Bill Sniffin 'capable' of running self-funded primary campaign
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Bill Sniffin says he never counted on the traditional political
donors to help finance his primary campaign for the Republican
nomination for Wyoming governor.
Although he estimates his budget for the campaign will finish
between at $150,000 and $175,000, he is counting his political
contributions at $127,925 so far. Some 72 different contributors
have donated money to his campaign.
"As of this time, I have yet to pick up the phone and
call somebody and ask them for money," Sniffin says,
which is quite a departure for typical politicking. He also
says he has not yet personally asked anyone for a contribution.
Sniffin and his wife Nancy sold two Wyoming newspapers, a
newspaper they owned on Maui and two other businesses in the
last three years, in preparation for this political race.
"Wyoming has been very good to us. We have the means
to run a primary campaign for state-wide office," Sniffin
says.
He said he and his committee have worked very hard during
this primary season and he thinks he has an excellent chance
to win. "By winning the primary, I would then expect
to aggressively go after traditional political donors,"
he said.
Sniffin said he started out at less than zero when it came
to political name recognition in Wyoming. Aggressive marketing
and promotion have changed all that. He sees himself as one
of the front-runners. By the end of the campaign, he will
have distributed over 600,000 eight-page newspaper inserts,
aired more than 2,500 TV and radio commercials and his web
site has received more than 110,000 hits. He also has given
away more than 10,000 of his famous "Sniffin candy bars."
When he and his wife sold their businesses, they thought he
could start a state-wide grass roots organization then. But
four weeks after they sold their papers, they discovered Nancy
had breast cancer. They spent the next two years nursing her
back to health. "Then it looked like U. S. Sen. Craig
Thomas might jump in, so I kept my ambitions to myself,"
Sniffin said. "But when Craig decided to stay in the
Senate, I announced, and some people asked, where did you
come from?"
As a journalist, Sniffin has always felt it was important
to be "non-political," so he had no political base,
whatsoever. During his 32 years in Wyoming, he has been mainly
a Republican, an Independent for a brief period and even Democrat,
for a short time, but most of the time he has been a Republican.
"Philosophically, there was no choice for me but to run
as a Republican, " he said, pointing to his multiple
use, pro-life, local control and pro-business philosophies.
During the campaign, he has been the candidate who thinks
Wyoming people should pay the lowest prices in the country
for energy. He has been critical of the way the state collects
taxes from mineral companies. He has urged a wage increase
for state employees. And he thinks evidence shows that Wyoming
could be on the verge of a golden age when it comes to the
economy.
Back in February, Sniffin said he would be releasing the names
of his donors prior to the primary election around the first
of August. So far, that list shows donors have contributed
about $127,975,000 in money and in-kind to his campaign.
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Authorized by William C. Sniffin
Contributions or gifts to Bill Sniffin for Governor 2002 are
not tax-deductible.
Bill Sniffin for Governor - P.O. Box 900 Lander, WY 82520
(307) 332-3111, ext. 17
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