Wild inflammatory stuff is happening in Alaska, Nevada, and New Hampshire. Tea party politics really stir stuff up.

But it’s yawning time in Wyoming.

Cynthia Lummis labors on, trying to make tea party fizz. But no one cares.  She is a shoo-in, unless these accusations about invading Mexico or dying to avoid taxes gain traction.

Cynthia Cloud, surprisingly defeating Bruce Brown in the primary, has a lock on the State Auditor position.

Max Maxfield, one of two ghosts perpetually haunting the Capitol Building, wearing a different shroud every eight years, seems assured of another term as Secretary of Paperwork.

Joe Meyer, having haunted the Capitol for most of my lifetime – as Assistant Director of the Legislative Service Office, Attorney General, Secretary of State, chain-smoker (now smokeless) and Treasurer – will remain in his Treasurer role for a bit.

Cindy Hill, in contrast, has a real race with Mike Massie.

The Governor’s race seems surreal; Gov. Freudenthal declines to endorse Leslie, the Wyoming Public Employees Association union declines to endorse Leslie. This is sad; Leslie is a person of principle, whether you agree with her views or do not.  Wouldn’t we expect, regardless of our own persuasions, that these people would endorse a credible, respected candidate on the Democratic ticket?

It seems certain that Matt Mead will be the next Governor, but I think Leslie deserved better.

However, The Sage Grouse, indulging certain impish impulses, wants to make a little mischief.  The Cloud uncontested race for State Auditor and the Meyer uncontested race for State Treasurer lack suspense and color. Let’s provide some of the latter: write in “The Sage Grouse” for both slots when you go to the polls. (Don’t actually write in the author’s name. That would ruin the headlines.)

“The Sage Grouse upsets two incumbents, wins two seats on the Land Board; can outvote the new Governor on state boards, gets dizzy running back and forth across the rotunda, buys rollerblades.”

Join the Conversation

1 Comment

WyoFile's goal is to provide readers with information and ideas that foster constructive conversations about the issues and opportunities our communities face. One small piece of how we do that is by offering a space below each story for readers to share perspectives, experiences and insights. For this to work, we need your help.

What we're looking for: 

  • Your real name — first and last. 
  • Direct responses to the article. Tell us how your experience relates to the story.
  • The truth. Share factual information that adds context to the reporting.
  • Thoughtful answers to questions raised by the reporting or other commenters.
  • Tips that could advance our reporting on the topic.
  • No more than three comments per story, including replies. 

What we block from our comments section, when we see it:

  • Pseudonyms. WyoFile stands behind everything we publish, and we expect commenters to do the same by using their real name.
  • Comments that are not directly relevant to the article. 
  • Demonstrably false claims, what-about-isms, references to debunked lines of rhetoric, professional political talking points or links to sites trafficking in misinformation.
  • Personal attacks, profanity, discriminatory language or threats.
  • Arguments with other commenters.

Other important things to know: 

  • Appearing in WyoFile’s comments section is a privilege, not a right or entitlement. 
  • We’re a small team and our first priority is reporting. Depending on what’s going on, comments may be moderated 24 to 48 hours from when they’re submitted — or even later. If you comment in the evening or on the weekend, please be patient. We’ll get to it when we’re back in the office.
  • We’re not interested in managing squeaky wheels, and even if we wanted to, we don't have time to address every single commenter’s grievance. 
  • Try as we might, we will make mistakes. We’ll fail to catch aliases, mistakenly allow folks to exceed the comment limit and occasionally miss false statements. If that’s going to upset you, it’s probably best to just stick with our journalism and avoid the comments section.
  • We don’t mediate disputes between commenters. If you have concerns about another commenter, please don’t bring them to us.

The bottom line:

If you repeatedly push the boundaries, make unreasonable demands, get caught lying or generally cause trouble, we will stop approving your comments — maybe forever. Such moderation decisions are not negotiable or subject to explanation. If civil and constructive conversation is not your goal, then our comments section is not for you. 

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  1. Pretty creative, RT. Wish I could write in The Sage Grouse on your ballot but also on mine in Washington state.