Many {67 Percent} in Favor of {Governor} Freudenthal {WY Democrat}

The chief of the Cowboy State ranks third in a nationwide survey that asked people to rate their governors.

CHEYENNE - Gov. Dave Freudenthal is the third most popular governor in the country with a 67 approval rate among Wyoming residents surveyed.

A poll, released earlier this month by Survey USA, lists the approval ratings for the governors of all 50 states.

Only Govs. John Hoeven of North Dakota, with an approval rate of 71 percent, and Mike Rounds of South Dakota, 70 percent, were ranked higher by residents of those states.

Freudenthal said he was a little surprised but certainly pleased by the survey results.

"I'm sort of relieved," he added. "We try to go out to the people and involve them in the process. This is just kind of who we are and the way we act. I'm just glad it's pleasing to the people."

He attributed some of the survey's positive reflection of him to his wife, first lady Nancy Freudenthal, and to his staff and appointees. The fact that the state is enjoying increased revenues also could have something to do with it, he said.

"Things are going well in Wyoming, and this reflects that," Freudenthal said. "A politician should be careful about how much blame he accepts or how much credit he accepts."

Freudenthal's approval rating was higher among fellow Democrats than Republicans, but only by a 3 percentage point margin.

Sixty-eight percent of Republicans surveyed said they approve of the job Freudenthal is doing as governor; 71 percent of Democrats said they approved. Freudenthal's approval rating by people who call themselves independent was 65 percent.

More men than women said they approve of the job Freudenthal is doing as governor. Among men, the approval rating was 71 percent; for women, it was 64 percent.

Rep. Rodney "Pete" Anderson, R-Pine Bluffs, said Freudenthal is a nice person and tries to do the right thing for the state.

Anderson said Freudenthal is a good politician, and that is reflected in the governor's favorable approval rating.

"He knows what people want to hear," Anderson said. "He doesn't necessarily follow through with it, but he does a good job of public relations."

Rep. Pete Illoway, R-Cheyenne, said, "As the chief executive officer of the state, I think the governor is doing a pretty good job."

And Rep. Floyd Esquibel, D-Cheyenne, said Freudenthal's approval rating didn't surprise him.

"He has done a great job," Esquibel said. "He has handled some tough issues, some controversial issues. He is certainly accessible."

Thirteen-year-old Aimee Hammer of Cheyenne said Freudenthal has visited her elementary school several times.

"He involves not only the adults, but children too," Hammer said. "We need a governor who is involved with the schools and citizens. I think he's doing a good job."

Her mother, Denise Vialpando, said Freudenthal's positive rating doesn't surprise her at all.

"The governor seems to be a people person and open-minded" she added. "He's dedicated to getting Wyoming on the map, to show Wyoming what we have to offer here, in the state and the community.

Rep. Dan Zwonitzer, R-Cheyenne, said, "I approve of the job (he) is doing. There's always room for improvement, but he works well with the Legislature and still has a qualified vision for the state that he's not completely achieved yet.

"There hasn't been a lot of serious contention or scandals involving the governor," he said. "The state has had a surplus, and he hasn't had to make a lot of cuts. He's had an easier time than a lot of governors.

"The real test of a governor is when they have to face adversity and the odds are stacked against them. I'm not sure the current governor has had to face any adversity so far."

From ConservativeTruth.org. Take it for what it's worth...

The Anatomy Of A Failed Campaign
November 17, 2002
By Christopher G. Adamo

With the 2002 mid-term elections apparently serving as a referendum on President Bush, and with Republicans across the land reaping the benefits of his popularity, victory for the Republican gubernatorial candidate in a GOP dominated state like Wyoming might have been presumed to be a "given." But such was not the case for Republican candidate Eli Bebout who lost on Tuesday to his Democratic challenger, Dave Freudenthal.

The manner in which the Bebout campaign managed to alienate its base should serve as a lesson to Wyoming’s Republican leadership (as well as to Republican policy makers in every state). Sadly, if recent history is any indication, this painful lesson will not be learned. Prior to the administration of Jim Geringer, the outgoing two-term Governor, Wyoming went for two decades with Democrats holding the position of chief executive.

Perhaps Eli Bebout would have made a good governor for Wyoming. At this point, it is not likely that anyone will ever know. What is known however is that the leadership of the Wyoming GOP presumed the state’s politics to be all about them. And it was to Mr. Bebout’s misfortune that they were able to totally define him as a candidate. From the time he left the Democrat Party in the early 1990’s, Bebout was placed "front and center" in Republican politics, to the total bewilderment of the rank and file Wyoming Republicans. Clearly, he was being predestined for major office, but not as a result of a groundswell of "grassroots" support. Rather, power brokers at the heart of the Wyoming GOP had simply decided it would be so. And the "peasantry" was expected to follow.

However, certain unforeseen events made for "potholes" on Bebout’s road to the Governor’s mansion, but it was the reaction of the Bebout campaign, along with that of the party "machinery" who sought his coronation, that eventually doomed his bid to be governor. Ray Hunkins, a political outsider and conservative of sterling reputation, decided to run against him in the primary. While Hunkins’ appeal was directed towards the inherent conservatism of Wyoming’s common folk, Bebout’s emphasis was on his connections within the state’s political circles. The most dominant Bebout ad of the primary season explained "forty nine members of the state legislature endorse Eli Bebout for Governor."

As the day of the primary election approached, the Hunkins campaign continued to gain momentum to the point that, with one week left before the August primary, the race had become virtually a dead heat. In response to the large number of undecided voters, the Bebout campaign resorted, once again, to "insider" strategizing. Rather than deal, head on, with the issues that Hunkins was calling into question, the Bebout camp engaged former Senator Alan Simpson in a vicious attack ad campaign. Though Simpson was successful in the short term, based on the sheer force of his nastiness, the ploy began to sour in the stomachs of the Wyoming people in the immediate aftermath of the primary.

So, although the sordid tactic propelled Bebout to a primary victory, cynicism among voters festered. When, in the final days before the November elections, the Bebout campaign attempted another brutal assault against Democratic opponent Dave Freudenthal, the pattern of dirty politics was too much for Wyomingites to bear, and the effort backfired, ultimately costing Bebout the Governorship.

As for Governor-elect Freudenthal, he appears to be misreading the election as a referendum on himself. Though Wyoming overlooked his being a Clinton appointee (largely due to the fact that the state’s Republican party has, when convenient, endorsed Clinton appointees of dubious reputation...), his election did not constitute a mandate for liberalism in the Cowboy State. Apparently oblivious to this, Freudenthal has stated that, among other things, he intends to "take Wyoming back from the special interests, and make it a place which puts people first." Worse than being merely liberal diatribe, his statement constitutes an unmistakable reference to Bill Clinton’s 1992 treatise "Putting People First."

If this is a true indication of his governing philosophy, it will ultimately make him as venerated among Wyomingites as, say, Sarah Brady. Unless Freudenthal comes to grips with the reality of his situation and governs as the conservative he often claimed to be during the campaign, he will set the stage for an inevitable ouster in 2006. That is unless the Wyoming GOP refuses to learn by its mistakes and proceeds to ramrod another candidate chosen by the arrogant elitists who control it.

Was there a scandal? Or did the GOP rip themselves apart in a primary?

The GOP had a vigorous but not overly contentious primary. The problem was that they did not field any satisfactory candidates.

The best of the lot, Eli Bebot (I think), won the primary. He was best known for a highly controversial plan to build a temporary nuclear waste storage facility near Riverton, WY a few years earlier. As I recall this was a popular plan in Riverton but not many other people in the State were very enthusiastic about it. It left him with a bad odor.

And as I said before, Freudenthal is not overly liberal. Wyoming has often had Democratic Governors even thought our legislature is consistently dominated by Republicans. I think just about anybody who claims to be a Republican can get elected here but it takes a truly exceptional Democrat to survive politically in Wyoming so the few Democrats we have are pretty gifted politicians.

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