How did Freudenthal win in Wyoming?

[ButterflyBlood]

Wyoming is so heavily Republican that Democrats often don't even put up candidates for state offices, and when they do often just run campaigns comparable to that of third parties. So did his opponent have any specific problems or what?

[jiacinto]

1. Actually you are mistaken

From 1974 through 1994 the Democrats held the Governor's office. Jim Geringer's (R) 8 year tenure was the first Republican administration in Cheyenne since the 1970s. So, over the last 33 years, 25 of them have been under Democratic control. Ironically the Governorship is the one office Democrats can win in Wyoming. Mike Sullivan (D) and Ed Herschler (D) were both Governors. Freudenthal (D) follows that tradition.

The reason why Freudenthal won was also because Eli Bebout (R) was a very bad candidate from what I've heard. Bebout used to be a Democrat, I believe. And thus voters elected Freudenthal.

[ButterflyBlood]

5. I didn't know they often had the governor's office

but I was talking about other state offices, in which some appeared to have Republicans running unnopposed, and supposedly Enzi outspent his opponent something like 20:1

[jiacinto]

6. Wyoming is a very Republican state

It supported Democrats in the early New Deal; but, once Eisenhower took office in 1952, it turned Republican and never looked back. It did vote for LBJ in 1964. Gale McGee (D) served as Senator from 1958 to 1976. She lost to Malcolm Wallop in 1976. Democrats did come close to beating Wallop in 1982 and in 1988, but came very short. Sullivan (D) ran for Wallop's open seat in 1994, but the Republican Revolution swept him away under the tide.

[Ediacara]

2. a couple of resons

1) he was a moderate populist
2) his republican opponent ran a disasterous campaign
3) his republican opponent's son was pulled over and told the officer "when my dad is governor you'll be fired" which got a lot of media attention, all of it negative
4) the libertarian candidate virtually endorsed Freudenthal by saying that he would rather see the democrat than the republican win.

[jiacinto]

3. Well

Wasn't Eli Bebout a Democrat at one point?

[Ediacara]

4. I am not sure

could be