(CNN) – Wyoming Governor Dave Freudenthal is backing Barack Obama's White House bid, the Illinois senator's campaign said Wednesday.

"Senator Obama is the Democratic candidate with the openness, honesty and skill to end this vicious cycle of business as usual," Freudenthal said in a statement released by the campaign.

Obama won the Wyoming Democratic caucus on March 8 with 61 percent of the vote.

With 91 percent of the caucus sites reporting, Obama is leading Clinton 58 to 41 percent.

CHEYENNE, Wyoming (CNN) – With more than three-fourths of precincts reporting, Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois held a strong lead Saturday in the Wyoming Democratic caucus over his main rival, Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York.

Obama led Clinton 59 percent to 40 percent, with 78 percent of precincts reporting.

The caucus thrust the state — which has only 12 delegates — into the spotlight because of the close race between Obama and Clinton, in which every delegate counts. Although Wyoming typically is not a stop for Democrats looking for delegates to clinch the party's presidential nomination, its numbers could make a different this year because of the delegate deadlock.

Seven delegates will be apportioned based on caucus results, according to John Millin, head of the state Democratic Party. The remaining five will be allocated at the state convention, which will happen Memorial Day weekend in Jackson.

Track county-by-county results here.

With 57 percent of precincts reporting, Barack Obama leads Hillary Clinton 58 to 41 percent.

Track county-by-county results here.

Obama is looking to regain momentum after tough losses earlier this week.

(CNN) – Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton were in Wyoming Friday, wrangling last-minute votes before Saturday's caucuses.

Clinton, speaking at a town rally at Laramie County Community College in Cheyenne, criticized Obama's campaign speeches — and said the country doesn't have any time to waste.

"What you heard from me in this campaign is very specific. I know that there's a difference between speeches and solutions, and I want you to know what I will do if given the great honor of serving you as your president, because I want you to hold me accountable," she said. "I don't want there to be any mistakes here. I don't want there to be any false impressions. I don't think we have any time to waste."

Obama, speaking at a town hall meeting in Casper, criticized Clinton's 2002 vote on Iraq. Video Watch him speak at the Casper rally »

"I will bring this war to an end in 2009, so don't be confused … when Sen. Clinton is not willing to acknowledge that she voted for war," he said. "I don't want to play politics on this issue, because she doesn't have standing to question my position on this issue."

Wyoming is not typically a stop for Democrats looking for delegates in order to clinch the nomination, but because of the delegate deadlock this year, the numbers could make a difference.

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CNN=Politics Daily is The Best Political Podcast from the Best Political Team.

(CNN)— The troubled economy took center stage Friday, with news of employers cutting 63,000 jobs in February alone. In the latest installment of CNN=Politics Daily, White House correspondent Elaine Quijano reports on how President Bush is reacting to the news.

It’s no surprise that appearing strong on economic policy has become a campaign trail priority. CNN’s Dana Bash explains what Republican presidential hopeful John McCain is doing to address voter concerns.

Democrats are headed full force into Saturday’s primary in Wyoming. Jessica Yellin reports from Wyoming on the latest twists and turns in that primary process.

Finally: what happens if neither Democratic candidate gets enough delegates to ensure the nomination? Special Correspondent Frank Sesno takes a look at why the party may be in for the long haul.

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–CNN’s Emily Sherman

Bill Clinton is heading to Wyoming.

(CNN) — Wyoming – the home state of Vice President Dick Cheney – is not usually a pit stop on the Democratic presidential campaign trail. But late this week, the state finds itself the Democratic destination of choice, with visits from former President Bill Clinton and the two remaining White House hopefuls, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.

The former president, campaigning for his wife, is making several stops in the state Thursday. And Hillary Clinton and Obama head to the state Friday – with both planning a stop in Casper (population: roughly 50,000).

“Seriously, I never imagined when I took this job that we would see the day when the two front-runners for the Democratic presidential nomination would hold events in Wyoming on the eve of our county caucuses,” Wyoming Democratic Party spokesman Bill Luckett wrote on the state party’s Web site Thursday. “I think there’s a reasonable chance we’ll get our 15 minutes in the national spotlight when the deal goes down on Saturday.”

With just over 600 delegates left at stake in the Democratic presidential race, every remaining contest is seen as crucial to both Clinton and Obama. No polling has been conducted in the state, though the Illinois senator has held the advantage in most caucus contests to date.

(Post updated 1 p.m. ET to add travel details for both candidates)

RNC Chairman Mike Duncan

WASHINGTON (CNN) – The Republican Party will penalize five states for holding presidential primary elections before February 5, 2008, Republican National Committee Chairman Mike Duncan announced Thursday.

New Hampshire, Florida, South Carolina, Michigan and Wyoming will be stripped of half their delegates to the party's convention in September, Duncan said in a conference call with reporters.

"The rules lay out a well defined process for selecting delegates, including a window from February 5 to July 28 in which state parties are permitted to hold their delegate selection process," Duncan said. "Five states have gone outside the rules with their delegate selection process, and they have been made fully aware of what the consequences will be."

The Iowa and Nevada caucuses are also scheduled to be held before February 5, but these two states will avoid being penalized because caucuses do not assign binding delegates to the convention.

Reacting to the news, several state party leaders said they still expect their full delegation will be allowed to participate in the convention.

Read the rest of this entry »

WASHINGTON (AP) — As many as seven states are expected to flout Republican rules Tuesday and schedule their presidential primaries or caucuses before Feb. 5, establishing an unprecedented early start to the nominating process.

The early voting states risk losing half their delegates to the Republican convention next summer, though some are banking that whoever wins the GOP nomination will eventually restore the delegates.

Tuesday is the deadline for states to submit to the Republican National Committee the date and format of their primaries or caucuses. But it might not turn out to be much of a deadline because some states could continue jockeying for earlier votes.

South Carolina submitted its plan to hold a Jan. 19 Republican primary several days ago. But state GOP Chairman Katon Dawson said he won't hesitate to move the vote even earlier if another Southern state jumps ahead — regardless of how many delegates South Carolina loses.

"I can assure you South Carolina will the first in the South, no matter what happens," Dawson said in a telephone interview.  "If I have to watch (the GOP convention) on TV, then so be it."

GOP rules call for states that schedule their nominating contests before Feb. 5 to lose half their delegates to the convention, though the national party is not expected to take any action Tuesday.

That will come later when RNC Chairman Mike Duncan formally invites states to the nominating convention in Minneapolis-St. Paul next summer and declares how many delegates each state gets. He must issue the invitation, or call, to the convention by Dec. 31.

If states reschedule their primaries after the call is issued, RNC rules call for them to lose 90 percent of their delegates.

Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Nevada, Florida, Wyoming and Michigan are expected to vote in January. On Tuesday, Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm signed legislation moving Michigan's primary to Jan. 15.

Dates and delegate allotments are in flux as states jockey for earlier contests.

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A banner on the Wyoming GOP's Web site encourages applicants for the state's vacant Senate seat.

WASHINGTON (CNN) — After U.S. Senator Craig Thomas died of leukemia earlier this month, Republican leaders in his home state of Wyoming decided to employ a wide-open application process to find potential candidates for his vacant seat.

Any registered Republican who was a resident of Wyoming and met the age limit for a senator (at least 30) could throw his or her cowboy hat into the ring by filling out a two-page job application and submitting it to state party headquarters.

By Thursday's deadline, 31 people applied, including a host of current and former state legislators, two doctors, seven ranchers, a minister, a radio announcer and the manager of a truck stop company.

"Grassroots democracy is alive and well in Wyoming," said Fred Parady, the chairman of the state GOP, in a statement. "We have an energized citizenry and an eager group of applicants."

Sunday, the entire herd of candidates will be invited to take the stage at Casper College for a candidates' forum, which will be broadcast statewide. Parady said party leaders were still "finalizing procedures" for handling the large field of Senate hopefuls. After Sunday's forum, the GOP central committee will meet Tuesday to pick the three finalists to send to Gov. David Freudenthal, who will pick a new senator from the list.

Two of the candidates hail from families that are no stranger to the U.S. Senate State Rep. Colin Simpson of Cody is the son of former Sen. Alan Simpson and grandson of former Sen. Milward Simpson. Matt Mead of Jackson, who resigned last week from his post as U.S. attorney to seek Thomas' seat, is the grandson of former Sen. Cliff Hansen.

Some of the other higher-profile figures in the field of 27 men and four women are Tom Sansonetti, a Cheyenne lawyer who was once Thomas' chief-of-staff; former State Treasurer Cynthia Lummis; and Randall Luthi, a former state House speaker who is now deputy director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Washington.

However, one name not on the list is Wyoming's lone U.S. House member, seven-term Rep. Barbara Cubin, who announced shortly after Thomas' death she would not try to move over to the Senate. And although there was speculation about the possibility in local media, Lynne Cheney, wife of Vice President Dick Cheney, also did not apply.

– CNN's Richard Shumate

WASHINGTON (AP) — Wyoming Sen. Craig Thomas, a three-term conservative Republican who stayed clear of the Washington limelight and political catfights, died Monday. He was 74.

The senator's family issued a statement saying he died Monday evening at National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. He had been receiving chemotherapy for acute myeloid leukemia.

Just before the 2006 election, Thomas was hospitalized with pneumonia and had to cancel his last campaign stops. He nonetheless won with 70 percent of the vote, monitoring the election from his hospital bed.

Two days after the election, Thomas announced that he had just been diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia.

Gov. Dave Freudenthal, a Democrat, will appoint a successor from one of three finalists chosen by the state Republican party.

"Wyoming had no greater advocate, taxpayers had no greater watchdog, and rural America had no greater defender than Craig Thomas," Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said Monday night. "The Senate is a lesser place without Craig here, but the state of Wyoming and our nation are much better places because he was here."