Leslie Petersen entering Democratic primary for governor

WILSON – The chairwoman of the state Democratic Party will step into the governor’s race.

Leslie Petersen is taking a leave of absence from position with the party to run for Wyoming governor, she said today.

“I am a Freudenthal Democrat,” she said in a press release, “and this campaign will be based on common sense, common ground and civility.”

Gov. Dave Freudenthal, a popular Democrat in an overwhelmingly Republican state, is not running for a third term.

Peterson will meet with the press and public at 10 a.m. Tuesday at the McMurry Training Center, 2220 Bryan Stock Trail, Casper.

She will also host an announcement event at 3:30 p.m. at Wyoming State Capitol Rotunda in Cheyenne.

“It is important for Wyoming to maintain the progressive vision that we have had over the past eight years while exercising appropriate fiscal constraint,” she said.

The Lovell native grew up in Dubois. She retired from a real estate career in Jackson in 2008. Petersen served as a Teton County Commissioner from mid-1983 through 1988.  She served for eight years on the Wyoming Water Development Commission and as Gov. Ed Herschler’s legislative liaison in the 1981 and 1982 legislative sessions.