Wyoming Governor’s Race – an objective look at the main candidates.
This is the first of four articles I will write in sequence, commenting first on Mark Gordon (below), then Sam Galeotos, then Foster Friess (with a brief comment on Taylor Haynes) and last, Harriet Hageman.
My wife and I are dedicated supporters of Harriet Hageman. Our personal regard for her does not enter into our evaluation of her opponents’ candidacies or hers. We look at record and policy, leaving out personal feelings.
After looking as fairly as we can, we conclude that there is no choice other than Harriet.
Please read on if you have the time. And please feel free to forward if you wish.
MARK GORDON:
This is easy. Look at his record.
First, as state treasurer. In the investment climate of the past few years, any broad-based mutual fund or index product could have done better than the below- average returns his management delivered for the state portfolio (roughly 50% below market appreciation).
For those poor returns, the state of Wyoming paid $90 million dollars in fees in just 2017!
Truthfully, I have trouble comprehending this number – it’s roughly 10% of Wyoming’s annual deficit! I am left speechless.
Equally startling, his associations reveal his real beliefs. See who got his charitable and political contributions: The Sierra Club, John Kerry, DNC. As recently as 2012, Nature Conservancy.
How much would any of us give these groups? Not a penny. The fact is that they are (literally) enemies of our ranchers, farmers, coal miners, oil drillers. Enemies of the responsible, rational economic development which provides livelihoods to our neighbors and their families.
It is inescapable: Mr. Gordon has a record as a liberal donor. The record belies any claim to be conservative. He may say otherwise, but he backs people determined to end fossil fuel use, groups who have used every overt and underhanded tactic imaginable in their war against our most important industries and, by implication, our fellow citizens and neighbors.
Let’s please not go down this path!
If you aren’t convinced about Mr. Gordon from your own research, see the superb documentation of his record that Harriet’s campaign put together at:
~ Dan Brophy
Mark Gordon is going to be Wyoming’s next Governor. He is qualified, he is experienced and he has been serving the State of Wyoming faithfully for the past six years. Don’t be maligned by the haters.
a conservative does not give money to john Kerry or gary trauner or to the sierra club sounds like rino
Well, this was certainly a “fair non-biased” assessment of Mark Gordon.
The point about our returns in the market isn’t that strong. The market has done well over the past few years, but I don’t want the state to ride the overall market too heavily. Doing so would mean taking higher risks with state money. A less risky portfolio wouldn’t increase as much but would protect the state in a general downturn.
The point about fees is much stronger. While I understand that we’re paying for all of the lawyers and accountability in case something goes wrong, we should be able to get adequate legal and investing advice for much less.
His claim that he gave to Democrats to protest spending by Republicans at the national level is weak. If he’d given that money to a libertarian or independent candidate, his argument would be stronger. Giving to the Democrats to protest spending is like giving to Colonel Sanders to protest fried chicken. If he once held more liberal views and has grown more conservative over time, I think Wyoming voters could accept that change and still support him.
An interest in the outdoors is good, and I don’t necessarily blame him for being somewhat involved in some of these organizations. On the other hand, I haven’t heard a good explanation for why he’d give that much to those organizations. He mentioned at one debate that his contributions gave him influence to do some good things that we all can support. He just hasn’t made those arguments very well.
I’m not nearly as negative about Mr. Gordon as this commentary is. I’ve lived in other states with much worse governors than he would be.
keep up the heat on mark at his facebook page!