Romney’s Wyoming victory

The night of Jan. 5 was victorious for Mitt Romney, GOP presidential candidate. Romney succeeded the Wyoming caucuses by winning eight delegates. Fred Thompson received second place in Wyoming by receiving 25 percent of the vote which translates into three votes from delegates. According to ktvu.com only three of the GOP presidential candidates have visited Wyoming since Sept. 2007. The three are Mitt Romney, Fred Thompson and Duncan Hunter and not surprisingly the three candidates ranked exactly in this order for the Wyoming caucuses’ results. CNN.com quotes Romney on his Wyoming victory as, “Today’s results are evidence that Americans want change, and our message of strengthening America through strengthening our economy, our military and our families is resonating with others.” However, Romney should not gleam too much from his Wyoming victory. Apparently, the state is one of the most neglected by presidential candidates because of its size. Dr. Jeffery Hill, Associate Professor of the Political Science department at Northeastern Illinois University states, “There has not been much press on events in Wyoming. It is a small, [in population] rural state, without a lot of delegates. It is not a primary election as in New Hampshire. Turnout is much lower in a caucus and candidates need to invest much time and money to encourage people to come to their meeting places for the caucus. Because of this, none of the Republican candidates spent a lot of time or effort on the state.” The upcoming presidential race is on the hearts and minds of the NEIU community as a whole. Instructors also discuss and incorporate the election into their classes. When asked how he incorporates the presidential race in his classes Dr. Hill stated, “Where appropriate, I have incorporated the race into my classes. I have changed my syllabus in PSCI 216–American National Government so as to cover elections sooner. I want to be able to discuss it early in the term just as the largest number of states make decisions. For example, I want to cover the topic before Feb. 5 when 24 states will select delegates for one or both parties.” The states of most importance for Democrats and Republicans are New Hampshire, South Carolina, Michigan and Florida. The Wyoming Democratic caucuses will be held March 8.