Romney takes Wyoming

Much as the Eastern Shore and Delaware have been ignored by Presidential candidates, the Republicans in Wyoming didn't get much love from the partisan media for scheduling their delegate selection process in the break between the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire's primary. In fact, only half of their delegates will be seated because they jumped a deadline set by the national GOP.

But they did manage to have at least lip service paid to them by a several candidates as Mitt Romney, Fred Thompson, Ron Paul, and Duncan Hunter all made campaign visits to Wyoming along the campaign trail. Three of those four won delegates in Wyoming, where 12 of the state's 23 counties held their conventions to select delegates to the convention while 11 alternates were selected from the other counties during their respective conventions. One county received both a delegate and alternate for having the best voter support of Wyoming U.S. House member Barbara Cubin. Two more delegates will be selected for the national gathering at their GOP state convention in May.

When the county conventions came to a close, 8 of the 12 delegates were pledged to Mitt Romney, while Fred Thompson ended up with three and Duncan Hunter one. In an ironic twist, Hunter has been held out of the two New Hampshire debates this weekend despite now being third in the delegate total. (Ron Paul has also been shut out of those debates.) Oops, I was thinking Paul wasn't in them but indeed he is. Alan Keyes was the other one shut out tonight.

So the first actual delegates come from the smallest state population-wise in the union. Far away from the hype of New Hampshire, thoughtful Republicans got together to pick their party's standard-bearer and if you ask me, one county got it right.

Crossposted on Red Maryland.