'Personality contest' frustrates candidates

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By TARA WESTREICHER
Star-Tribune staff writer Thursday, September 23, 2004




Wyoming's U.S. House candidates blame each other for making a "personality contest" out of this year's race.

Democrat Ted Ladd said he's not intimidated by the fact that he's challenging a 10-year incumbent in a primarily Republican state, but he is frustrated that the race between he and Barbara Cubin is based more on personality than on issues.

"In the last four weeks, it's been very difficult to get people to talk about the issues. It seems like it's coming down to a personality contest," Ladd explained. "But this is what I expected all along. I'm running because I think we can do better. I'm not running because I thought this was going to be an easy race."

Cubin's camp said the way the campaign is unfolding has more to do with Ladd than Cubin.

Speaking for the incumbent, press secretary Joe Milczewski said Cubin's campaign against Ladd has always been about the issues.

"It's been Ted Ladd making the personal attacks," he said. "Barbara has been out there talking about the tax cuts, talking about national defense, talking about affordable health care. It's been Ted Ladd who talks about votes she missed while she was caring for her husband -- that's all he's been able to focus on."

In his campaign, Ladd said, he has found that many people -- mainly Republicans -- view the 35-year-old as a young, rich idealist who has not been in Wyoming long enough to know the issues. Cubin, on the other hand, was born and raised in Casper.

Ladd, a Wilson businessman, said he was born in Massachusetts but lived in Wyoming for a while before leaving for college and a better-paying job. He returned three years ago, he said.

"I like to think that it should be a plus for my campaign that I came back and now I want to help, so people have a better time of finding a job in Wyoming that allows them to stay," he said. "I like the open spaces; I like the values. I am now from Wyoming.

"People say I'm (running for Congress) for the power and the glory but there's no power and no glory in it that I can see, so far. I'm doing this because I think Wyoming has got poor representation," said Ladd, who criticizes Cubin for doing little to help Wyoming retain young people, create small businesses or keep the federal deficit in check. He is also disturbed by the incumbent's missed congressional votes.

In his campaign to unseat her, Ladd said he rarely gets the opportunity to talk about those issues and others he thinks are important in Wyoming, like a beneficial energy policy.

"People aren't asking me about energy policy, or education or about health care -- they're asking me how long I've been in the state," he said.


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http://www.casperstartribune.net/articles/2004/09/23/news/wyoming/1fd91d458a8f601887256f1700831905.txt