| |
 |
 |
Thursday, August 21, 2008
834 - Reflections on elections - especially U. S. House race
In the wake of last Tuesday’s primary election, a number of important conclusions can be drawn:
• At this point, I am positive that current sitting U. S. Senators Mike Enzi and John Barrasso will get my votes in the Nov. 4 general election. These two Republicans breezed through last Tuesday’s primary and are poised to easily win the general.
They are two of my all-time favorite Wyoming politicians. We are very lucky to have these two looking out for our interests in Washington, D.C.
Now, let’s talk about Nick Carter and Chris Rothfuss, the two Democrats trying to unseat Senators Barrasso and Enzi. These are darned good candidates. They are personable, well-informed and deserve your attention. If you get the chance, spend some time with them.
Mr. Carter is a Gillette attorney and he has an interesting story to tell. He has one of the more entertaining stump speeches I have heard. Even with Barack Obama’s coattails, there appears to be no way he can even come close to winning, but he is a worthy candidate.
Chris Rothfuss, Laramie, is a young man with a sparkling resume. He is a UW prof who knows all about carbon credits. No doubt, he can even describe for you every single aspect of the process where energy comes from. And he is not an egghead.
He also has the background of a diplomat, having negotiated international treaties concerning nano-technology. I am thrilled that a man of his caliber is working at UW.
Go listen to him. His stump speech is entertaining. But when he starts talking about energy, well, pay attention. He really knows his stuff.
Can he beat Sen. Enzi? No chance, in my opinion, but it is good for Wyoming that he is running. My vote is for Mike but Chris will bring up some important points during the campaign.
• It is also appropriate to talk about the U. S. House race.
The Democrat in that race is seemingly one of the nicest guys in state politics, Gary Trauner of Wilson.
He has spent at least three years building a powerful statewide network. And he might just win the general election.
• On the GOP side, after all the shouting and posturing, the person who started out as the front-runner ended up the front-runner. Cynthia Lummis is the GOP nominee for Wyoming’s lone U. S. House of Representatives seat.
Mark Gordon, Buffalo, ran an aggressive campaign to combat old-fashioned person-to-person politicking by the longtime GOP player Cynthia.
Give Mr. Gordon credit – he came from nowhere and spent $1.25 million trying to make it a horse race. Incredibly, his campaign may have cost over $47 per vote. Not since Bob Schuster’s multi-million dollar run against Barbara Cubin in the 1994 general has a candidate squandered so much money for so little in return. Mr. Gordon probably spent twice as much money as any candidate in a Wyoming primary ever. Historically it appears that a candidate usually spends about $10 per vote.
But also, historically, it is virtually impossible to win a GOP primary without the pro-life and pro-gun folks behind you. Those folks supported Ms. Lummis.
Gordon’s single biggest mistake was his choice of campaign advisors. He spent a fortune on high-priced San Francisco so-called political experts who took his money and wasted it on a TV campaign. In Wyoming, it is far better to put your political money into local media, including newspapers like this one.
Inevitably, the big-shot national political pros will steer Wyoming candidates toward TV because it is easy for them and it works elsewhere, but not so hot here. Of course, it is his money and he had a right to spend it how he wanted.
Mr. Gordon now joins a long list of one-time statewide candidates who ran aggressive races and then are never heard from again – this writer, included.
But I am not so sure Mr. Gordon will disappear so fast.
In two years the GOP will be looking for a governor candidate who can win. And with current Democrat Gov. Dave Freudenthal out of the way, it will open the door to a huge cast of characters.
It never seemed that obvious to me that Mr. Gordon wanted to spend the bulk of his time in Washington, D. C. He loves being in Wyoming and so it would not surprise me to see him throw his hat in the ring in two years for the gubernatorial nomination. You read it here first.
|
|
 |
|
|
