Wyoming
Dave Freudenthal Endorses Barack Obama
Wyoming’s popular Governor Dave Freudenthal is the second Western governor to endorse Senator Obama in recent weeks. While not saying anything negative about Senator Clinton, he views Senator Obama as "incredibly smart" and someone who gives honest answers instead of scripted responses.
Senator Obama is the Democratic candidate with the openness, honesty and skill to end this vicious cycle of business as usual.
Openness and honesty, skill and intelligence, and a no nonsense approach to government are some of the values we like to see at here at Western Democrat.
Leo Brown | April 5, 2008 | Comment on This Post (0 so far) |
Three Elections
Wyoming was part of Barack’s Rocky Mountain firewall. And now Mississippi voted for Barack as well. Very different states, same result. And it is really hard to think of these two states as latte-sipping boutique states.
However, I would like to call your attention to a third recent election, this one in Illinois.
I live in California, in the land of earthquakes, but I was born in Illinois and lived in the Chicago suburbs for about 25 years. So when Denny Hastert’s old congressional seat flipped from R to D, I took notice. This is 6.0 on the Richter Scale. A strong one. This is also a validation of Barack’s strategy and message.
Sen. Barack Obama could bring out a huge turnout if he's the Democratic presidential nominee. Others have noted this as well.
Obama's effect on the Foster race is emblematic of why Democratic Super Delegates are beginning to break for Obama. Not only is Obama the most electable Democratic candidate for President this fall, he's also the candidate that will help elect more Democrats to the House and Senate. And the effect the presidential candidate has on House and Senate races - as well as races for State Legislature - will be a big factor in determining who Super Delegates support. If you don't believe me, pull aside virtually any Member of Congress who represents a tough swing district, and ask privately who he or she wants to head the ticket. The verdict is virtually unanimous: they all believe that Obama's nomination will be far more helpful to their own candidacies than Hillary Clinton's. The same goes for candidates trying to take Republican seats. You hear four reasons for this assessment: 1). They believe that Obama will turn out large numbers of new Democratic voters that simply won't show up if Hillary is the candidate. This is doubly true when districts have sizeable minority populations. But it is true of young people across the board. 2). They believe that Obama will appeal to independents and some Republicans -- and create an environment more favorable to their own candidacies among those voters. 3). They think Obama will be much more helpful at raising money for their own races than Clinton. 4). Most importantly, many think Clinton's presence on the ticket will galvanize the right wing base. They simply don't want to run on a ticket headed by Hillary Clinton, and many say they would not campaign with her in their districts.We’ve noted previously that Clinton would be a drag on Western Democrats.
One key advisor to a prominent Democratic congressional candidate, who asked not be to identified discussing tensions within the party, went even further. "It's a disaster for Western Democrats," he said. "It keeps me up at night."
Leo Brown | March 11, 2008 | Comment on This Post (0 so far) |
Every State Counts, Every Voter Counts
If you were tired of a few voters in a handful of states determining the nominee, this is your year. If you are told only the big states count, don’t believe it. Every state counts, and every voter counts. In the West the remaining contests are
Wyoming March 8 (caucus)
Oregon May 20 (primary)
Montana June 3 (primary)
Montana and South Dakota (also on June 3 and partly in the West) will be the last contests before the convention, unless a couple of states that jumped the gun earlier in the year have a “do over.”
Democracy may be messy, but I prefer it to the alternatives.
Leo Brown | March 6, 2008 | Comment on This Post (3 so far) |
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) |
2008 and House Candidates in the West
Swing State Project recently listed ten Democratic House Candidates who ran close, but unsuccessful, races in 2006, and should run again. These are good candidates who ran in tough districts and now have some name recognition for a second attempt. Of particular note is that half of these are in the West:
Charlie Brown CA-4
Larry Grant ID-1
Tessa Hafen NV-3
Darcy Burner WA-8
Gary Truaner WY-AL
The New York Times and CQ Politics recently reported a list of fifteen close 2006 House races. Again five, though not the same five, are in the West.
CO-4
NV-3
NM-1
WA-8
WY-AL
Combining the two lists already gives us seven House seats to watch in the West in 2008. Two of the seven are in blue states (CA, WA). Two are in the red states (ID, WY). Three are in red states considered to be trending purple (CO, NV, NM).
The focus in 2008 will be on the top of the ticket, but we are now seeing how important control of the House is. Continuing or expanding Democratic control of the House in 2008 may well depend on having a Presidential ticket that can run well in the West.
Leo Brown | January 6, 2007 | Comment on This Post (4 so far) |
The New West Project
This is wonderful:
The New West Project, headquartered in Denver, will conduct research and develop strategies to secure and exploit recent Democratic gains in the Western states, party sources said.At least four Western governors - Janet Napolitano of Arizona, Bill Richardson of New Mexico, Brian Schweitzer of Montana and Bill Ritter, Colorado's governor-elect - are expected to lead the group's advisory council, the sources said. Incoming Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada, Sen. Ken Salazar of Colorado and other members of Congress will provide "strategic guidance."
Reid confirmed the creation of the new organization, which he said would "build upon the leadership of people such as governors Napolitano, Richardson and Schweitzer" and "work to focus attention on the West."
This is a high level group. Consider the Western Strategy in play, my friends. It is wonderful to see this sort of institutional arrangement that will only benefit our local, state and national candidates long term. It looks like part think tank, part strategy firm, part communications development - all aspects that will be welcome by the plethora of candidates that will be running these next few cycles to take advantage of our our new promise out here in the west.
The best part of the article? The quote from an unnamed "Western Democrat":
As an example of what the new organization may do, the Western Democrat said that political professionals would analyze such questions as "the difference between first- and second-generation Hispanic voters, ... what motivates them and how we communicate with them," as well as "why a recent transplant from California, who has voted Republican all her life, is now voting for Democrats."
Good question, "Western Democrat" - it just leaves me amazed to see our namesake invoked so strikingly in an article. Methinks the author of the article, John Aloysius Farrell , might just be an reader of our humble site. If so, thanks for the article John - we'll be watching for you in the future.
It's great to have a new project designed for this express purpose and examining the multitude of new questions that are arising from the new political climate in the West. Now, if any of those people involved in the project are paying attention it would behoove them greatly to include netroots and blog outreach as an element of the project. You see, since major political focus has been absent from the West for awhile the netroots and blogosphere have been proliferating and recruiting top candidates all over the place. It would be an essential element of any plan that you should put together.
I'm excited.
Here's the The New West Project!
Landon Mascareñaz | December 6, 2006 | Comment on This Post (0 so far) |
Post-Election Statehouse Roundup
To quote Buffalo Springfield, "there's something happening here". Post-election, Western Democrats have made great gains in the states, building strong majorities in the legislatures and taking or retaining several governorships. Here's a look at the numbers, courtesy of NCSL.
Senate 12-18 Republican majority
House 21-39 Republican majorityPost-Election
Senate 12-18 Republican majority
House 28-32 Republican majorityPickups
Senate – stays the same
House - +7 seats
Democratic Governor Janet Napolitano was overwhelmingly re-elected.
Pre-election
Senate 25-15 Democratic majority
Assembly 47-32-1 (Senate 25-15 Democratic majority
Assembly 48-32 Democratic majority
Pickups
Senate – stays the same
Assembly - +1 seat
Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger was re-elected.
Pre-Election
Senate 18-17 Democratic majority
House 35-30 Democratic majority
Post-Election
Senate 20-15 Democratic majority
House 39-26 Democratic majority
Pickups
Senate – +2 seat
House - +4 seats
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Bill Ritter was elected Governor.
Pre-Election
House 13-57 Republican majority
Post-Election
Senate 7-28 Republican majority
House 19-51 Republican majority
Pickups
Senate – stays the same
House - +6 seats
Republican gubernatorial candidate C.L. “Butch” Otter was elected.
Pre-Election
Senate 27-23 Democratic majority
House 50-50
Post-Election
Senate 26-24 Democratic majority
House 50-49-1 (
Pickups
Senate – -1 Seat
House – stays the same
Democratic Governor Brian Schweitzer is up for re-election in 2008.
Pre-Election
House 26-16 Democratic majority
Post-Election
House 27-15 Democratic majority
Pickups
Senate – +1 seat
House - +1 seat
Pre-Election
Senate 24-18 Democratic majorityHouse 42-28-2(
Post-Election
Senate 24-18 Democratic majority
House 42-28 Democratic majority
Pickups
Senate – stays the same
House – stays the same
Democratic Governor Bill Richardson was overwhelmingly re-elected.
Pre-Election
Senate 17-11-2(
House 27-33 Republican majority
Post-Election
Senate 17-11-2(
House 31-29 Democratic majority
Pickups
Senate – stays the same
House - +4 seats
Pre-Election
House 19-56 Republican majority
Post-Election
Senate 8-21 Republican majority
House 19-56 Republican majority
Senate – stays the same
House – stays the same
Republican Governor Jon Huntsman is up for re-election in 2008.
Pre-Election
Senate 26-23 Democratic majority
House 56-42 Democratic majority
Post-Election
Senate 32-17 Democratic majority (not since 1965)
House 63-35 Democratic majority
Senate – +6 seats
House - +7 seats
Pre-Election
Senate 7-23 Republican majority
House 14-46 Republican majority
Post-Election
Senate 7-23 Republican majority
House 17-43 Republican majority
Senate – stays the same
House - +3 seats
Democratic Governor Dave Freudenthal was overwhelmingly re-elected.
kencamp | November 22, 2006 | Comment on This Post (4 so far) |
Room to Grow in the West
Western Democrats did well in 2006. Here is a link to some helpful maps. Particularly noteworthy were pickups in Montana for the U.S. Senate and the Colorado for governorship, plus four pick-ups in the House of Representatives. And we won the office of Secretary of State in the swing states of New Mexico and Nevada. (Think Florida in 2000 and Ohio in 2004 for the importance of this). But we could have done better, and in 2008 we can. For the Senate in 2008 think Colorado and New Mexico. There is still room to grow in the West.
But returning to 2006, Senate pickups in Arizona and Nevada were possible. Governor’s mansion pickups were possible in Alaska, Nevada and Idaho. Additional House pickups were possible in California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Washington, and Wyoming. And we didn’t win the election for Secretary of State in Colorado. These races were close enough to be considered competitive. Several of the competitive House districts in 2006 could be just as competitive in 2008.
So while we are still basking in the warm glow of victory, let us ask ourselves, what could we do better? Any campaign can be critiqued, but I think the biggest factor is that we were outspent. Jack Carter was outspent four to one in Nevada. The GOP and the Club for Growth poured a ton of money into ID-1. The national GOP was spending much more in CA-4 than the DCCC was. And so it went in many districts. Meanwhile Hillary Clinton spent $30 million defeating token opposition in New York. Now I understand that each candidate can raise his or her own funds, and the national committees carefully decide where to spend scarce resources, but more seed money in planting season and more money at harvest time would go a long way in the West. Something to think about for 2008.
Leo Brown | November 21, 2006 | Comment on This Post (0 so far) |
Tester leading...
Of course, the big story in the West is that Jon Tester is leading Conrad Burns. As of 9:30 Mountain Time, he's up 49% to 48% leading by less than 2000 votes, out of nearly 400,000 cast.
In the US House, Democrats won Arizona-5, Arizona-8, California-11 (goodbye Pombo!), and Colorado 7 (Perlmutter). It's still too close to call in California-4 (Brown/Doolittle), New Mexico-1 (Madrid/Wilson), Washington-8 (Burner/Reichert), and Wyoming at-large (Trauner/Cubin). DailyKos has a Western election results tracker.
In the governor's races, Democrats won in Colorado and Oregon - but lost in Alaska, Idaho, and Nevada.
Kari Chisholm | November 8, 2006 | Comment on This Post (1 so far) |
George Will Discovers the West
In today's "election scorecard" column from conservative commentator George Will:
Four years ago all eight Mountain West states -- Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming -- had Republican governors. If Democrat Bill Ritter wins Colorado's governorship, Democrats will hold five of eight governorships in the Mountain West, which in the 1990s was even more reliably Republican than the South. In 2004 a change of a total of 63,508 votes in Colorado, Nevada and New Mexico would have given those states' 19 electoral votes and the presidency to John Kerry. No wonder the Democrats' 2008 convention will probably be in Denver.
Bring it on home, folks. Bring it on home.
Kari Chisholm | November 6, 2006 | Comment on This Post (1 so far) |
WY-AL: More Good News for Democrats
The good news keeps on coming. The Wyoming Tribune-Eagle has released a poll showing that Democrat Gary Trauner is running within the margin of error with incumbent Republican Congresswoman Barbara Cubin. That means this race is even, and Democrats are poised to pick up a seat in the heart of Dick Cheney country.
U.S. Rep. Barbara Cubin, R-Wyo., is in a statistical dead heat with Democratic challenger Gary Trauner in the race for state's lone seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.Someone tell Rahm Emanuel to get off of Howard Dean's back. If not for Dean's 50 state strategy (which Rahm decried as a waste of resources) Democrats wouldn't even be running this close in Wyoming or Idaho (and probably a few other places).
The statewide poll, commissioned by the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle, shows that of those who are likely to vote, 44 percent supported Cubin and 40.4 percent supported Trauner.
The poll has a margin of error of 4.2 percent.
Libertarian candidate Thomas Rankin garnered 5 percent support, and 8 percent were undecided.
kencamp | October 29, 2006 | Comment on This Post (1 so far) |
Why Wyoming's Congressional Seat Is In Play
In the first debate between Democrat Gary Trauner and incumbent GOP Congresswoman Barbara Cubin, Trauner showed he is up to the challenge of winning the at-large congressional seat in a historically red state. From the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle:
Trauner, whose only previous political experience is being elected to the school board in the Jackson Hole community of Wilson, said the election presents the "clearest choice" between the current Washington climate or change.So Trauner issues a scathing indictment about Cubin and D.C. Republicans. And how does Cubin respond?
"On one hand, it's business as usual, bitter partisanship and blind allegiance to party, fear tactics, the blame game, $8 trillion of debt, a war without answers, a health care system that's broken and scandal upon scandal," Trauner said.
Cubin said her representations of his stances are well documented and said if Trauner is elected, liberal Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., could become speaker of the House.Barbara Cubin is apparently more concerned with Nancy Pelosi than she is with Gary Trauner or the allegations he made about the way she's done the job. And that's why she'll lose in November. That, and Trauner has more money than she does.
kencamp | October 16, 2006 | Comment on This Post (3 so far) |
Republicans for Trauner
Republicans have been supporting our candidates this year as noted here and here. And we have a strong candidate for Congress in Wyoming. See here and here. So it’s not surprising to read in the Cody Enterprise that
…a new grassroots group aimed at defeating incumbent Rep. Barbara Cubin, “Republicans for Gary Trauner,” has been launched in Cody. “It's time for her to be replaced,” life-long Republican Steve Simonton says. “She has failed Wyoming from a leadership standpoint and has no role among the GOP leadership.” Simonton, a longtime Cody lawyer who says he was prompted by Cubin's relatively weak showing in the primary election to organize the new group, said Cubin has allowed the position to lose power since vice president Dick Cheney held it.Simonton said Cubin has voted to reduce the powers of the states, giving more to federal government, was silent during the right-to-die case of Terry Schiavo and hasn't been fiscally responsible. “She's fallen out of touch with Wyoming and the principles this state holds dear,” Simonton said. “She's had a hand in the largest deficit spending ever in this country. “She's voted to increase the federal government's power and hasn't protected public lands,” he added.
Simonton said he's also disappointed in her role during the debates about the war in Iraq.
“She's been a rubber stamp for the administration. We have no strategy for pulling out,” he said. “Right now if we pull out, the place will fall apart and into civil war. Simonton said he also was disappointed in her for votes about bonuses for combat veterans while giving Congress a pay raise at the same time. “Here at home we support the troops and they need that bonus,” he said. “But she gave herself a raise without giving soldiers one.”He began to research Democrat Gary Trauner of Wilson and found him to be a candidate more to his liking. “I see him as a young, energetic leader who has some solid ideas,” Simonton said. “He has the kind of eagerness and intelligence to make a good representative. “Voting for him is better than following the GOP's same plan year after year,” he added. “We need to make a change.”
Leo Brown | September 26, 2006 | Comment on This Post (1 so far) |
Gas Prices and the West
A few months back I reflected on the low gas prices in Idaho, Wyoming and Utah and the comparably high approval ratings for Bush in those same states. I doubt their was a connection, that people like the President because their gas prices were still low, but it made for a couple of cool maps.
It seems like the opposite is happening now, and there seems to be a political connection. Gas prices are going down in the rest of the country, but not in the broader West. Now, Idaho, Wyoming and Utah along with the rest of the West has higher than average gas prices, and it looks like the people in power now may have to pay the price.
Now look at the map:
Instead of the West being a pocket of low gas prices, it is where people pay much more for gas on average.
At least one Western Democrat, governor Dave Freudenthal of Wyoming, is poking around the issue:
Wyoming drivers are angry and puzzled why gas prices are not plummeting here like they are in other states.Gov. Dave Freudenthal said Wednesday he found out part of the reason but is asking regional refineries to provide more information.
He said an angry constituent called his office earlier this week to report that regular gasoline in Branson, Mo., cost $1.85 per gallon, while the price was $2.09 in Corpus Christi, Texas, and $2.13 in Omaha.
Meanwhile, the caller said, the price was $2.64 in Cheyenne, even with the state's lower tax rates.
...
During his weekly news conference, Freudenthal said that in conversations with his office, refinery representatives explained that the gas price drop in other parts of the country is due to gasoline put in storage in anticipation of the hurricane season. The season hasn't been as bad as prior years, leaving excess gas in storage.
Could the issue of regionally high gas prices, along with the oil and gas industries already checked history with the interior West in terms of drilling, tilt the region in 2006?
Emmett O'Connell | September 22, 2006 | Comment on This Post (3 so far) |
Are the netroots liberal? Or just partisan?
Over at the National Journal, John Mercurio shares a comment he got from Western Democrat's own Jonathan Singer. Here's the comment, since archives are subscriber-only:
You write, "Liberal bloggers, who, much like the Club for Growth, encourage ideological purity over party loyalty, cheered Chafee's victory."I really don't believe that the top issue for the progressive netroots is "ideological purity." In some ways, I think you may have it backwards. The concerted netroots effort to go after Lieberman started when he went on FOX News to bash Democrats over the war, not because of his stance on the war (which was longstanding).
The netroots have supported a number of non-doctrinaire Dems who are willing to stand up for the party, most recently with Jim Webb. Brian Schweitzer, a favorite of many, certainly isn't in line with the left of the party on the issues of coal or guns, but he remains extremely popular. Other Western Dems -- Trauner in WY, Grant in ID, and Fawcett in CO -- show up on the Daily Kos/MyDD/Swing State Project ActBlue page even though they are not hard-core liberals.
Taking a look at unscientific approval ratings from Daily Kos readers, more moderate/conservative Democrat Harry Reid has a significantly higher approval rating (70 percent) than more progressive/liberal Nancy Pelosi (36 percent).
There are certainly issues upon which the netroots look for politicians to fall in line. Social Security, Iraq and Net Neutrality come to mind. But the netroots does not take the same tack as groups like Club for Growth on these issues. There was no challenge -- not even talk of challenging Ben Nelson, for instance. He may not agree with us on all of the issues, but he doesn't go on national television to denigrate his party, either.
Good stuff, JS.
Kari Chisholm | September 21, 2006 | Comment on This Post (11 so far) |
Western Dems Net 3 Governors in Top 10
Survey USA released its polling numbers for all 50 Governors earlier in the week, and those of us here at Western Democrat were not surprised to see 3 of our favorite governors in the top 10.
Climbing the ranks to #2 was Governor Brian Schweitzer of Montana, with a 76%/18% (approve/disapprove) rating. Governor Dave Freudenthal of Wyoming came in at #8, with a 66%/27% rating. Finally, cracking the top 10 at #10 was Governor Bill Richardson, chair of the Democratic Governors' Association, with a rating of 65%/32%.
An added bonus this week was Alaska's Republican governor finishing third in a primary, hopefully leaving such a putrid legacy that former Governor Tony Knowles will be able to reclaim his seat.
kencamp | August 24, 2006 | Comment on This Post (5 so far) |
WY-1 - Cubin down, Trauner up
Always great to see news like this filtering out of Wyoming:
Republican Barbara Cubin, Wyoming’s sole House member, won her primary election Tuesday and is favored to win a seventh term this November. But her underwhelming showing against a little-known opponent suggested that she could be vulnerable in November in a state that usually leans strongly to Cubin’s party.
With 99 percent of precincts reporting, Cubin had 61 percent of the vote against Bill Winney, a retired naval officer who took 39 percent of the vote despite spending little money. Cubin will face Democrat Gary Trauner, a small business owner who was unopposed in his party’s primary.
Cubin has struggled to win unanimous support among party members, in part because some party leaders think she has not adequately dealt with the state’s pressing issues, including the prevalence of methamphetamine. The Wyoming Tribune-Eagle newspaper, in an unenthusiastic endorsement of Cubin, said she showed a “lack of leadership” but was “the best that the Republican Party has to offer at this time.”
Cubin lost to her primary opponent in the heavily populated (for Wyoming!) Laramie County and barely won Casper. This does not bode well for a 6-term incumbant who has failed to achieve anything significant for the citizens of Wyoming. If you check out the Election 2006 blog can by Becket Hinkley here, you can stay attuned to this race and the other races in Wyoming.
Our man in the race is Gary Trauner. He has a great background, is running comparative in the money chase and has a great chance. As Leo and Emmett have been saying (here and here, respectively) this race is in play for real.
Learn more about Trauner beneath the flip.
From his campaign bio:
Gary Trauner, 47, is a husband, father, businessman, community volunteer, and elected official residing in Wilson, Wyoming. Sixteen years ago, he and his wife Terry chose Wyoming as the place they wanted to live and raise a family; they are now the proud parents of two young boys - ages 12 and 6.
Gary graduated from Colgate University and obtained a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) degree from the Stern School of Business at NYU. Terry, Gary’s wife of sixteen years, is an entrepreneur and currently co-owner of a growing Wyoming-based small business.
Gary’s personal interests have always centered on three things he holds dear: 1) family; 2) an active lifestyle; and 3) “making a difference” through public service.
National Democrats see Cubin as a potential target -- albeit a long shot -- this fall. Businessman Gary Trauner is the Democratic nominee. As of August 2nd, Cubin had $233,000 on hand compared to $206,000 in the bank for Trauner.
While the Fix may rate this seat as a long shot, with Cubin performing poorly in major population areas including her home turf of Natrona County , anything is up for grabs. Given that Trauner has about the same amount of cash that Cubin has and given this will be a solidly Democratic year (unless events occur that are not foreseen) we have a shot of picking this seat.
Wild Card: Will popular incumbant dem Governor Freudenthal (who easily won his primary) campaign for Trauner? Maybe some astute WY resisdents can fill us in on whether of not this will happen.
Landon Mascareñaz | August 24, 2006 | Comment on This Post (10 so far) |
50 State Strategy and Wyoming
If WyomingBlueDog doesn't comment on this post, I'll take as a personal insult.
A good example of how the DNC's 50 State Strategy meshes with the Western Democratic Strategy (from Roll Call). The article is subscription only, but here are the good parts about the West:
In 2004, Mike Gierau and other Wyoming Democratic leaders wanted to boost the Kerry-Edwards ticket's local profile by securing some bumper stickers. But helping local Democrats in a state that the ticket was certain to lose in a landslide was not exactly the first priority of either the national party or the presidential campaign. So Gierau, now the state party chairman, was reduced to ordering the items from an online store.What a difference two years - and a new Democratic National Committee chairman, Howard Dean - can make.
As part of Dean's strategy to build up the Democratic Party infrastructure in all 50 states, the DNC has committed $120,000 to Wyoming over two years - enough to hire a field director and a communications director, rather than just an executive director, as in the past.
The DNC also donated $5,000 to jump-start the party's grass-roots organization, said party executive director Kyle DeBeer. The party plans to have teams of 25 volunteers deployed in 57 key precincts on Election Day.
"I don't see that as too much money to create a presence and rattle the boat and win some more seats" in the Republican-dominated Legislature, said Democratic state Rep. Pete Jorgensen, who also serves as a Democratic national committeeman. Jorgensen argued that House challenger Gary Trauner might be able to knock off Rep. Barbara Cubin (R) this fall and that Democrats may be able to defeat some of the weaker Republican legislators. If so, he said, "that would be money well spent."
The idea behind Dean's 50-state strategy is to rebuild the Democratic Party, even in long-forsaken areas, from the ground up. Fundamentally, it is a long-term plan for Democratic revival.
...
If the Dean strategy is unpopular in the District, it's being received with excitement by Democrats here and in such neighboring states as Idaho and Montana . At long last, they say, the national Democratic Party is recognizing that red-state Democrats exist - and that gains can be made in a region where the party slowly is improving its position after being routed in election after election during the 1990s.
In 2004 and 2002, for instance, Democrats Brian Schweitzer and Dave Freudenthal won the governorships of Montana and Wyoming , respectively, and the party won control of the Montana House and Senate two years ago. This year, Sen Conrad Burns (R-Mont.) is in a fight for his political life, and Democratic House candidates have at least outside chances of flipping Republican seats in Idaho and Wyoming.
To many party insiders, such developments suggest that the Mountain West could be one of the most important growth areas for Democrats in the coming years.
This is how Western Democrats and the DNC's 50 State Strategy mesh. If we just look at recent election results and see that big sea of Red between Chicago and California, we'd be convinced that it doesn't get any redder than the Interior West. If we were smart, we'd forget about those folks and hedge our bets in places where our kind fits. But, forgetting about the rest of the country, especially a place so ripe for Democratic types, is backwards.
The 50 State Strategy lets local political folks call their own shots and develop an even deeper cadre of guys like Schweitzer and Frudenthal who can win in the West. They aren't going to be Democrats like the ones they have back East, but they are going to be Democrats that win. And, the DNC is now giving the state party the resources to do the job their way.
Emmett O'Connell | July 18, 2006 | Comment on This Post (7 so far) |
Our Man in Wyoming
Yes, the Wyoming at-large House seat is in play because we have a great candidate, Gary Trauner.
I really like his web site. The message is right. The feel is right. The radio ad that you can access on the site is very appealing. He is running a grassroots campaign, knocking on one door at a time. Our kind of guy.
Leo Brown | July 18, 2006 | Comment on This Post (2 so far) |
Mayor Hickenlooper asks Western governors to raise money for Denver DNC Convention
The Denver Post reports today that Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper has started raising money so that the city can host the 2008 Democratic Convention without using taxpayer dollars.
Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper is asking governors of four other Western states to raise millions of dollars to bring the Democratic National Convention to Denver. .."What I said to John (Hickenlooper) is, 'Giddy-up, I'm in,"' Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer said. "It's high time that Democrats across America see the kind of Democrats that we have in the West." ...
He told City Council members Tuesday that he has spoken to the governors of Arizona, Montana, New Mexico and Wyoming and hopes to bring them to Denver next month.
"This is not just about Denver," Hickenlooper told council members. "It's really about Colorado, and it's actually about the Rocky Mountain West." ...
"It isn't just about fundraising for the convention. It's about a vision of a convention that represents not just Colorado but the entire Rocky Mountain West," [Hickenlooper spokeswoman Lindy Eichenbaum] Lent said. "It's a platform to build more collaborative dialogues and efforts among the Western states."
Here's the rest. Hat tip to Coyote Gulch.
Kari Chisholm | July 12, 2006 | Comment on This Post (1 so far) |
I wonder what Freudenthal thinks of Dean now?
Last year during a visit by some DNC officials in Wyoming, Gov. Dave Freudenthal pointed out that he didn't really have much love for that back-East liberal Howard Dean.
Now Dean is fighting off the DC Dems, protecting the 50-State Strategy that is pumping money into states like Wyoming. Does that Dean wants to spend more money into so-called "red states" like Wyoming, than the DSCC and DCCC, matter to Gov. Dave?
Especially now that the Wyoming House seat is in play?
The one interesting statewide race is the battle for Wyoming's seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. Wyoming is one of seven sparsely-populated states which send only a single congressman to that chamber. Since 1942, with one exception, the state's Member-at-Large has been a Republican.But Representative Barbara Cubin, first elected in 1994, now leads Democratic challenger Gary Trauner by only four percentage points, 47% to 43% and the GOP can hardly take her reelection for granted. This becomes one more contest to which the GOP may have to devote resources during an election year in which the party is proving especially vulnerable.
Who is more willing to send money to Wyoming?
Emmett O'Connell | May 14, 2006 | Comment on This Post (13 so far) |
Gas prices and Idaho, Montana and Wyoming
Pacific Views wonders if low gas prices in the interior West are keeping the President's poll numbers up. It sounds a little too simple, but it makes for an interesting set of maps.
View the full-sized version here. [Map: GasBuddy.com]
View the full-sized version here.
[Map: RadicalRuss.net]
Emmett O'Connell | April 24, 2006 | Comment on This Post (4 so far) |
Republicans forced to work in Wyoming
Ray Hunkins' announcement that he's running for governor in Wyoming speaks to the strength of not only Gov. Dave Freudenthal, but also of the Democratic Party in the West. Hunkins is having a hard time treating Freudenthal as a typical Democrat, but rather has to fight him on terms that Gov. Dave has dictated in his first four years as one of Wyoming's most popular governors, sitting at 68 percent right now.
A Republican can't sit back and talk about values, can't talk about getting rid of government. In Wyoming, they have to talk about the economy to win (Billings Gazette):
"Wyoming needs a governor who will aggressively court business," Hunkins told a crowd of about 250 supporters who gathered in the Capitol's rotunda.Hunkins said he would travel nationally and internationally to sell "this state, our people and our work ethic" to business leaders if he were elected.
"For far too many years, too many politicians have pledged to create jobs to keep young people in Wyoming," Hunkins said. "They have failed to keep those promises."
Hunkins is going far out on a limb to make sure everyone knows he's a Republican. This is strange though, as 70 percent of Republicans approve of Freudenthal. Maybe, though, folks in Wyoming want a governor that is for Wyoming, not any particular party. But, Hunkins can always fall back on the old trick of knocking back east Democrats, even though Gov. Dave skipped the DNC in Boston for a rodeo.
"For four years we've had a Democratic governor who sometimes pays lip service to Republican ideals," Hunkins said. "In a Republican state, that's good politics."Hunkins said his campaign slogan would be "A Real Republican for Governor," saying Freudenthal is too supportive of Democratic ideals.
Hunkins warned the gathering that national Democrats are trying to "retake the West" and by electing him as governor it would stop Democratic Party chairman Howard Dean, Bill and Hillary Clinton and former Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry "in their tracks."
"We cannot afford for the radical left to impose their values on the West," Hunkins said.
Emmett O'Connell | March 28, 2006 | Comment on This Post (3 so far) |
Freudenthal is not a one shot deal
One of the fears when you talk about "a different type of Democrat," is that what you consider an entire class is just a few individual gifted politicians that are just a few exceptions. Gov. Dave Freudenthal, in addition to the more popular Brian Schweitzer of Montana, is the standard bearer of Western Democrats. And, he isn't a one shot deal.
Freudenthal is currently running ahead of his prospective challenger 55 percent to 17 percent. Talk about not getting traction. Freudenthal is in a stronger position than one of the other statewide Republicans up for election, despite the incredible numerical advantages Republicans have in Wyoming. This gives the Democratic candidate for the house seat a pretty good shot:
Cubin's performance was described as "fair" or "poor" by 53 percent of those polled, including 38 percent of the Republicans surveyed.However, Cubin would still win a head-to-head contest against Democratic challenger Gary Trauner handily with 54 percent of the vote if the election were held today. Trauner would get 32 percent with 14 percent undecided. Cubin beat Ted Ladd in the 2004 election with 55 percent of the vote.
...Pollster Brad Coker said Cubin's numbers jumped out at him because they are "relatively weak for an incumbent." Cubin is in her sixth term.
"In a state with a better than 2-to-1 Republican-to-Democrat registration advantage, this shaky showing certainly exposes a degree of vulnerability," Coker said.
Emmett O'Connell | February 6, 2006 | Comment on This Post (0 so far) |
Dale Groutage for Senate, WY
Before there were the Salazar brother and Brian Schweitzer, there was Dave Freudenthal, a Clinton-era appointee running for Governor in Wyoming. Now, he's one of the most popular governors in the country.
Dale Groutage will hopefully follow Freudenthal's path by challenging GOP Sen. Craig Thomas. While Thomas. Probably one of the keys to Groutage's campaign will be the ever increasing discontent across Wyoming and much of the West with the Bush administration's handling of oil and gas leases.
Groutage already seems to be going that direction:
Wyoming needs a Senator who will fight for growth and development that happens on our terms. Wyoming-based energy companies -- not out-of-state businesses -- should benefit most from our state's resources.While Thomas's support in Wyoming continues to be high, Bush's popularity has dropped over the past five months (dropping as low as 53 percent in November). Groutage would be well served if he can tie himself to Freudenthal (whose popularity was almost at 70 percent in September). Also, remember that Sen. Conrad Burns of Montana had 56 percent approval up until he started seeing a strong challenge.
Emmett O'Connell | January 18, 2006 | Comment on This Post (0 so far) |
Wyoming Red becoming Green
This is one of the ways that Westerners, a lot of whom vote Republican, are different than say Southern voters. Being for the environment isn't a bad thing. From the Casper Tribune:
In Wyoming, the reddest of the red states, the Legislature appears to be turning green -- not grass green but a mossy hue, perhaps.According to the 2005 scorecard compiled by the Wyoming Conservation Voters (WCV) the Legislature's average performance on environmental issues moved up to 72 percent.
This compares to the 49 percent average score of the 2002 Legislature.
In its fourth annual scorecard issued recently, the WCV evaluated lawmakers on 20 bills, ranging from a proposal to set up a state land preservation account for the state's 3.6 million acres of state trust land (it passed) to a measure to reduce registration fees for vehicles that get 50 miles per gallon of gas or more (it failed).
Only three legislators, all Democrats, scored 100 percent ratings: Reps. George Bagby of Rawlins and Pete Jorgensen of Jackson, and Sen. Rae Lynn Job of Rock Springs.
The average Republican score was 67 percent in 2005, up from 37 percent in 2002. The average Democratic score was 88 percent for this year, up from 82 percent in 2002.
Emmett O'Connell | November 4, 2005 | Comment on This Post (2 so far) |
Kemmis, Freudenthal and the BLM
Awhile back we had a discussion on Daniel Kemmis's “This Sovereign Land”. Some of his points center around the thesis that states and groups of local governments would have a better handle on local issues than a distant federal government. Kemmis isn’t a Sagebrush Rebel, rather he goes to the motivation of such uprisings and comes back with a reasoned, mature argument for active, strong regional and state governments. Something Democrats should love.
The Kemmis argument is being played out in Wyoming (and possibly Montana) between the Bureau of Land Management and the state government, namely, Western Democrat Dave Freudenthal:
Western states need to band together and oppose a federal move to disregard state laws protecting the rights of landowners affected by mineral development, an advocate for landowners in Wyoming said.Laurie Goodman of the Landowners Association of Wyoming told a Montana panel Thursday that the Bureau of Land Management was attempting to avoid applying a new Wyoming law to lands where it owns the mineral rights.
The Wyoming law gives surface owners more bargaining power and rights when dealing with oil and gas producers seeking to extract the minerals owned by someone else under their land. When the land surface and minerals underneath are owned by two different parties, it is known as a split estate.
And from the Billings Gazette in June:
The federal government maintains a new state law providing protections to landowners from oil and gas development does not apply to the 11 million acres of Wyoming land on which the federal government owns the mineral rights.The stance by the Bureau of Land Management would mean the law would not apply to 92 percent of the 12 million acres where there are separate owners of the land and the minerals underneath -- so called split estates.
Gov. Dave Freudenthal and Attorney General Pat Crank maintain the state law does apply to private land over federally owned minerals.
"If the BLM wants to sue us, I think they should do so," Crank said Tuesday. "I think we would ultimately be successful if they brought such a challenge."
The theme of a distant east-coast establishment ruling much of the West is an almost constant theme in politics out here. Just because the Sagebrush Rebellion and the State's Rights effort were mostly Republican in origin and fought against good intentioned federal laws doesn't mean the entire issue should be tainted for Democrats. This topic, who has control of the West, is an opportunity for Democrats to argue for good, strong government that protects people, local economies and communities against large outside interests.
Other posts:
Ranchers & Cowboys Rebel Against the GOP
Don't cry for the roadless rule
Emmett O'Connell | October 28, 2005 | Comment on This Post (0 so far) |
Rep. Barbara Cubin: wrong again
[Editor's Note: This is a guest column by Cullen Brady, who currently works in Portland, Oregon towards increasing civic discourse at the City Club of Portland. He was born in Colorado and grew up in Wyoming -- a dedicated westerner.]
Wyoming shouldn't let Rep. Barbara Cubin (R-WY) have it both ways.
Rep. Barbara Cubin (R-WY) should be held accountable for her complete disregard for the ranchers and farmers of the great state of Wyoming. Cubin is clearly more interested in corporate interests than she is interested in the family farms and ranchers of Wyoming.
Rep. Cubin voted against an amendment to the House energy bill, the one she touts as 'great' for the people of Wyoming, that would of protected the property rights of Wyoming ranchers and farmers. The Udall amendment would of required mutual agreements between the surface owners and the drilling companies prior to drilling. This would have provided the surface land owners with more control over what happens on the surface land, which they own. But rather than "watching out for the Wyoming rancher", Rep. Cubin has basically stripped them of their property rights. Ironically, in response to the recent Supreme Court ruling on eminent domain, Rep. Cubin stated on her website:
"The government should be protecting private property rights, not threatening them…The can of worms this decision opens is outrageous," she continued. "Any of our homes could now be taken by local governments and turned over to corporate developers under the cover of 'economic growth.' Congress has the ability to address this matter with legislation, and that is an avenue we must consider in the wake of this decision."
If I may point out – Congress has HAD the opportunity to address this matter with legislation and Rep. Cubin, you sided not with the private property owners but voted to turn property owner lands over to corporate developers under the cover of 'economic growth'. Well done Representative, well done.
Too bad a rancher can't have it both ways as well. Wyoming residents should demand an explanation.
Kari Chisholm | September 28, 2005 | Comment on This Post (1 so far) |
"I don't care about Howard Dean"
Over the weekend, Gov. Dave Freudenthal of Wyoming (D) told a meeting of state Democrats that the national party has become out of step with Wyoming.
"The key for Democrats is to look less for a victory of party and more for a victory of purpose," Freudenthal said. "That purpose for the state and local - I've given up on the federal - is to turn enterprise to helping people."
Meanwhile, national party vice-chair Mike Honda didn't disagree.
"We lost touch at the federal level," Honda said. "Our job is to correct this with you." ... "We have a hard time deciding what our core values are and what are issues," he said. "Howard Dean gets that. He's going around the country talking to people."Local policy variances are also something that the DNC can accommodate, he said. ... "Different places have different culture, and we have to deal with it," Honda said. "Your politics are pretty good. They're down to earth."
Read the rest of the story at the Billings Gazette. Discuss.
Kari Chisholm | September 26, 2005 | Comment on This Post (4 so far) |
Using energy revenue for the poor
This is why Gov. Dave Freudenthal of Wyoming is such a great guy.
Wyoming is bearing much of the brunt of the federal government's expansion of drilling and mineral extraction across the West. While its a bad thing for rural dwellers in general and ranchers in particular, the state coffers tend to swell when there are people out their drilling.
But, instead of giving tax-breaks to the rich or mailing out rebate checks, Gov. Dave wants to put the money to work for the working poor:
Wyoming should take advantage of the mineral boom to enhance the lives of the state's working poor, Gov. Dave Freudenthal and first lady Nancy Freudenthal said Thursday evening during a televised town hall-style meeting."This state has an immense amount of working poor," the governor said, adding that the unemployment rate is low because many people are working multiple jobs - often for employers who cannot afford health insurance for those workers.
"We need to talk about the working poor, the people whose opportunity to move up is going to be dependent on changing their skills and on changing the mix of jobs that are available in the state for them."
Emmett O'Connell | July 2, 2005 | Comment on This Post (1 so far) |
Is there a Western style?
A big part of our discussions here at Western Democrat have been the question of culture, style, oratorical approach. Here's a question: Setting aside (for a moment) the "Democrat" part of the equation... is there a Western style?
And if so, is it a style that appeals to everyday Americans? My view - as you can tell - is that it damn sure does. Who are the most popular plain-speakin' politicians to gain national attention of the last 15-20 years?
So far, the list would have to include Senators John McCain and Alan Simpson. (Yeah, that's Arizona and Wyoming for those keeping score at home.) Over at Basie.org, Western Democrat contributor Jonathan Singer has an interview with Alan Simpson. Listen and learn:
On the filibuster deal...
The deal will hold, unless they put up a card-carrying commie or a guard from Lenin’s tomb or something, or a ragged Neanderthal on the Republican side. It will hold because they know that whatever the Republicans do here to lessen the rights of the minority, in ten years they’ll be in the minority and they’ll feel the sting of the lash. That’s the way it works. Like a giant wheel with a hobnail boot. You set it in motion, it’ll kick your opponent in the ass, but eventually it’ll get you too.
On Social Security...
There won’t be any Social Security reform coming out of this Congress in my mind. I testified before a House committee with Tim Penny. I’ve never seen such sarcasm and hostility. Michael Oxley, the chairman, and Barney Frank seem to have a good relationship, but let me tell you, I heard plain old sarcasm and caustic comments. I said, “gentlemen and lad