Rock Springs, Wyoming – The Wyoming Republican Party voted resoundingly today at their state central committee meeting to stay the course and conduct the party’s county conventions on January 5, 2008.  At those conventions 12 delegates and 12 alternate delegates will be elected to the national convention.  Wyoming’s remaining delegates and alternate delegates will be elected at the WYGOP state convention in Rock Springs on May 29-31, 2008 in Rock Springs.

      “Wyoming now becomes the first state to pick Republican presidential delegates in 2008,” said WYGOP Chairman Fred Parady.  “Our national party rules do not provide a mechanism for all 50 state parties to participate equally in nominating delegates to the national convention.  For a small state like Wyoming to have a say in the presidential nominating process, we must go before the Super Duper Tuesday primaries on February 5, 2008.”

      Perry Marple, Chairman of the WYGOP’s Presidential Forum Committee, noted that “We are obtaining commitments from the Republican presidential contenders to attend two forums to be held in Wyoming on September 29th.  Details are still being finalized, but the forums will likely be held at Casper College in the morning and in Riverton at Central Wyoming Community College in the late afternoon.  This type of voter interaction with Republicans presidential candidates is a first for Wyoming.”

      The Wyoming Republican Party commends Tom Sansonetti, former Chairman of the RNC Rules Committee, for his tireless efforts over the last ten years to highlight the inequities of the current presidential nominating process.  “The system is broken.  The result is that only a few states, like Iowa and New Hampshire, get a say in picking the Republican presidential nominees.  All 50 state parties deserve the opportunity for equal participation in the nominating process.  The next Republican National Convention must change our party’s rules so that this can occur in 2012.”