Posted on 06/20/2007 12:33:48 PM PDT by So Cal Rocket
CASPER — An open application process. A televised debate. Two rounds of speeches. Two more rounds of question-and-answer.
All to select three nominees for the U.S. Senate seat that was vacated by the death of the late Craig Thomas. All of it controlled by a single political party.
And all of it conducted in the open.
Cynthia Lummis, a former state treasurer and one of the three nominees selected Tuesday by the Wyoming Republican Party State Central Committee, called it “a marvelous exercise in the great American republic.”
On Wednesday, the GOP will forward three names to Democratic Gov. Dave Freudenthal: Lummis; Tom Sansonetti, a former state party chairman who served as chief of staff when Thomas was elected to the U.S. House; and Dr. John Barrasso, a Casper surgeon and state senator.
“One of these three will be the next Wyoming state senator,” Wyoming GOP Chairman Fred Parady said after bringing all three on stage.
Thomas died two weeks ago while fighting leukemia.
Freudenthal has five days to pick a successor to Thomas.
Throughout the process all three nominees and many of their fellow candidates expressed similar political beliefs — what Parady called “bedrock Wyoming values.” They embraced gun rights and multiple use of public land, denounced excessive regulation and taxation and said they would return to Wyoming as often as possible.
Lummis echoes those values by spelling out strong beliefs in limited government, government close to the people, and limited taxation.
Barrasso said he hoped to continue Thomas’ work on access to health care in rural areas and questioned what he characterized as extreme responses to global warming, saying that Wyoming was in a unique position to contribute to the nation’s energy needs in a responsible manner.
Sansonetti said Congress should look at immigration as a homeland security issue.
The new senator will serve through 2008. A special election in November 2008 will determine who completes Thomas’ term, which runs through 2012.
Matt Mead, who resigned as U.S. attorney for Wyoming in order to run for the seat, finished fourth with 30 votes. Ron Micheli, a former state Agriculture Department director, was the last of the finalists with 25 votes.
State law allows the party’s central committee to select three nominees for the seat from whom Freudenthal, a Democrat, must choose a temporary replacement for Thomas.
Thirty-one Republicans initially filed for the seat, but three withdrew before the meeting began Tuesday morning. The remaining field of 28 was cut to 10 early that afternoon.
Cheyenne attorneys Paul Kruse and Bruce Asay, state Rep. Colin Simpson of Cody and Douglas rancher Frank Moore fell short in the second round of voting. Former House Speaker Randall Luthi tied with Mead for the fifth spot, but lost a tie-breaking vote.
Politicking began early at the hotel where the committee was meeting. Well before the 8 a.m. meeting began, candidates and their families were giving out juice and coffee, stickers, signs and specially wrapped chocolate bars touting individual candidates.
THE CANDIDATES
JOHN BARRASSO
- Age: 54
- Hometown: Casper
- Job: Surgeon
- Political experience: State senator, former Wyoming Republican National Committeeman, former Wyoming Republican Party Treasurer.
- Final votes received: 56
- Quote: “The whole future, I think, of Wyoming and our economy has to do with coal and our clean-coal technology,” Barrasso said Tuesday. “I think you need pure science in there, people looking at it clearly. And I don’t buy all this Al Gore stuff.”
CYNTHIA LUMMIS
- Age: 52
- Hometown: Cheyenne
- Employment: Attorney, rancher
- Political experience: State treasurer, two terms; Legislature, 16 years
- Final votes received: 44
- Quote: “We all believe in limited government, we all believe in government close to the people, we all believe in taxation that is limited,” she said. “We all believe in the basic Republican principles, as they’re stated in the Republican Party platform.”
TOM SANSONETTI
- Age: 58
- Hometown: Cheyenne
- Employment: Private attorney, former attorney in the Department of Interior, U.S. Department of Justice.
- Political experience: Chief of staff, Sen. Craig Thomas, 1989-1990
- Final votes received: 58
- Quote: “We need to protect America from the threat of global terrorism, wherever that may be,” the Cheyenne attorney said. “And that means protecting American’s borders.”
I hope all three are anti-illegal-immigration.
Perhaps Alan Keyes will move to WY.
Gov. Fraudenall will not pick Lummis. Bad blood there. So it’s one of the two guys.
From what I know of him, John Barrasso looks pretty good.
WHAT DO YOU MEAN???? DO YOU WANT A DEM APPOINTED TO THAT SEAT?!!??!?!!?
(Just flashing back to the Keyes IL senate debacle around here)
BARRASSO?, SANSONETTI?
What, is Wyoming the state de jour for the Federal Witness Protection program?
>> Who do you think the Dem Governor would select?
I’m not qualified to voice an opinion on who should be selected. but I have a question:
HOW THE HECK DOES WYOMING ELECT A DONK-O GOVERNOR???
Won’t the governor appoint the Republican he thinks would be easiest for a Democrat to beat in 2008?
In a Blue state, this dem gov would be the most conservative candidate from either party. But with that being said, it does occassionally happen in very red states just like CA and NY got GOP governors despite the incredible registration disadvantage.
And yes, the Dem Gov will pick the GOP candidate that is the least likely to succeed. We’ll know shortly whether the Demo Gov is a sexist and appoints the female GOP candidate because he thinks she is the weakest.
The process only took a few days. Couldn't he have just taken vacation to "run" for the seat?
I don’t think it’s a forgone conclusion that the Governor would pick the weakest candidate. I’ve not heard much about her, but maybe she does care for her state, and maybe she will pick the person she really thinks is best for her state, not the weakest person.
It’s what I’d hope any elected official would do in such a situation, do what’s best for the people, not the party.
The correlation between vote for President and vote for U.S. Senator is a lot higher than vote for President and vote for Governor. Consider the R gov’s that MA has had in recent decades.
>> “Barrasso”, “Sansonetti”, isn’t it obvious? They were invaded by New Jersey.
You make a good case, there. :-)
Followon question: WHY WOULD NEW JERSEY ITALIANS MOVE TO WYOMING?
Are we talking about yet another fine western state dominated by the liberal New Englanders and Californicators that move its “resort towns”?
That’s what wrecked Colorado.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.