Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal has appointed Casper physician and state Sen. John Barrasso as Wyoming’s U.S. Senator to replace the late Craig Thomas.
Freudenthal chose Barrasso from a list of three names that were submitted to him by the Wyoming Republican Central Committee, which had in turn winnowed those three down from a bushel of applicants for the job.Freudenthal said:
“I look forward to working with John Barrasso as he assumes his duties as the interim senator for Wyoming. I pledge my cooperation to do all that I can to make sure he is a successful senator.”
“There are many factors that went into this decision, and it was the sum of these factors that led me to this choice. While I don’t intend to indulge the speculation on why I made this
decision, I will say that I hope I made the right choice.”
Ah, but the “right choice” for what? Freudenthal has been rumored to be interested in the job himself, and might view Barrasso as beatable when the seat is up for election in Nov. 2008. Barrasso has run for statewide office only once. He lost. Barrasso does have wide name recognition, however, as one of those television doctors who diagnose you in five minutes on the evening news.
Another tentacle of the grapevine, however, has Freudenthal interested in a judgeship, for which Sen. Barrasso might be able to ease the way on the Republican side.
