Get to know the Challengers for the Wyoming Senate Race

Candidate Number One.  Your “Middle Ground”, huh?  Democratic Albany County Commissioner Tim Chesnut.  Yes, I do find that “find the center, always find and reposition to a center, the center must exist somewhere” line always tedious…
 The 47-year-old Laramie resident admitted his chances of victory were small. But Chesnut hopes his campaign will help shift the political climate away from the hyperpartisanship seen today and encourage politicians to find middle ground. […]

Chesnut doesn’t fit the mold of a conventional Senate candidate. Despite working two jobs, he needed help from the Albany County Democrats to pay the state’s $200 candidate filing fee. He also has multiple sclerosis, which he said often keeps him in a wheelchair.

I do like this attitude.

“I don’t know if I have a snowball’s chance in hell to do this thing,” he said. “But I know that I’m going to have a really good time going out and meeting with the people of Wyoming and learning from them.”

No.  Hobby candidacy in the Land of Dick Cheney.  A perfect excuse and chance to go around and meet people.  It works for me.

I suppose we should check in with his views on the Health Care ruling?

“The Act is not perfect,” said Chesnut. “But it is time to move forward and make it better. The alternative that Sen. Barrasso proposes – total repeal of the Act with nothing to replace it, is not good for Wyoming. I’m surprised that a physician can be that out of touch with Wyoming citizens. Before the Act, we had a badly broken health care system. Barrasso and the Party of No have nothing but that broken system to offer.”

And.  He fancies himself a comedian.

“I’d like to bring some civility and a sense of humor to Congress that seems to have been lost since Al Simpson,” he said. “My campaign slogan is: ‘Chesnut is the best nut for Senate.’”

Better keep on him and scrutinize his current elected position.

With Chairman Tim Sullivan presiding, commissioners Tim Chesnut and Jerry Kennedy approved a motion to transfer funds to cover budget deficits in the district court, clerk of the district court, county attorney’s office, fire warden’s office and coroner’s office for the 2011-12 fiscal year, which ends Saturday.

Rail against it just for the sake of being difficult.  HOW DARE THE CORRUPTABLE TIM CHESTNUT do that… move… he just did.

Candidate number two.  Running to everyone’s Right in the Republican Primary.   I don’t care if he’s for Universal Health Care…

For four decades, Thomas Bleming has fought to eradicate communism from the African jungle to the Panamanian rainforest.
But now, the 65-year-old Lusk resident wants to take his fight for freedom to the U.S. Senate. […]
This doesn’t sound so good, but… the man’s full of surprises.
He favors a government-run universal health care system for all Americans, and he said he would push to withdraw all American troops from Iraq and Afghanistan. He also favors abolishing the Federal Reserve system and tearing up all of America’s IOUs to other countries.

On that last score:  And you thought the credit downgrade from AAA to AAplus was the end of it all?

There’s more on this guy:
A Lusk man running as a Republican for U.S. Senate seemed mostly unfazed after recently drawing criticism and controversy over reported Facebook posts disparaging Jews and agreeing with some beliefs of Adolf Hitler. 
Thomas Bleming, former decorated soldier and mercenary, is challenging against incumbent Sen. John Barasso, who recently said the people of Wyoming may find Bleming’s online postings “disturbing and wrong.” 
Bleming , 66, says his online posts, which cover a variety of subjects from second amendment issues to government investigations and controversies, are well-researched. 
“I spent countless hours (researching) everything I (post),” Bleming said. “I don’t deny them. (Barrasso) said they were wrong and disturbing, but he couldn’t say they were lies.”
“You’ll have people out there with every candidate, and for one reason or another, they love them or hate them” he added. […]
“It’s a grassroots movement; we’re not into putting out yard signs and the normal way of politicking,” he said. “This is a very unorthodox way of campaigning.”

Yeah.

Actually, if you go ahead and google him… he has quite the history of political activism, I will say.

Candidate Number Three… Al Humburg.  Perennial Candidate.  Interesting to note:
 Back in 1989, in a U.S. House campaign with the New Alliance party he was charged with forging petition signatures of dead people. In Wyoming, if you run under a minor party ticket, you need so many signatures to get on the ballot. Hamburg’s claim is that if he had won back in ’89, the deceased ones would not have been harmed. The Wyoming Supreme Court correctly said if he had won, voters would have been defrauded. Due to a lack of evidence, part of the conviction was overturned, and in 2003, his voting rights were restored. However, he is still a convicted felon and thus, barred from public office.

 The New Alliance Party???  He was with the Newman Fulanis… no kidding!  Actually, it seems that Fulani was on the “peace and freedom” ticket at the presidential level, and he was at the Senate level.

And the electoral history.  Highlighted where he got double digits.

08/21/2012 WY US Senate- D Primary ???
08/17/2010 WY Governor – D Primary Lost 4.86% (-43.14%)
08/19/2008 WY US Senate – D Primary Lost 37.62% (-24.75%)
08/22/2006 WY Governor – D Primary Lost 10.34% (-79.32%)
08/17/2004 WY – At-Large – D Primary Lost 9.25% (-38.58%)
05/14/2002 NE US Senate- D Primary Lost 40.69% (-18.62%)
05/09/2000 NE US Senate- D Primary Lost 7.39% (-84.72%)
08/21/1990 WY US Senate- D Primary Lost 18.79% (-16.28%)
11/08/1988 WY At-Large Lost 0.49% (-66.13%)
06/07/1988 CA US President – PFP Primary Lost 5.95% (-29.75%)
08/19/1986 WY Governor – D Primary Lost 6.19% (-64.73%)
09/11/1984 WY US Senate- D Primary Lost 31.09% (-14.20%)
09/14/1982 WY At-Large – D Primary Lost 43.66% (-12.68%)
09/09/1980 WY At-Large – D Primary Lost 23.06% (-30.02%)
09/12/1978 WY – At-Large – D Primary Lost 7.93% (-44.95%)
09/14/1976 WY At-Large – D Primary Lost 14.02% (-71.95%)
08/20/1974 WY – At-Large – R Primary Lost 6.52% (-69.35%)
08/22/1972 WY – At-Large – R Primary Lost 1.89% (-49.54%)

Candidate Number Four

University of Wyoming history professor Phil Roberts has announced he is running for the U.S. Senate as an independent candidate.
Roberts launched his bid because he said both Republicans and Democrats are leading the country in the wrong direction.
He said the country’s leaders should be focused on creating jobs, rather than chipping away at the nation’s budget deficit.
He said Republican-supported cuts are too severe, and he called President Barack Obama’s stimulus package of 2009 too “timid.”
Instead, Roberts said the country needs new major jobs initiatives similar to the New Deal programs that came out of the Great Depression.
So.  He’s the Liberal in the race.

And … comments… 3…2…1
” “Roberts has taught at UW since 1990. He specializes in American and Wyoming history, as well as legal, environment and natural resources history.”
It should read that ..”He has been polluting the minds of UW students for 22 years with his Liberal, Progressive drivel.”

Candidate Number Five.

William Byrk.  His name is familiar, and I think it’s just ’cause I sometimes wonder into this territory of fun.  It’s worth taking a look at his electoral history.  Double digits highlighted.

08/21/2012 WY US Senate- D Primary ???
05/08/2012 IN – District 08 – D Primary Lost 9.30% (-48.54%)
05/25/2010 ID US Senate – D Primary Lost 25.35% (-49.31%)
01/08/2008 NH US Vice President – D Primary Lost 21.35% (-25.58%)
01/08/2008 NH US Vice President – R Primary Lost 0.01% (-62.42%)
02/01/2000 NH US Vice President – R Primary Won 32.34% (+7.19%)
11/02/1999 Richmond County District Attorney Lost 1.66% (-59.99%)
11/03/1998 NY Assembly 59 Lost 1.70% (-69.75%)
11/04/1997 New York City Council 49 Lost 1.40% (-58.80%)
11/05/1996 New York City Council 05 Special Lost 2.33% (-69.54%)
09/09/1980 NY District 18 – D Primary Lost 5.94% (-74.92%)

Interestingly enough, he already lost a Congressional race in Indiana this year.  This guy gets around.

Leave a Reply