Democracy Alive and Well in Wyoming

by shamanic

I have to give the Wyoming State Republican Party a tip of the hat on this one:

Any registered Republican who was a resident of Wyoming and met the age limit for a senator (at least 30) could throw his or her cowboy hat into the ring by filling out a two-page job application and submitting it to state party headquarters.

They got 31 qualified applicants, who will meet on Sunday for a Candidates Forum. Party leaders will pick three finalists, whose names will be submitted to Gov. David Freudenthal. He will then select Wyoming's new senator, who will hold the seat left open by the death of Sen. Craig Thomas, until the 2008 election.

These kinds of stories are great anyway, but at a time of such amazing cynicism and partisanship, they're downright important. Nice work, Wyoming GOP. I hope your process gives you a senator your state will be proud of.