The Buzz: The walk-on

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

By Ben Cannon

Jackson Hole, Wyo.-Democrat Pete Gosar is one of a handful gubernatorial candidates about whom little is know. Gosar, 42, a Pinedale native, went to the University of Wyoming, where he was a walk-on player for the Cowboys football team. He had some success on the field playing an outside linebacker, and today he says that same kind of determination and work ethic will serve him on the campaign trail. In an interview with JH Weekly, Gosar talks about his roots, what Wyoming voters want, and whether he’s a little bit crazy for getting himself into this highly competitive governor’s race.

JH Weekly: Why have you entered the governor’s race when few people in Wyoming have ever heard of Pete Gosar?

Pete Gosar: I was born and raised in Pinedale, one of 10 kids. My dad was a geologist in the oilfields. I have a real working-class background. It’s part of that that’s brought me into the race. I didn’t feel like those kinds of issues were being addressed and I thought there was an understanding that I have that maybe other people in the race don’t have.

Public access is very important to me because that’s how I get to hunt and fish. Equality and wage disparity for women in the state is a problem. I’m very proud to be a very Wyoming person, but if you put ‘Equality’ on the flag then you need to be able to live up to that.

A lot of issues that I feel real strongly about are environment and energy. I feel we’ve separated those two over the years and I don’t think you can separate them. For a long time I was told you could have a good energy industry but you had to sacrifice the environment, or the reverse was true. We like to talk about energy and the environment at the same time because we don’t know how you can remove them.

I graduated from UW. I was a teacher in Pinedale. I went out and became a commercial pilot and now I’m a pilot for the state. I’m a state employee and I think my varied work experience helps as governor.  I know a little bit about education, being a classroom teacher. Maybe I could speak to education issues a little differently as someone who’s had their hands dirty in it.

JHW: It’s fair to say you’re a fringe candidate.

PG: I think we occupy a space that’s kind of underrepresented, and that’s the working person in Wyoming, the person who’s more interested in solutions than ideology. I feel comfortable being an outside guy because I don’t have a whole lot of ideological bend. I think people really ask for a solution, so that’s what we try to talk about.  We say ‘this is a problem, this is what we think’ and we’re not afraid to be wrong. We study and we ask the experts and develop opinions based on that. If somebody has a different take on it, we’ll ask you to show us where we’re wrong and if you do, we’re going to change and say this opinion is better.

JHW: A coupe of months ago, then Wyoming Democrat chair Leslie Peterson said she would run only if no viable candidate stepped forward. Now she’s seen as the race’s top Democrat. Do you feel like your party has turned its back on you?

PG: I don’t. I feel I was unknown to the party and to Leslie. I was a member but I was unknown to them but I’ve been really overwhelmed with how they’ve treated us statewide. Everything we’ve asked for we’ve been helped with.

We think we’re going to prove that we have a legitimate role to play and we wouldn’t have gotten involved. We wouldn’t have gotten into the race if we didn’t think we had something to say, and that we could win with that message. The moral victories are great, but with my competitive background, you try to assess the situation and win.

We’re going to hustle, that’s what we do. We’ll make mistakes along the way. We don’t have the machinery that other people have but we can make up for that with a lot of hard work and good ideas.

JHW: You’re running for governor of Wyoming as an unknown Democrat. Does that mean you’re a little bit crazy?

PG: It’s the perfect place to be, we think. I feel comfortable in the position we occupy. I have Republicans working for me throughout the state. I think it’s because of the fact that we’re so solution-driven that people will give us a chance. We’re just trying to get people to stop and pay attention and know this is not a lark. We think the position to be in in this election cycle is the outside Democratic candidate. JHW

Photo by BEN CANNON
An unidentified Gosar supporter.

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The Buzz: The walk-on | Planet JH News Article: General News

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