First, the article itself (written by Mary Jalonick of the AP):
"WASHINGTON -- Sen. Craig Thomas, R-Wyo., has talked with the White House about possibly replacing Interior Secretary Gale Norton, but is not actively pursuing the job, Thomas's office said on Wednesday.

Thomas spokesman Cameron Hardy said the senator had spoken with White House officials about the job, but wouldn't say whether Thomas would take the job if offered.

"He's flattered just to be considered," Hardy said. "Right now, he is happy with the job he is doing."

Thomas, 73, would replace Norton, who announced last week that she was stepping down to move back to Colorado. Thomas also was in the running for the Interior post in 2001, when Norton got the job. Vice President Dick Cheney -- also from Wyoming -- had asked the White House to consider Thomas.

The Star-Tribune of Casper, citing unnamed sources, first reported the possiblity of Thomas taking over Interior in Wednesday's editions.

Thomas served in the Wyoming Legislature before being elected to the U.S. House in 1989 to replace Cheney, who had left the House to become Defense Secretary for the first President Bush. Thomas was elected to the Senate in 1994 and is running against Democrat Dale Groutage this year for a third term.

Norton said she would leave the office at the end of March, with Deputy Interior Secretary Lynn Scarlett running the agency until a successor is confirmed.

On Tuesday, Sen. Wayne Allard, R-Colo., asked the White House to name Ben Nighthorse Campbell -- a former Republican senator from Colorado and a member of the Northern Cheyenne Tribe -- as Norton's replacement.

Hardy didn't say when he expected an announcement about Norton's replacement.

"You have to just wait and see," Hardy said. "You don't lobby for these things."
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While Thomas may not be "the frontrunner" for the job, even the possibility of him leaving the Senate for the Cabinet is worth looking into. Thomas is not an extremist, and fits in with the old-school conservative Republican club, much like Richard Lugar of Indiana. He's still a GOP rubberstamp, of course, but you could say he doesn't stamp as loudly as, say, Rick Santorum. Regardless, he's still a popular incumbent in one of the most Republican states in the nation (nearly 70% for Bush in 2004!), and so would be a lock for reelection.

But what if he moves on? If there was ever a year for the Democrats to do well in Wyoming, 2006 is it. The incumbent Governor running for reelection is Democrat Dave Freudenthal. That's right - a Democrat is Governor of Dick Cheney's home state. According to a February 2006 Mason Dixon poll, Freudenthal has an incredible 81% approval rating, with both parties and independents each giving him overwhelming support. So far Freudenthal faces only 2nd-tier opponents, and barring anything unexpected is a lock for reelection.

Freudenthal's success (he won in 2002 despite Dick Cheney's efforts for his opponent), and his calm, reasonable style of governing has given Democrats a better name in the state. He has worked well with the heavily Republican legislature, and has worked hard to balance the budget. In fact, Wyoming has the biggest surplus as of 2005 of all 50 states. That has allowed Wyoming to recently pass some rather good legislation, such as a Child Care law just last week. You don't see many states passing social welfare legislation nowadays.

Now, will Freudenthal run for Senate if it comes open? Almost certainly not. But his popularity provides a good starting point for any Senate candidate to compare himself or herself to. Much as Tim Kaine tied himself to Mark Warner's 70% approval rating in Virginia, so too could a Senate candidate say that "I'm with Freudenthal" in Wyoming.

There is even more to consider. The Congresswoman of Wyoming is Barbara Cubin, a Republican who may actually be vulnerable in 2006. Cubin has gone from a 66% victory in 2000 to 60% in 2002 to 55% in 2004. In the last election a bright, talented young businessman named Ted Ladd got 42%, the best showing for a Democrat in a federal race since 1996. Cubin now faces an Internet businessman and county official named Gary Trauner (http://traunerforcongress.com), who so far has raised a decent sum of money. If Cubin (who was challenged in a primary in 2004 and only got 54%) continues to do poorly, a competitive race may develop there as well. In fact, the same Mason-Dixon poll showed Cubin ahead 54-32 over Trauner; difficult, but not impossible.

Furthermore, there are several statewide races in 2006, one of which could go Democratic. Kathy Emmons got 47% in 2002 when running for State Superintendent of Public Instruction, and her opponent then has since left office, leaving a new incumbent to run. A win there could give Democrats a strong candidate to run, say, in 2008, when Mike Enzi is up for reelection.

But what about the Senate race, you ask? Is that winnable as well? The answer, suprisingly, is yes. In 1988 a Democratic State Senator named John Vinich came within a hair (50-49)of defeating incumbent Senator Malcolm Wallop. Wallop retired six years later, and Thomas won the seat with 58% over Governor Mike Sullivan (who's still involved in politics today). Of course, it was a good year for the GOP in 1994, which undoubtedly hurt Sullivan's chances.

When Alan Simpson retired in 1996, Enzi won the other seat over Kathy Karpan, the 1994 Gubenatorial nominee. Karpan lost by a 54-42% margin, despite little support from national Democrats (Clinton got 36% in 1996 in Wyoming, for example, but never campaigned there). Both Craig and Enzi won a 2nd term with over 70% in 2000 and 2002, respectively.

Clearly, Wyoming is a difficult state to win under any circumstances. However, having a strong US Senate candidate (if there's an open seat) may boost Trauner and Emmons, as well as feed off of Governor Freudenthal in 2006. And with a national feeling that is hostile towards the Republican Party, it could be a perfect storm for Wyoming Democrats.

Of course, none of this could happen. Craig Thomas could be turned down again for the Cabinet, and Dale Groutage (http://www.dalegroutageforsenate.com/), a college professor and ex-nuclear engineer will lose badly. Let's face it - the DSCC isn't going to play in Wyoming with Craig Thomas on the ballot.

But IF Thomas leaves, then all bets are off. We'd see the GOP scramble for the primary, and the Democrats could have a shot. But who could it be? Here are a few possibilities:

First, there's Dale Groutage himself. Groutage has been running a low-budget, high-grassroots effort, and has pretty much wrapped up the State Democratic Party's support. He's certainly a conservative Democrat, but that's also what might be needed to win in Wyoming. It's possible that if Thomas retires he could end up as the nominee anyway.

Wyoming has 14 Democratic Representatives and 7 State Senators in Cheyenne (the capital). The most prominent Democrat in the legislature is State Senate Minority Whip Rae Lynn Job, whose site is at http://legisweb.state.wy.us/... . She's highly popular, is reportedly charismatic and personable, and might be a good statewide candidate.

Another possibility is Paul Hickey, the son of a former Governor and a 2002 candidate for Governor. He lost in the primary to Freudenthal, but has remained active in Wyoming politics. A final possibility is State House Minority Leader Wayne Reese, whose site is http://legisweb.state.wy.us/... .

Let me stress that only Groutage is actually running for the seat. But if there is an open seat, the three Wyoming Democrats I just mentioned might come up as potential candidates for the seat.

One final note: if the seat becomes open, Governor Freudenthal doesn't get to appoint a Democrat. By law, the outgoing Senator's State Committee forwards three names to the Governor, who then picks one of three to go to DC until 2007 (in this case). But since federal races are rarely open in Wyoming, look for a primary to happen anyway.