Wyoming Senate

Wyoming Senate: History Lessons

By now most political junkies have heard of this week's death of Sen. Craig Thomas (R-WY) from leukemia. Most have also heard of Wyoming's odd Senate appointment system. (Sorry to be a ghoul, but that's the way this business works.)

The governor of Wyoming is Democrat Dave Freudenthal. However, he is obligated by law to choose the new senator -- who serves until a special election held with the 2008 presidential -- from a list of three names supplied by the Republican party.

History Lesson one. Rewind back to 1960.

That November, Republican Keith Thomson was elected to an open Senate seat. However, he passed away one month later, never having taken office. Democratic governor J.J. Hickey saw an opportunity and took it, appointing himself to the vacancy (technically, resigning and having the new governor do it.)

Apparently Wyoming was unhappy. Hickey was ousted from office two years later by Milward Simpson -- the very fellow Hickey beat in 1958 for governor. And also the father of Alan Simpson who later served in the same seat. For good measure, the new governor who did the appointing deed almost got knocked off in the Democratic primary, then met his demise in the general election.

This may explain Wyoming's unusual law.

History lesson two, Craig Thomas first went to Washington in the spring of 1989, after winning a special election to fill the vacant House seat after the incumbent resigned to become Defense Secretary in the first Bush administration. He later went on to serve in the second Bush administration too.

Update: Seems state legislator Colin Simpson, son and grandson of Senators Simpson, is one of the names under condideration. I'd think if they were going to pick one of the Simpsons, it'd be Mayor Quimby. D'oh!