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By Peter Baumann
Boomerang Staff Writer
While all three Democratic candidates running for Wyoming’s United States Senate and House seats made it to the Albany County Public Library for the League of Women Voters Forum late Thursday night, all three of their Republican counterparts sent proxies in their place.
Democratic candidate for the House Gary Trauner drove from Teton County through a snowstorm to attend — his opponent Cynthia Lummis chose to attend a speaking engagement in Casper, sending her daughter, Annaliese Wiederspahn, instead.
And although democrat senate candidate Chris Rothfuss didn’t have to travel far, being a resident of Laramie, Republican Sen. Mike Enzi sent campaign representative CJ Young in his place.
Maybe Sen. John Barrasso, who was appointed 16 months ago after the death of Craig Thomas, made it down from Casper?
Nope — instead, he spent his Thursday night attending a charity dinner in Natrona County.
Although the three Republicans didn’t appear Thursday night, their counterparts addressed the audience on the issues that the candidates see as important.
“Right now, I continue to represent your interests in Washington and Wyoming by working to finish this session of Congress,” Young read from a statement prepared by Enzi. “All that I do as a senator is my purpose to allow the family to be strengthened by keeping more of what they earn, to assure jobs and their future with sound financial policies and to restore common sense to law and regulation and to promote decision making at the level closest to the people of our communities.”
Barrasso campaign staffer Laura Mengelkamp told the audience that the senator has worked hard the past 16 months in congress.
“I am running for senate because I believe I can make a positive and lasting difference in the lives of Wyoming people,” Mengelkamp read from Barrasso’s statement. “I believe our future is too important to be left unprotected — or worse, left for Washington to decide. Wyoming citizens know my record for helping to lead the way for cutting the sales tax on groceries and fighting for the Hathaway Scholarship (in the state senate).”
If elected, Lummis promises to vote against all new taxes, Wiederspahn said on Lummis’ behalf.
“As a state treasurer, I’ve made investment and financial decisions with the taxpayer in mind,” Wiederspahn said. “Because of the investment analysis and the portfolio decisions made during my term, I helped keep Wyoming’s money safe.”
And with that, the floor was given to the Democrats.
Trauner said that his real-world experience in small business is exactly the type of experience that Wyoming needs in Washington and that he was a little miffed at the lack of a Republican candidate to debate.
“In tough economic times, especially when we are going through maybe kind of a Yellowstone Fire-type of scenario in the economy, it’s really important for the people of our state to be able to hear from our candidates and know where they stand and not just have a letter read. What we’ve been practicing here in this state and in this country is what I call the politics of 50 percent,” Trauner said. “Until we are willing to talk to others that we may not agree with, nothing is going to change.”
Peter Baumann’s e-mail address lbedit9@laramieboomerang.com
Democratic candidate for the House Gary Trauner drove from Teton County through a snowstorm to attend — his opponent Cynthia Lummis chose to attend a speaking engagement in Casper, sending her daughter, Annaliese Wiederspahn, instead.
And although democrat senate candidate Chris Rothfuss didn’t have to travel far, being a resident of Laramie, Republican Sen. Mike Enzi sent campaign representative CJ Young in his place.
Maybe Sen. John Barrasso, who was appointed 16 months ago after the death of Craig Thomas, made it down from Casper?
Nope — instead, he spent his Thursday night attending a charity dinner in Natrona County.
Although the three Republicans didn’t appear Thursday night, their counterparts addressed the audience on the issues that the candidates see as important.
“Right now, I continue to represent your interests in Washington and Wyoming by working to finish this session of Congress,” Young read from a statement prepared by Enzi. “All that I do as a senator is my purpose to allow the family to be strengthened by keeping more of what they earn, to assure jobs and their future with sound financial policies and to restore common sense to law and regulation and to promote decision making at the level closest to the people of our communities.”
Barrasso campaign staffer Laura Mengelkamp told the audience that the senator has worked hard the past 16 months in congress.
“I am running for senate because I believe I can make a positive and lasting difference in the lives of Wyoming people,” Mengelkamp read from Barrasso’s statement. “I believe our future is too important to be left unprotected — or worse, left for Washington to decide. Wyoming citizens know my record for helping to lead the way for cutting the sales tax on groceries and fighting for the Hathaway Scholarship (in the state senate).”
If elected, Lummis promises to vote against all new taxes, Wiederspahn said on Lummis’ behalf.
“As a state treasurer, I’ve made investment and financial decisions with the taxpayer in mind,” Wiederspahn said. “Because of the investment analysis and the portfolio decisions made during my term, I helped keep Wyoming’s money safe.”
And with that, the floor was given to the Democrats.
Trauner said that his real-world experience in small business is exactly the type of experience that Wyoming needs in Washington and that he was a little miffed at the lack of a Republican candidate to debate.
“In tough economic times, especially when we are going through maybe kind of a Yellowstone Fire-type of scenario in the economy, it’s really important for the people of our state to be able to hear from our candidates and know where they stand and not just have a letter read. What we’ve been practicing here in this state and in this country is what I call the politics of 50 percent,” Trauner said. “Until we are willing to talk to others that we may not agree with, nothing is going to change.”
Peter Baumann’s e-mail address lbedit9@laramieboomerang.com
