A number of people have asked me to summarize how Freudenthal's campaign won in Wyoming so here's an in-depth analysis. For the impatient, the last paragraph summarizes the most salient aspects of Freudenthal's successful campaign. I really believe this is a strategy that could work for others, especially in House races. Of course, it does help when the candidate can afford to basically suspend his/her life for a year to campaign. There is a tradition of Democratic governors in Wyoming, including 3-term Governor Ed Herschler (1976-1988), followed by 2-term Governor Mike Sullivan (1988-1994). The 1994 sweep by the Republicans nationwide devastated the Wyoming Democratic Party. In 1994, the Democrats put forward two exceptionally well qualified candidates, former Secretary of State Kathy Karpan as governor and former Governor Mike Sullivan for the U.S. Senate. Both lost badly, as did a very credible Democratic candidate for the U.S. House. That year, Stuart Rothenberg in an after-election panel pointed to Mike Sullivan’s loss to Craig Thomas as evidence that the voters had "thrown out the babies with the bathwater." Sullivan had been badly hurt by his ties to Bill Clinton along with misrepresentations regarding his position on guns and land use. Ever since '94, Wyoming Democratic candidates have been viewed as sacrificial lambs, as the liberal label stuck like glue. Meanwhile, the issues complex kept the WY Democrats muzzled.
In the ensuing 8 years, under Republican Governor Jim Geringer, the state has stagnated. The Republican legislature & the Republican governor have sued each other over responsibilities and prerogatives. We have suffered the regular litany of state problems: school funding, educational quality, prison overcrowding, deteriorating infrastructure, health care access, etc. Meanwhile, land issues have come to the surface in the form of access to public lands and environmental impacts from coalbed methane drilling. Strange bedfellow alliances have grown out of these issues, with ranchers and environmentalists and outdoorsmen finding common ground.
The multi-dimensional land use questions were crystallized last fall when the LDS Church tried to push legislation through Congress to compel the Bureau of Land Management to sell the church Martin’s Cove, a historic site on the old westward emigrant trails near Casper. I have been a trails advocate for years and was totally astonished by the level of public outrage over this proposed legislation. I believe it struck a chord because it threatened to take away public lands while also illustrating the high-handed arrogance that alienates many.
Against that background, Dave Freudenthal entered the campaign as a Wyoming native and a simple, straight-talking man. At the beginning of his campaign, Dave made several key decisions. He refused to spend time “dialing for dollars,” believing instead that if he met people & could get them interested in his campaign, the money would follow. He also refused to write off any part of the state and spent a lot of time in the conservative northern counties. He didn’t carry those counties, but his losses were less than normal. As for money, Freudenthal raised nearly as much as Eli Bebout and, in the process, built a large small donor base across the state. While Bebout received much financial assistance from the Republican Party, Freudenthal got only a small amount from the state party.
In addition to Freudenthal’s political skills, the Republicans deserve some credit for their loss. After the solons decided to anoint Bebout, two other candidates had the temerity to enter the race. When it looked as if Bebout might not survive the primary, the Republicans’ attack dog, Alan Simpson, savaged Bebout’s primary opponents. This created a lot of lingering bitterness within the party.
Meanwhile, Freudenthal survived his own tough primary and the Democrats emerged excited and united. That night, a Wyoming reporter asked Freudenthal how he would handle charges that he was a liberal Clinton Democrat. Dave’s response was polished and obviously well-rehearsed. He explained that Mike Sullivan had nominated him to be US Attorney under Bill Clinton but that he did not know Clinton. Moreover, Freudenthal noted that both Wyoming’s Republican senators supported his nomination & voted for him. In addition, he reminded people he underwent an FBI background check for that position. Finally, he dismissed the liberal label as meaningless but urged anyone with a specific concern on an issue to contact him. That night, the “Clinton liberal” strategy began to wilt.
Freudenthal’s campaign initially highlighted two issues: increased mineral tax audits and gender pay equity. He also questioned the effectiveness of the Wyoming Energy Council and acknowledged the difficult environmental issues posed by the coalbed methane boom. He expressed his commitment to preserving public lands. He talked about the necessity of recognizing the different visions that Wyoming towns and cities possess and vowed to help them achieve those. He never claimed to have solutions for every problem. He was not afraid to say that complex issues required more thought and study. He did not try to find 5 second soundbite solutions for each problem.
Throughout the campaign, he traveled extensively. He sat and listened to people. He appeared at public functions where Democrats don’t usually go and then acknowledged that what he had to say might not be what those people wanted to hear. In a couple of instances, he challenged Bebout directly when he attempted to claim Republican noblesse oblige at forums. Freudenthal refused to be treated as a poor relation simply because he was a Democrat in an overwhelmingly Republican state.
Freudenthal never backed down, never cowered, and never shied away from his party affiliation. His campaign signs & bumper stickers all proudly proclaimed “Democrat for Wyoming.” This, of course, played into the campaign strategy of arguing against single party political rule. Freudenthal’s endorsement by several prominent Republicans certainly helped but, while he proudly touted these, he never caused his Democratic supporters to question his loyalties. In the waning days of the campaign, Dave Dawson, the libertarian candidate for governor, stopped just short of an official endorsement when he told his supporters that, if they did not feel comfortable casting a 3rd party vote, he recommended Freudenthal. (Incidentally, Dawson’s vote total exceeded the margin between Freudenthal & Bebout.)
As the election neared, support for Freudenthal was obvious throughout the state. Newspapers throughout the state gave their editorial endorsement. Letters to the editor ran running overwhelmingly for Freudenthal. His yard signs were prominent throughout the state. Nonetheless, the campaign held their breaths as they waited for the expected last minute attack ads.
As a result of the role he played in the primary, former Sen. Alan Simpson was pretty well silenced in the general election. But, the weekend before the election, the state Republican party launched an ad accusing Freudenthal of “funneling money” from government contracts into companies in which he had nominal interests. These false accusations led to a remarkable email from former Governor Mike Sullivan which was widely circulated. In part, it read:
For a party, with the power, prestige and position of the Republican party
and with the Vice President of the United States visiting our state
tomorrow, to take the Gubernatorial campaign into the gutter begs this
question: Who has captured this party of people whom I know to be honorable
and ethical, and which special interests are so threatened by a Freudenthal
victory, that they drag the campaign to a level not seen before?
I love the State of Wyoming and politics/publc service. This is not conduct
that makes one proud of politics nor is it healthy for a State of such low
multitudes and intimate relationships that prides itself on being
straightforward and candid. No, this is the height of political cowardice
and political immorality. It should not be allowed to happen in Wyoming and
there is only one way to combat it.
Recognize the calculated strategy for what it is and VOTE against it.
Vice President Dick Cheney came to Cheyenne on the Sunday before the election but that was not enough to save the Bebout campaign. People in Wyoming had looked beyond the labels and seen that there was one candidate who was running to do what he could to improve the quality of life in Wyoming while the other candidate was running to improve his own resume. The choice was pretty clear.
Of course there were unique elements in this election, as is true of every campaign. But Freudenthal’s campaign also offers a template worthy of study. Dave Freudenthal showed that when you connect with people intellectually, they will support you financially. Freudenthal showed that when you spend time listening to people, they will reciprocate by listening to you. Freudenthal showed that voters, at least in Wyoming, will look beyond party label when they hear sound arguments. Freudenthal showed that knocking on doors still works. Freudenthal showed that you can stand up to the bullying tactics that have become such a staple of political attacks. Dave Freudenthal showed that a well-crafted response can stifle predictable mudslinging. And Dave Freudenthal showed that voters don’t expect simple solutions for every problem.
I distrust those people who know so well what God wants them to do because I notice it always coincides with their own desires. -- Susan B. Anthony REMEMBER: We beat Cheney in Wyoming! Gov. Dave Freudenthal, D-WY
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My talk on Culbertson and the Blackfeet fur trade is Friday morning. I get an honorarium for speaking as well as expenses paid, including a room at the Grand Union. 
So I'll be around. Mark your calendar & if you can get up there, it would be fun to meet in my favorite little town.