most liberal President (the same that was endorsed by our current Governor) was elected. The same October of 2009 that comes prior to the campaign season that should be a guaranteed open seat in the Governor’s Mansion due to a little inconvenient road block called term limits.  But when pressed on the issue, the currently term-limited Governor (the first one in Wyoming that is subject to such a codified rule) isn’t saying what his plans for 2010 are. In fact he’s going to wait until March, after the legislative session is over.

Those of you that know me, or have read pretty much anything I post on here, know I love politics and I love and live in Wyoming. You also know I’m a rather committed conservative Republican. I have been blessed to be able to be active in my party and to meet and get to know many Republican leaders in our great state. Last year was a very active year for me, and this coming election year looks to be another active year. I’ve been playing my cards “face up” as it were, in showing my enthusiasm and support for Ron Micheli’s gubernatorial bid. He’s known for his consistently conservative stances on issues and I believe he’s the right candidate for Wyoming. As a result of my interest, I occasionally peruse the internet to see what news is going on in the early stages of the election cycle. Mostly, the discussion is on if the Governor will take a stab at a third term.

Recently Politico ran a report about the stall Wyoming Democrats are in due to our Governor not committing to not challenging the term limits law, though he did advise a potential candidate to get out and start shaking hands if he’s interested. Said Democrat noted he won’t form a committee until he knows for sure of the Governors plans. Taking advantage of the lag, Republicans are stepping up and exploring their possibilities. Ron Micheli was first out of the chutes.  A news search last night showed two pieces in the Casper Star Tribune, one an op-ed, the other a news report. They were recent, so I had to look.

I was shocked at the the op-ed. I’m not typically excited about the op-ed page, but this time around, I was.

During his news conference, the Democratic chief executive discussed publicly for the first time the logistics of getting a decision from the Wyoming Supreme Court to clear the way for him to seek a third term.

He intends to wait until March when the legislative session ends to make an announcement. If it’s a go, the court will be on fast forward with only two months to pump out of a decision before the May 28 closing filing date.

He mentioned a second scenario where he would wait to file and get rejected by the secretary of state. He then would go to court.

Waiting that long would really mess up campaign planning.

Another option is to get a court decision and not file.

Perhaps the third option is the most boggling. Why file suit if you don’t intend to use a decision if it happens in your favor? The other options are just as crazy. Can the Supreme Court get a thorough enough analysis of the law to give an up-or-down decision in time for the filing deadline if a suit isn’t filed until March? An interesting note is that our Governor supported the term limits law in the ‘02 elections and according to the op-ed, he supported them two years into his first term. Sure people are entitled to change their minds (Sen. Barrasso ran as a pro-choice candidate in a crowded GOP primary that led to Sen. Enzi’s first term). But, just the same, the Governor has recently done some things that haven’t set well with Wyomingites. Endorsing and campaigning for our current President, putting his wife’s name on a list of candidates for a Federal judgeship, and since making his endorsement, he seems to have lost whatever charisma he had (seriously, listen to him on the radio sometime…)

The down-side of the CST and Politico stories? Compare the two quotes, first from the Casper Star:

They think he will run for two reasons — a desire to leave a major accomplishment as a legacy and his concern that his successor might be conservative Ron Micheli.

A third could be the expectation of a very rough campaign.

Tom Stroock, former state senator, ambassador to Guatemala and a former Republican state party chairman, isn’t changing his prediction that Freudenthal will not seek a third term.

And Politico:

“This is a really polite state. We’re the kind of population that hesitates to say the hard things out loud, even though we really need to,” said former Wyoming Republican Party Chairman Drake Hill. “Still, when the public is bothered by an issue, they do express their views at the ballot box.”

Not sure what the game plan is here, but it is what it is. I would think they would know how to get in touch with the current leadership of WYGOP, but that’s just me thinking. However, quite interesting that the CST seems to see a coming conservative backlash in Wyoming.

On to the report that ran a few days before the op-ed where the Governor really trips over his words:

He said his main purpose in waiting until March is to truncate the time available for campaigning.

“For years in this state the proper decorum was that office holders waited until after the legislative session to make an announcement and I think the public likes it that way,” he said.

“This is not a state that relishes this year-around campaign business and we’re seeing enough year-around campaigning by the congressional delegation,” he added. […]

He said he has encouraged the Democrats he has met with to go out and start campaigning and getting to know people.

So let me get this straight. Wyoming likes short campaign cycles, Republicans are being evil for starting so soon, but if you’re a Democrat, hey, go ahead and start shaking hands. Or is that me just thinking again?

Sure, in Wyoming, we like short campaign cycles, but we also like knowing what our leaders are up to. Our Governor was a huge supporter of our President. Our President campaigned on transparency. What are we seeing from the White House? Well, they hate FOX News. As far as policy, that’s a good question.

Where does our Governor stand on the term limits law? I for one support term limits. While they eventually bar the good solid conservative officials, it does the same for the liberals too. And isn’t that what the liberals want? Equality??? A level playing field if you will??? If the Governor is going to challenge a term limits law, get on with it now rather than force a hasty decision from the Supreme Court. The people of Wyoming deserve better.

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