Tag: Wyoming

(This was posted in reply to Andy Dufresne in the recent WY-AL topic, but I thought this topic might merit its own entry.)

In order to build a bench in Wyoming, we’re going to have to start helping Democrats (fundraising and otherwise) to build strong positive reputations in the state, even if they have no chance of winning.  I seriously doubt that Rothfuss can win against Enzi short of a scandal (and even with a scandal it’d be hard as heck), but I believe he’s the kind of fresh new Democrat that the party could use.  Running for Senate as a scientist and policy wonk concerned about science policy–that’s an admirable goal.  It’s almost guaranteed to be insufficient to put him over the top, sure, but we’ve gotta start building a Democratic brand somewhere.

Trauner’s strong chance at the House seat and Freudenthal’s popular governorship are a good groundwork on which to start.

As for Nick Carter and Keith Goodenough (running against Barrasso) and Al Hamburg (also running against Enzi), I don’t know enough about them.  But–no offense to them–and I’d love to hear about anything interesting that they’re doing!

(Granted, I’d rather people who aren’t lawyers or career politicians to run for office, because (1) I think legislatures deal with very practical issues that people of other professional backgrounds might be better suited to manage, and (2) I don’t like it when the Republicans can point at us and say that we’re a bunch of trial lawyers, even if they’ve got their own load of trial lawyers on their side anyway.)

And just ’cause I think it’s worth posting here:

http://www.youtube.com/user/Ro…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v…

They’re dropping like flies, aren’t they?

Just after we learned that Republican Rep. Jim Saxton (R-NJ) will retire, we now learn from Roll Call that Barbara Cubin of Wyoming will retire at the end of her team.

The writing was on the wall here for quite some time.  Cubin’s disastrous victory against Democrat Gary Trauner in 2006 (she won by a mere 1000 votes and lost 25% of Republicans and a whopping 71% of independents to Trauner) sealed her fate, with the local and GOP aiming to knock her off in a primary.  A host of health issues in her family made the decision obvious.

Unlike Saxton’s retirement, which moves his seat into “Lean Dem” territory, Cubin’s retirement is a setback for Democrats, who were relying on the state’s deep dissatisfaction with Cubin’s performance to carry their nominee in the 12th-most Republican district in the country.  Still, Gary Trauner will perform strongly here for a Democrat, and there’s no telling how rancorous the GOP primary will be (and how ugly of a cretin that primary will produce).

Is it retirement time for GOP Rep. Barbara Cubin?  In a lengthy article dealing with her personal troubles and recent tragedies (and they are significant), Cubin says that she’ll make a re-election decision and announcement very soon:

Cubin, who turns 61 in November, told the Associated Press recently that she plans to run for re-election. But on Thursday she said only that she will make a decision and announcement in the next few weeks.

“I just need to make the announcement at a time that is right,” she said. “Certainly whatever I decide to do there are people I need to notify first before it is in the media – staff, family, all those kind of things.”

I don’t know about you, but I can’t imagine Cubin deciding to give 2008 another go.  That’s going to be bad news for Democrat Gary Trauner, but I suppose you never know what kind of Bill Sali-esque goon might emerge from the bowels of the Wyoming Republican Party, leaving a ray of hope in one of the reddest states in the nation.