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November 15, 2006

Dirty Campaign Tricks In Wyoming

yoming Congresswoman-for-Life Barbara Cubin beat her Democratic opponent, Gary Trauner, by a handful of votes on November 7. (A recount remains a possibility.) The state's attorney general yesterday announced that he was referring complaints about bogus and threatening pro-Republican campaign phone calls to federal and state prosecutors:

Wyoming Secretary of State Joe Meyer will ask local and federal prosecutors to look into allegations of illegal automated campaign calls before last week's general election.

Meyer's office received three complaints about illegal calls linked to the contentious U.S. House race and the race for governor.

Meanwhile, the spokeswoman for Democrat Gary Trauner's apparently unsuccessful U.S. House campaign said illegal calls may have influenced that race. Linda Stoval said stronger laws are needed to prevent future violations.

“I would certainly say that in a race this close, it could have had an impact,” Stoval said.

Meyer will ask the Laramie County district attorney to look into the report of an “unfriendly, almost threatening male voice” urging a Cheyenne voter to support Republican candidates.

He'll ask the U.S. attorney's office to consider a complaint about someone using a fake New York accent to misrepresent Trauner's position on key issues. Trauner moved to Wyoming from New York more than 16 years ago.

The bogus-New-York-accent thing is especially offensive, given that Barbara Cubin is herself originally from California -- a state towards which Wyomingites feel considerably more antipathy than they do New York.

As for the "unfriendly, almost threatening male voice" urging Wyomingites to vote Republican, I'd note simply that Vice President Cheney is from Wyoming.

Posted by Eric at November 15, 2006 9:24 AM

Comments

Posted by: Simon Speroq at November 15, 2006 11:43 AM