Freudenthal Won't Seek Third Term
Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal (D) has decided not to seek a third term, giving Republicans a golden opportunity for a pick-up this November.
Freudenthal, first elected in 2002, is technically term limited. But the state's term-limit law was considered vulnerable to a court challenge, after a similar law for legislators was struck down. Freudenthal has decided not to pursue that. Per the AP:
Freudenthal, 59, said he began the process of deciding not to run after his wife Nancy Freudenthal and he spent the Christmas holiday with their grown children. He said none of them thought he should run again."I don't have a terribly intellectual explanation, as much as a sense that it's the right decision, both in a personal and a professional sense, for myself and for Nancy and for the state," Freudenthal said.
Freudenthal, whose office door in the state Capitol bears the painted sign "Gov. Dave," has enjoyed considerable popularity since narrowly winning his first election in 2002. He won re-election in 2006 with 70 percent of the vote even though registered Republicans in the state outnumbered Democrats by more than 2 to 1.
Freudenthal has been seen as the only realistic hope of keeping the seat in Democratic hands after this year. While he considered his own future, Freudenthal had given state Senate Minority Leader Mike Massie (D) his blessing to explore a bid in the event he chose not to run.
The Republican Governors Association issued a statement painting national Democrats as "out of touch" for assuming Freudenthal would run. RGA spokesman Tim Murtaugh:
"Freudenthal is the latest in an increasingly long line of Democratic governors declining to seek re-election, which means Wyoming now becomes a prime pick-up opportunity for us. The scary thing for Democrats is that incumbent governors in Ohio, Massachusetts, Illinois, Maryland and Iowa are far worse positioned than Freudenthal was."
Eight Democratic governors are term limited, including Freudenthal. Four other Democratic governors, including two who were unelected -- New York's Paterson and Kansas' Parkinson, decided not to seek new terms. Seven Republican governors are term limited, and four others chose not to run again.