Biography
Political career
In 1994,upon the recommendation of Governor Mike Sullivan,Freudenthal was appointed United States Attorney for the District of Wyoming. [1] He left this post in May 2001 and was replaced by future governor Matt Mead.
In 2002,Freudenthal contested the Democratic primary for the gubernatorial election held later that year and won with over 50% of the vote against a field of opponents. He went on to be elected governor of Wyoming on November 5,2002 with 50% of the vote. He ran for reelection on November 7,2006,and improved his vote count to 70%,sweeping every county in the state. Freudenthal announced on March 4,2010 that he would not attempt to seek a third term as governor after speculation he would push to repeal state law on term limits; [2] that law limited governors to eight years in office during a 16-year period.
Freudenthal remained consistently popular with his constituents throughout his tenure,even though he was a Democrat in a state that had turned almost solidly Republican. [3] As governor he often took rather conservative positions,leading to disagreements with federal officials and environmental groups. [4] In fact,Freudenthal and his eventual Republican successor,Matt Mead,notably held similar positions on various issues. [5] The majority of his two terms oversaw an enormous energy boom and surpluses in government revenue,although this was later reversed after the Great Recession;Freudenthal then called for cuts to state agencies as growth continued to slow. [6] In June 2007,following the death of Republican U.S. Senator Craig Thomas,he appointed Republican John Barrasso to the United States Senate;state law required him to select an appointee from a shortlist compiled by the Wyoming Republican Party. [7]
Clifford Peter Hansen was an American politician from the state of Wyoming. A Republican, he served as the 26th Governor of Wyoming and subsequently as a United States senator. He served as a member of the board of trustees from 1946–1966 to his alma mater, the University of Wyoming located in Laramie. He was also a county commissioner in Jackson, the seat of Teton County in northwestern Wyoming. Before his death on October 20, 2009, he was the oldest living former U.S. Senator as well as the third oldest living former U.S. Governor.
The 2006 Wyoming gubernatorial election took place on November 7, 2006. Incumbent Democratic Governor Dave Freudenthal won re-election in a landslide over Republican Ray Hunkins, becoming the first Democrat since 1910 to win every county in the state. To date this was the last time a Democrat was elected to statewide office in Wyoming, the last time a Democrat carried every county in the state, the last gubernatorial election in which a Democrat received more than 30% of the vote, and the last statewide election in which a Democrat won any county besides Teton, Albany, Laramie, or Sweetwater. As of 2024, Ray Hunkins is the last Republican gubernatorial nominee who was never elected Governor of Wyoming. This is the last time that Wyoming voted for and elected a Senate candidate and a gubernatorial candidate of different political parties.
Edgar Jacob Herschler was an American politician and attorney who served as the 28th governor of Wyoming from 1975 to 1987. A member of the Democratic Party, he is the longest-serving governor of Wyoming, with three full terms; since a two-term limit for governors was approved by a ballot initiative in 1992, he has remained as such.
United States gubernatorial elections were held on November 2, 2010, in 37 states and two territories. These elections coincided with the elections for the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives as well as other state and local elections. As in most midterm elections, the party controlling the White House lost ground. Democrats took five governorships from the Republicans, while Republicans took 11 governorships from the Democrats. An independent won one governorship previously held by a Republican, while a Republican won one governorship previously held by an independent. Republicans held a majority of governorships for the first time since before the 2006 elections. One state, Louisiana, had no election for governor, but it did feature a special election for lieutenant governor.
Colin Mackenzie Simpson is an American lawyer and Republican politician who served in the Wyoming House of Representatives from District 24 from 1999 to 2011. He was the House Speaker during his last two years in office. He finished fourth in the Republican primary for the 2010 gubernatorial election. After leaving the legislature in early 2011, Simpson resumed his law practice in Cody.
Matthew Hansen Mead is a Wyoming attorney, businessman, and politician who served as the 32nd governor of Wyoming from 2011 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party, he previously was the United States Attorney for the District of Wyoming from 2001 to 2007.
The 2010 Wyoming gubernatorial election was held on Tuesday, November 2, 2010, to elect the governor of Wyoming. Party primaries were held on August 17.
The 2008 United States Senate special election in Wyoming took place on November 4, 2008, at the same time as the regular election to the United States Senate in Wyoming. The special election occurred to complete the term of Republican incumbent Craig L. Thomas, who won reelection in 2006, but died in June 2007. Despite being a Democrat, Governor Dave Freudenthal was obliged by state law to appoint a Republican, and selected state senator John Barrasso, who was unopposed in the Republican primary and won the general election to fill the remainder of the term ending January 3, 2013. This is the last time that both of Wyoming's U.S. Senate seats were concurrently up for election.
The 2012 United States Senate election in Wyoming took place on November 6, 2012, alongside a U.S. presidential election as well as other elections to the United States Senate and House of Representatives and various state and local elections. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator John Barrasso won re-election to a first full term.
The 2002 Wyoming gubernatorial election was held on November 5, 2002. Incumbent Republican Governor Jim Geringer was term-limited and unable to seek a third term in office, thereby creating an open seat. Former U.S. Attorney Dave Freudenthal and former Wyoming House Speaker Eli Bebout both emerged from competitive Democratic and Republican primaries, respectively, and faced off against each other in the general election. Despite Wyoming's strong inclination to elect Republicans, a contentious race ensued, with Freudenthal ultimately defeating Bebout by fewer than 4,000 votes. As of 2025, this is the last gubernatorial election in Wyoming to be decided by less than 20 percentage points.
Joseph Brown Meyer was an American politician from the U.S. state of Wyoming.
Stephen Watt is an American politician and a former Republican member of the Wyoming House of Representatives. Watt served three non-consecutive terms, representing District 16 from 2001 to 2003 and District 17 from 2005 to 2007 and again from 2013 to 2015. Watt was an unsuccessful candidate for governor of Wyoming in 2002.
The 2016 United States House of Representatives election in Wyoming was held on November 8, 2016, to elect the U.S. representative from Wyoming's at-large congressional district, who would represent the state of Wyoming in the 115th United States Congress. The election coincided with the 2016 U.S. presidential election, as well as other elections to the House of Representatives, elections to the United States Senate and various state and local elections. Incumbent Republican Cynthia Lummis decided to retire instead of seeking a fifth term. Liz Cheney was elected to the seat to succeed Lummis.
Steven F. Freudenthal is a Democratic politician who served as the 28th Attorney General of Wyoming from 1981 until 1983.
A general election was held in the U.S. state of Wyoming on November 6, 2018. All of Wyoming's executive offices were up for election, as well as a United States Senate seat and Wyoming's at-large seat in the United States House of Representatives. Primary elections were held on August 21, 2018.
A general election was held in the U.S. state of Wyoming on Tuesday, November 2, 2010. All of the state's executive officers—the Governor, Secretary of State, Auditor, Treasurer, and Superintendent of Public Instruction—were up for election.
A general election was held in the U.S. state of Wyoming on Tuesday, November 7, 2006. All of the state's executive officers—the Governor, Secretary of State, Auditor, Treasurer, and Superintendent of Public Instruction—were up for election.
A general election was held in the U.S. state of Wyoming on Tuesday, November 5, 2002. All of the state's executive officers—the Governor, Secretary of State, Auditor, Treasurer, and Superintendent of Public Instruction—were up for election.
A general election was held in the U.S. state of Wyoming on Tuesday, November 5, 1974. All of the state's executive officers—the Governor, Secretary of State, Auditor, Treasurer, and Superintendent of Public Instruction—were up for election. Democratic gubernatorial nominee Edgar Herschler won a sizable victory in the gubernatorial election, and while Democrats generally improved their margins in the other statewide races, they fell short in all four.
A general election was held in the U.S. state of Wyoming on Tuesday, November 2, 1982. All of the state's executive officers—the governor, secretary of state, auditor, treasurer, and superintendent of public instruction—were up for election. Democratic governor Edgar Herschler won a landslide victory on his way to a record third term in office and Democrat Lynn Simons, first elected in 1978 as superintendent of public instruction, won a sizable re-election as well. Republicans held the other statewide offices.
