Wyoming

As tough as it might be for a Republican like Mitt Romney to be successful in a "blue" state like Massachusetts, few politicians in the country have it as tough as Wyoming's Democratic Governor Dave Freudenthal. And as the Associated Press reports, while Romney is strongly embracing his party (much to the chagrin of his constituents), Freudenthal is not.

State Democrats should distance themselves from liberal national party leaders whose agenda frequently differs from Wyoming, Democratic Gov. Dave Freudenthal told state party members at a meeting attended by a Democratic National Committee vice chairman.

Wyoming Democrats should instead focus on local issues that relate to Wyoming residents, Freudenthal told about 75 state Democrats Saturday night.

"This is a party that's not afraid of firearms," Freudenthal said. "It's a party where people are interested in whether the governor managed to shoot an antelope with one shot."

"I don't care about Howard Dean," he said, referring to the chairman of the Democratic National Committee.

I'm not certain that it's a detriment to the party when a Democrat bashes Howard Dean in order to win in Wyoming.

Maryland

The Associated Press reports that the Democrats have lined up their top candidate to challenge Maryland's incumbent Republican Governor Bob Ehrlich.

The mayor of Baltimore is expected to announce his bid later this week for the Democratic nomination to challenge Republican Gov. Robert Ehrlich after spending several months considering a run for higher office.

Mayor Martin O'Malley's campaign said he would "make a major announcement concerning the future of Maryland and his political future" on Wednesday.

O'Malley, who was re-elected to a second term as mayor last year with 87 percent of the vote, has touted Baltimore's "comeback" during recent appearances throughout the state.

"I have enjoyed visiting each part of our great state, learning from the thousands of people that I have talked to, hearing people's concerns, thoughts and ideas for how Maryland can do better, and sharing the story of Baltimore's comeback with the state of Maryland," O'Malley said in statement.

Ehrlich is expected to run for a second term next year.

For those looking for clues as to how the 2008 Presidential campaign might play out, make sure to keep an eye on the governor races across the country in 2005 and 2006.