RIP: Senator Craig Thomas, (R-Wyoming)
Senator Craig Thomas has died. From the AP:
Wyoming Sen. Craig Thomas, a three-term conservative Republican who stayed clear of the Washington limelight and political disputes, died Monday. He was 74. The senator's family issued a statement saying that he died at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., where he had been receiving chemotherapy for acute myeloid leukemia.
Governor Dave Freudenthal (D) will appoint a successor, though it will be a Republican. The seat will open, however, for an election in 2008 -- even though Thomas was re-elected in 2006.
From the Wyoming News:
Gov. Dave Freudenthal, a Democrat, will appoint a successor from one of three finalists chosen by the state Republican party. Peggy Nighswonger, Wyoming's elections director, said the governor has five days to appoint one of the party's three nominees once he receives the names. That person will serve until the next general election in 2008.
Kari Chisholm | June 5, 2007 | Comment on This Post (2 so far) |
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It is good to see that the Senate can still come together over such a sad event. From
http://www.nytimes.com/cq/2007/06/05/cq_2839.html
“Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid who usually opens the Senate session, delegated that privilege Tuesday to Minority Leader Mitch McConnell who memorialized Thomas as “the modern day embodiment of the cowboy ideal he celebrated and loved.” McConnell said, “Craig was as much at home on horseback, roping and ranching, as he was in a committee room.”
As Reid called for a moment of silence to honor Thomas, the C-SPAN television camera zoomed in on the late senator’s desk, draped in black and all but hidden under a bouquet of red, white and blue flowers.”
While I would like to see more Democratic Senators, the system in Wyoming that keeps the seat in the same party does put a stop to the unseemly attention paid to a death that might otherwise result in a change in control of the Senate. We can thus put politics aside and honor Senator Thomas for his service to the Senate and the country.
Posted by: Leo Brown | Jun 5, 2007 8:48:05 PM
While I am NO supporter of Harry Reid, I do think this was an honorable display.
I hope that Wyoming elects a traditional conservative in the future.
And I hope Wyoming supports Fred Thompson in teh primary!
Posted by: Nick Freitas | Dec 21, 2007 8:37:48 AM
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(and yes, we know that sometimes they're very, very wrong. Other times, they're right on.)
