Like most Wyomingites, I wish our general elections were
more exciting than our primary elections.
To figure out
how we can make it more interesting we just need to look west – way west to
California.
I know, I
know, most Wyoming folks think that is the land of crazies and nuts but when it
comes to general elections they have a really good idea.
The two California
candidates who get the most votes in the primary move on to the general. This
does not mean the two members of different parties. If the two highest vote getters are from the
same party, then they move on to the general for a run-off.
This year our Wyoming
primary was a horse race. Our general election was a blowout.
The two top
GOP voter getters, Mark Gordon and Foster Friess, would have put on one heck of
a general election campaign had Wyoming been using a system like that in
California.
Other states use a similar system although Louisiana has a
system where if a candidate gets more than 50 percent of all the votes in the
primary, there is no need for a general election.
Not sure in
Wyoming if such a change requires an amendment to the constitution but it sure
would make our general election races more interesting and it would make the
process more democratic.
Yes, the two
top voter getters advancing is a great idea.
It would seem
to me that Republicans in Wyoming would favor this idea. General election voters avoided Democrat Mary
Throne in droves this year, even though she was one of the best candidates we
have seen in years. She lost soundly.
Final tally
showed 205,255 votes in the general election. Of this total, Mark Gordon got
136,399 or 66.5 percent.
Throne got
just 55,961 votes or 27.2 percent.
It was never
even close. The New York Times called
the election for Gordon about noon on Election Day before a single vote was
counted.
Compare that
result to a possible Gordon-Friess race.
Wow, what an exciting contest that would have been.
Wyoming is
supposed to be a conservative state and it seems to be getting even more
conservative. If so, you would think
these conservatives could get the momentum for such a new approach.
In the GOP
primary, Gordon was the only moderate plus he had thousands of Democrats and Independents
crossing over on Election Day to give him the win.
Look at the
conservative candidates who lost in that primary race – Friess, Harriet
Hageman, Sam Galeotos, Taylor Haynes and Bill Dahlin. Add all their votes up
and they soundly trounced any one else.
Parker Jackson
is an astute political watcher from Lyman with sterling conservative credentials. He calls our GOP primary the “traditional
Wyoming conservative firing squad. The
candidates all stand in a circle facing each other and shoot each other.”
Since this is
my traditional post-election column, I always try to thank all the candidates
for running. It is something they will
never forget. Although it hurts to lose,
those defeated candidates will look back on their campaigns as some of the most
exciting times of their lives.
There are no
losers here. Just winners all around.
I know it is
disappointing to the non-victors, as they have spent a lot of money, devoted a
tremendous amount of time, worked really hard, spent time away from jobs and
family, and sincerely tried to present a winning view in their campaigns.
I have been
there, so I know how frustrating this can be.
Back in 2002
fellow Republicans Ray Hunkins of Wheatland, Steve Watt of Rock Springs, and John
Self of Sheridan joined me along with Democrats Ken Casner of Elk Mountain,
Toby Simpson of Greybull, and Paul Hickey of Cheyenne in retiring to the
sidelines after the primary and watching Eli Bebout and Dave Freudenthal have
all the fun in the general. This year a whole new crowd of candidates joined
us.
Back to the
2018 elections:
For our
national races, U. S. Sen. John Barrasso and U. S. Rep. Liz Cheney breezed to
easy wins. Republicans won all around with Kristi Racines winning State Auditor
and Ed Buchanan winning Secretary of State.
Jillian Balow was unopposed for State Supt. of Public Instruction.
But with the
U. S. House turning Democratic it is easy to predict a new period of total gridlock
in Congress. I am afraid not much is
going to get done in the next two years.
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