535.com Special Report
Part 28 of 50
Previous entries
- April 10th - Indiana
- April 12th - Oregon
- May 4th - South Carolina
- June 2nd - Maine
- July 13th - Maryland
- July 23rd - Texas
- July 30th - Montana
- August 2nd - Arizona
- August 3rd - Massachusetts
- August 7th - California
- August 8th - Hawaii
- August 12th - New York
- August 20th - New Hampshire
- August 20th - Florida
- August 21st - Pennsylvania
- August 29th - Illinois
- August 29th - Washington
- August 31st - North Carolina
- August 31st - Nevada
- September 1st - Rhode Island
- September 2nd - New Mexico
- September 4th - Connecticut
- September 5th - Ohio
- September 5th - Oklahoma
- September 6th - Virginia
- September 6th - Colorado
- September 7th - New Jersey
From East to West, we continue our zipping across the United States in no logical pattern. Here we have the tenth largest, but least populous state, Wyoming:
For this edition of the 535 Special Report, we have resident Wyoming specialist, and former Editor-in-Chief of the Casper Star-Tribune, Rich Cheney.
Thanks. As a Wyomingite, I find it my duty to report that Wyoming is not the place to go if you want to enact social change. A very rural area, with the second lowest population-density, brings about a very rural atmosphere. That said, the Democrats have had great trouble establishing any bit of a foothold in this state, and with Kevin Harris' recent resignation, it seems unlikely any Democrat will represent Wyoming in the near future.
Senators:
Senior Senator:
Herman Morton, Republican
Elected: 1988 (Class I; fourth term)
Residence: Laramie
I might be wrong, but I'd say this guy is *the* most conservative member of the Senate. He was against both Ray Sullivan and Glen Allen Walken during the Republican primaries, publicly denouncing them several times. After he attacked Sullivan for "failing as a father," Morton was snubbed by all moderate Republicans, including the likes of Glen Allen Walken and Edward Pratt, and was asked by Jeff Haffley to stop stumping for him. Morton made it big as an executive for the Laramie Cigarette Company, and many still see him as the largest proponent of tobacco rights.
Electoral Prospects: He's up for re-election in two years. He was elected with 82% of the vote in '06, and I doubt the Republicans would risk losing his seat. But if Walken gets in office, then Morton might be in a heap of trouble for his comments regarding Walken as a "flip-flopper."
Junior Senator:
Kent Harris, Republican
Elected: 2002 (Class II; second term)
Residence: Casper
Kent Harris followed his cousin Kevin into politics. Although Kevin has been seen as the lowly Wyoming Democrat when he ran and run election to the House in 1994, Kent was more pragmatic about it. Starting from the bottom Kent entered state politics as a Republican, distancing himself from the loud, outspoken Kevin and quietly working his way up. The plan worked and Kent was hand-picked by outgoing Senator Ben Jennings in 2002, easily winning the primary and by default the 2002 Senate election.
Electoral Prospects: He easily ran re-election in 2008. Although seen as a moderate Republican in the state legislature, Harris' willingness to alter his ideals and vote with the average Wyomingite's opinion has helped him in opinion polls.
Representative:
At-Large:
Vacant
For a long time, this seat was seen as an anomaly in the American voting system. On the Cook Partisan Voting Index, it receives an R+18, a high Republican bias. Yet, consistently from 1994 to 2008, they elected former businessman Kevin Harris, a man who it turns out, was the biggest proponent of social and fiscal upheaval in the United States. When asked how he won in the state of Wyoming, he simply quipped "Because I can." Harris beat out an incumbent six-term Republican (Brad Jenkins) with no DNC backing and little knowledge statewide. He continued to trounce his opponents every two years (it was almost always a Republican target), but he never sought higher office. In 2003, he personally sent a letter to President Bartlet, declining the Vice Presidency, without ever being asked. Sadly, he was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease in '04, and it led to his debilitation last year and resignation earlier this year.
Electoral Prospects: The Democrats would like to keep this seat, but its been deemed a low priority by the DCCC. The Republicans are jumping on the bandwagon, with their candidate Abel Sheen, and their first chance at winning what should be Republican staple.