I was looking through the
approval ratings of all current Governors, and the highest polling Democrat is a one Dave Freudenthal, also known as Governor Dave out in Wyoming.
That's right, Wyoming has a Governor, and he's a Democrat with an unbelievable 67% approval rating in one of the reddest states in the land.
You don't get that high an approval arting by luck alone, so lets take a closer look at Governor Dave.
First, a little background on Governor Dave. Before becoming Governor, Freudenthal was the U.S. Attorney for Wyoming under Bill Clinton. He won the Governors office in much the same way that Schweitzer won his, by campaigning against an arrogant, corrupt Republican establishment that had sold Wyoming out to the big extractive businesses. He also did it in a 66% Republican state in a heavily Republican year year.
In terms of policy issues, he's stood up against big busineses in the same way Schweitzer has, and has opposed drilling in the Bridger-Teton Forest. Freudenthal understands that framing environmentalism as a way of preserving fish and game is a winner in a state where a large majority own hunting rifles.
He's also very in touch with rural issues, and recieved a great deal of support in the Powder River Basin of the state because they were pissed at the way they had been treated by coalbed methane extracters. He's pushing for more stringent audits to make sure that the oil and gas companies aren't robbing the state blind of its natural resources.
Governor Dave also is quite serious about attracting a greater diversity of business to Wyoming:
In his first speech to the Legislature, Freudenthal called for investing $15 million each year over the next 10 years in "community economic infrastructure." The money could be used to buy land to attract companies, extend utilities and telecommunications to industrial parks -- perhaps even to build daycare centers.
At the very least he'd put the entire Rocky Mountain West in play, and he has two more years of experience than Brain Schweitzer.
He's a dark, dark horse, but one that should be looked at closely.