Republican Wins Wyoming House Seat
Craig Thomas gave the Republican Party its first victory of the spring by outdistancing Democrat John Vinich in the race for Wyoming’s at-large seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.
With 82% of the vote in and 61 of the 334 precincts left to report, unofficial returns gave Thomas 53,803 votes, or 53%, while Vinich had 43,102, or 43%.
Independent Craig McCune received 3,643 votes, while Daniel Johnson, an independent who espoused white separatist views, drew 349.
The special election was called to fill the House vacancy created last month when Dick Cheney resigned to become defense secretary.
At stake in the election was Republican pride, as the GOP had lost special House elections in Indiana and Alabama earlier this year.
When Cheney moved from the House to the Bush Cabinet, Democrats fielded Vinich, who has spent 15 years in the Legislature and almost upset Republican Sen. Malcolm Wallop last November. The GOP countered with Thomas, who had just won a third term in the state House of Representatives.
The short campaign centered more on negative political portrayals than on specific philosophical differences.