Lingle Guide - Candidates Court Goshen Votes Three candidates for Wyoming's sole seat in the U.S. House of Representatives visited Goshen County on Fair Day to meet with locals and compete for votes in the upcoming primary election. Democratic candidate Gary Trauner and Republican candidates Bill Winney and Mark Gordon each walked in the Goshen County Fair Parade, then mingled with the crowd that turned out at the fairgrounds. The candidates also found time to visit with the Telegram about their candidacies, their goals and some of the biggest issues facing Wyoming and the nation. Gordon, a Buffalo native, announced his candidacy for Cubin's soon-to-be-vacated seat in January 2008. A Wyoming native, Gordon owns and operates a ranch in Buffalo. He moved to Buffalo in the 1980s, and he and his late wife created a catalog business in Sheridan, the first of his many entrepreneurial experiences. Gordon and his first wife had two daughters before she passed away. After her death, Gordon remarried and has expanded his ranching businesses in Campbell and Sheridan counties. He also began a bookstore and re-opened a movie theater. Trauner ran against Cubin in 2006 and lost the election by approximately 1,000 votes. He said he enjoys the variety of opinions and ideas that people around the state share with him. He visited many Wyoming residents during the last election door-to-door and sees the county fair visits he is doing this year as an extension of that. Trauner, who lives in Wilson, is a financial entrepreneur, a former chairman of the Teton County School District No. 1 board of trustees and chairman of the board of directors for the Aspens Water and Sewer District. Winney ran against Rep. Barbara Cubin - who currently holds the seat but is not seeking re-election - two years ago and said he received 40 percent of the votes in the primary. Winney, who lives in Bondurant, said his experience as a Navy officer who spent six years in the Pentagon working with Congress gives him an advantage over the other candidates in the field. He said he is familiar with the Congressional budgeting process as well as the workings of Congress. Mark Gordon Gordon says he is the ideal candidate to take Barbara Cubin's place. According to Gordon, there is a way to solve every problem with communication and planning. One of the biggest issues facing Goshen County and the state of Wyoming is water rights. Gordon, who has been on numerous water boards throughout his life, said he has fought very hard for Wyoming's water. "With the water rights being sacred, that is why I am opposed to anything interfering with our laws at a federal level," he said. "Water should be put to use in Wyoming. When you think long term, water is a more precious recourse than any other we have." The Gordon campaign stresses the importance of local businesses because many small towns in Wyoming, including Torrington, depend on them. "I think the only thing you can do to promote small business is to provide opportunities for them," he said. "You need entrepreneurs to make small businesses work." He said entrepreneurs are the reason businesses expand and stay in business, and the opportunities to start a business must be available. Gordon said he would ensure starting a small business in the state is possible by making sure the state has capital, business-ready communities and the appropriate infrastructure. Gordon said improving the country's education system is vital, and there are of number of things that can be done to improve the No Child Left Behind Act. "I think the act has raised the floor, but I also think at the same time, it has compromised education, particularly for kids who are ambitious, who want to do more," he said. "We need to provide opportunities for teachers to be able to teach and I think we need to be able to provide opportunities to go as far as they want to." Specifically, Gordon said No Child Left Behind must be funded appropriately. "There is problems with the testing," he said. "I don't know if it makes sense to test in the middle of the year or not - what are you getting done? But I also think that when you start teaching to the test, you move off instilling critical prospective and lifetime learning and you start getting into skills and acquisition." Gordon said Social Security could be the toughest issue the country will face in the future. He said he is "irritated" that Congress has not made an attempt to address the issue already. "It has been used a tool for political gain all along," he said. "My view is, unfortunately, we are going to have to figure out what we're going to do regarding this issue." Gordon said there are a few options that could correct the problem. The first, he said, is to raise payroll taxes. "I think at some point we have to say that new enrollees in Social Security are going to take a portion of their social security taxes and be able to manage that themselves so they have control over that," he said. Gordon met with the League of Women Voters of Laramie Candidate Forum in Cheyenne following the parade and is campaigning in Thermopolis today. Gary Trauner Trauner said he is amazed at the amount of name recognition he has in the current election as compared to the one in 2006. "A lot of my time last time was just introducing myself," Trauner said. This time, he said, he can focus more on getting his message out. Part of that message is issue areas he hopes to focus on such as healthcare, energy and the economy. Trauner said that although it is perceived that Democrats often have a harder time in Wyoming because of its predominantly Republican voter demographics, he hopes that people will look outside of labels. Trauner holds some positions that are normally considered conservative, such as keeping government out of private lives, Second Amendment rights and respecting the rule of law. Trauner said he also believes in smaller but more effective government. "Government has a role," Trauner said. "The question is where that role is." According to Trauner, one of the main sentiments expressed to him by Wyoming residents is that most people are not happy with the way the government is being run. "People have lost faith and trust in the government," Trauner said. "You can hold any title you want, but if you've lost the support of the people you're never going to succeed." Trauner said he hopes to change that and focus on helping Wyoming if elected, even though he would be just one of 435 representatives. "People change the world all the time. You just never know who, you never know when and you never know where," Trauner said. The Wyoming Republican Primary is scheduled for Aug. 19, and until then Trauner does not have a clear opponent for the seat. "It's going to be competitive, but that's what you want," Trauner said. After visiting the fair on Thursday, Trauner headed to the Platte County Fair in Wheatland and a League of Women Voters Forum in Laramie before ending the day in Cheyenne. Bill Winney According to Winney, one of his top objectives as U.S. representative would be to restore a strong national economy, and he has a three-step process outlined to obtain this goal. First, he would control spending, which he said is not just balancing the budget. He said Congress needs to stop "earmarking" spending practices, stop wasteful systemic financial purchasing like what saw in the Pentagon, and discipline itself to significantly pay down the principal of the national debt every year. The second step in Winney's formula to restoring a strong national economy is to control the country's borders. He said there are portions of the border that require strong fences and there are places that do not. Above all else, those responsible for securing the border should have the money and resources to do their job. "Give the people with ‘boots in the dirt' the resources they need to deal with the border problem," Winney said. The third and final step in Winney's plan to restore a strong national economy is to control the country's energy resources. He is in favor of using every energy resource available, including solar, wind, petroleum, coal, natural gas, nuclear, bio-fuels and new sources in development. He noted that close to half of America's energy currently comes from coal. Although steps should be taken to control pollution from coal, America should not restrict its use to the detriment of our position in the world economy. Winney would also free some of the present controls on drilling for oil, and after his experience on nuclear submarines, he is a strong advocate for the increased use of nuclear power. Winney said the Social Security system must be changed. The challenges posed by the system are considerable, and Winney said that either Social Security benefits will need to be reduced or the funding stream needs to be increased. "This is a tough Congressional decision," he said. According to Winney, America has the best health care system and medical support in the world. However, he said the major problem with the country's health care system is that not everyone is covered. "The issue is who pays," he said. Winney said he would create programs to ensure that health insurance companies build reserves when clients are younger so that there would be money to pay for increased health care costs as the clients get older. "I've been all over the state," Winney said. "People like to look you in the eye and talk to you. I am looking forward to getting Congress to do the things the people of the state want done. You do that by walking the halls - I have the skills to do that for Wyoming."

Red Orbit - Candidates in Unison on Wildlife All the candidates for Wyoming's lone seat in House of Representatives agree the Endangered Species Act needs tweaking. And all concur that the level of contentiousness between the political parties has made finding solutions to problems with the act ever more difficult. "The sad thing about politics in America in 2008 is that we got good at politics and completely lost sight of policy," said Cynthia Lummis, a Republican. "The Endangered Species Act is the poster child for that. Politics is supposed to be a means to address policy." Added Republican Bill Winney, "We need to find a good middle ground. Wildlife does matter to Wyoming. But we lose the ability to look for a balanced approach (when politics become so heated.)" Mark Gordon, another Republican, said, "We can move forward or stay at a complete stalemate over endangered species." Democrat Gary Trauner added, "To some people, it seems the party label is more important than doing right by the Constitution and the country. It's an incredibly emotional thing." Issues such as endangered species should not be about winning and losing, Trauner said, but about preserving species and protecting ecosystems. A recent decision by the federal government to protect the Preble's Meadow Jumping Mouse in Colorado but not in Wyoming illustrates changes at the federal and state level. The federal government has added flexibility to its interpretation of the law that conservationists say is dangerous. And a proactive approach by the state to avoid endangered species listings appears to be a strategy that is working. But a U.S. district judge's preliminary injunction last week that restored endangered species protection for gray wolves in the Northern Rockies shows how quickly the situation can change. Environmentalists sought the injunction as part of a suit against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service over its decision to remove the wolves from the endangered species list in March. Environmentalists also say they intend to sue over the Preble's mouse decision, which could affect Laramie County, since the mice are found here. Each of the candidates says they support the state's proactive efforts on the issue and would work in Congress to facilitate that approach. "Clearly, if we can think ahead far enough that we don't have to bring the heavy-handed approach of the federal government into it, it's a good thing," Trauner said. He said the feds need to provide more incentives to landowners to protect species before they are endangered. There needs to be "good science upfront," Trauner said, adding that the federal government needs to "define the criteria for delisiting." "Vague laws are bad laws," he added. Gordon, a rancher, said, "What's critical is to think about how best to involve (landowners) in success rather than threatening them with unbelievable restrictions. "At the federal level, we need accurate information. It's hard now to believe almost anything you see." See Endangered, page A5 So the proactive and practical approach at the state, county and local level does provide better information for judgments on managing specific cases, Gordon added. Congress should aid with that process rather than fighting it, he said. Winney said, "Different states have different needs." Each should be able to pursue what it believes is the best course toward preserving species, he added. Lummis said the act has been stood on its head by judicial decisions and federal agency actions. "I think (the act) can be salvaged," she added. "But I'm not sure it can be." Lummis is "very pleased with the proactive stance of the state of Wyoming." But she cited several examples of the federal government turning a blind eye to state and local efforts and making decisions that are not practical for local citizens. Lummis said that cattle have to be managed differently at her ranch in Laramie County as compared to her ranch in Platte County. "Unique ecosystems require a unique set of solutions," she said. "The one-size-fits-all, dictated-from-Washington solution doesn't work for Wyoming."

CBS 4 Denver - Six U.S. House Candidates Discuss Energy at Forum The candidates for Wyoming's lone seat in the U.S. House say the nation needs answers to rising energy prices and they have a few suggestions. All six candidates took part in an energy-themed public forum at Casper College on Thursday. One of the four Republican candidates, former State Treasurer Cynthia Lummis, said the nation needs to increase its oil, gas and coal production. Lummis suggested funding research into cleaner coal technology, boosting alternative energy and promoting conservation. ''Wyoming will play a pivotal role in those issues,'' Lummis said. ''And yes, we do need to diversify our energy portfolio in this country.'' Another Republican, Johnson County rancher Mark Gordon, said Wyoming needs to balance gas development with protecting wildlife habitat. ''I will tell you that my family has enjoyed countless hours walking in the mountains, and it's a very precious thing,'' Gordon said. Gordon suggested using seismic mapping technology to gain a better understanding of the state's energy resources, such as in the Wyoming Range. Retired U.S. Navy officer Bill Winney, also a Republican, said his home in the Bondurant area overlooks the Wyoming Range. He said he doesn't particularly want to see drilling rigs from his window. ''But there's another piece of me that says, 'We know how to make that not happen,''' he said. ''We know how to locate drilling rigs in remote locations. ... When you have energy at the prices we pay today, it makes a difference to us.'' This year's House race will be wide open with the upcoming retirement of Republican Rep. Barbara Cubin. Cubin narrowly lost to Wilson businessman Gary Trauner in the 2006 election. Trauner, a Democrat, is running again. He told the forum that the nation needs to shake off its ''addiction to oil.'' ''We're funding both sides of the war on terror right now, whether we like it or not,'' Trauner said. The other two candidates are Green River physician Michael Holland, a Republican, and Riverton podiatrist W. David Herbert, a Libertarian. Holland said the state would be better suited than the federal government to limit energy development in the Wyoming Range. Herbert said rising energy prices are linked to the weak dollar and the U.S. needs to return to the gold standard and balance the budget.