Politics come to town

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

By Grace Hammond

Jackson Hole, Wyo.-Teton County is about to get a little bluer, at least for the weekend.
For the first time, Wyoming’s Democrats will hold their state convention in Jackson Hole, spending the weekend at Snow King Resort fundraising, strategizing and electing delegates to the national convention.

“This is probably the biggest thing to happen in Jackson Hole since the earth’s crust crumbled in that delightful way,” said Bill Luckett, the executive director of the Wyoming Democratic Party.

The convention comes just two months after the party saw unusually high voter turnout at the March 8 caucuses, bolstering confidence for some within the party that this could be the year the Democrats get an edge in a consistently Republican state.
And what better venue than Jackson? While Teton County holds just 5 percent of Wyoming’s registered Democrats, turnout here at the March 8 caucus made up 20 percent of turnout statewide, with more than 1,200 people casting ballots.

Statewide, Sen. Barack Obama won the caucuses with 61 percent of the vote, beating Sen. Hillary Clinton, who received 32 percent. The attention thrust Wyoming Democrats into the national political spotlight for the first time in decades.

Democrats this weekend will elect their 18 delegates and four alternates to send to the Democratic National Convention in Denver this August. There will also be party fundraisers and discussions about the upcoming state legislative races. Featured speakers will include screenwriter Bill Broyles, as well as Gov. Dave Freudenthal and Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer, both Democrats.

As of March 2008, 26 percent of Wyoming voters had registered as Democrats and 62 percent as Republicans, which includes a 4 percent increase in Democratic voter registration seen in February and March.

This year, the Republicans created the Wyoming Republican Legislative Trust, a fundraising group created to “maintain the Republican majority” in the state, according to the party’s website.

Luckett called the establishment of the trust a good sign for Democrats.
“That’s an indication that [state Republicans] feel they need to do something new, because they’re concerned about the momentum on our side,” he said.

Wyoming’s Republican Party will hold its state convention the following weekend, May 29 to 31, at the Western Wyoming Community College in Rock Springs. State Republican leaders this year moved the date of their caucuses forward, sacrificing half of their delegates in the process. The state party will send a total 14 delegates to the national party’s September convention in Minneapolis. Two of those delegates will be elected in Rock Springs.

The Republican Party will be looking at big picture issues during a panel, chaired by Pete Simpson, entitled, “The Wyoming we love, the Wyoming we want.”
While both parties stressed that races on all levels are important, the ‘big three’ are surely the races for Republican Sens. Michael Enzi’s and John Barrasso’s seats, for which both incumbents are running, and for Republican Rep. Barbara Cubin’s seat, from which she is retiring after 14 years.

“We are watching that U.S. House race very closely,” said Amy Larimer, the executive director of the Wyoming Republican Party.

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Politics come to town | Planet JH News Article: General News

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