Matt Mead (Matt Mead for Governor)

Former Wyoming U.S. Attorney Matt Mead on Friday announced that he is officially a candidate for the Republican nomination for governor, The Gillette News reports. Mead, who served as the state’s top federal prosecutor from 2001 to 2007, formed an exploratory committee last November to consider running.

Mead resigned his federal prosecutor’s job to seek the Senate seat vacated by the death of Sen. Craig Thomas (R-Wyo.) but lost in a special GOP convention election. The seat eventually went to Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.).

The former prosecutor made the announcement at Brothers Coffee in Gillette, Wyo., according to the newspaper. He said, “This is not a decision I take lightly,” adding, “Every generation of my family has stressed the importance of public service.”

The newspaper reports Mead said he will run on a platform of putting Wyoming first. “Wyoming can not sit dormant and see what happens,” he said. “We don’t let Washington treat us like a great big park with a great big fuel pump.” Mead added, “In rancher terms, our nation is in a big drought but we insist on over-grazing our children’s pastures.”

Gov. Dave Freudenthal

Two other Republicans have officially announced their candidacy: Former state Rep. Ron Micheli and state House Speaker Colin Simpson. State Auditor Rita Meyer also has been mentioned as a possible candidate.

No Democrat has yet announced plans to run. Gov. Dave Freudenthal (D) has not announced whether he will seek a third term, which would require challenging term limit laws that cap the governor’s tenure at eight years. Attorney Paul Hickey and state Senate Minority Leader Mike Massie have been mentioned as possible candidates.

Mead told The Gillette News that the race will be won by the candidate who works the hardest. “My goal is to be on the road every single day.”

Wyoming’s new U.S. Attorney and his predecessor from the George W. Bush administration are involved in a game of political musical chairs, the Star Valley Independent reported today.

Democratic Gov. Dave Freudenthal named former U.S. Attorney Kelly Rankin as his legal counsel after he stepped down as Wyoming’s top federal prosecutor today, according to the newspaper. Rankin replaces Christopher “Kip” Crofts, who stepped down as the governor’s legal counsel to become Wyoming U.S. Attorney.

Rankin had been the Wyoming U.S. Attorney since summer 2008 and served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the office prior to his appointment. The Senate confirmed Crofts as Wyoming U.S. Attorney on Dec. 24.

“In his long career of public service, Kelly has developed a prosecutorial sense I appreciate,” Freudenthal said, according to the Independent. “I look forward to receiving what is sure to be his unvarnished advice.”

The former Bush administration U.S. Attorney said he is “honored to serve” as the governor’s legal counsel, according to the newspaper.

In a wrap-up session just before leaving town until next year,  the Senate today confirmed seven U.S. Attorneys by voice vote.

They are:

Richard Callahan (Gov)

– Richard Callahan (Eastern District of Missouri): The state circuit judge in Missouri succeeds Catherine L. Hanaway, who resigned earlier this year. He was nominated for the post in October. Read more about Callahan here.

– Sanford Coats (Western District of Oklahoma): Coats, who been an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the western Oklahoma office, succeeds John Richter, who stepped down in August. Coats was nominated on Sept. 30. Read more about Coats here.

– Michael Cotter (Montana): The Helena, Mont., lawyer replaces Bill Mercer, who is a holdover from the George W. Bush administration. Obama nominated Cotter for U.S. Attorney on Sept. 25, after the live-in girlfriend of Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) withdrew from consideration. As the state’s senior Democratic senator, Baucus had recommended three candidates to the White House. Read more about Cotter here.

– Christopher Crofts (Wyoming): The counsel to Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal (D) replaces Bush holdover Kelly Rankin. He was nominated on Nov. 30. Read more about Crofts here.

Barbara L. McQuade (ICLE)

– Barbara McQuade (Eastern District of Michigan): The Eastern District of Michigan Assistant U.S. Attorney succeeds Stephen J. Murphy, who resigned in 2008. She was nominated on Nov. 30. Read more about her here.

James L. Santelle (Wisconsin Law Journal)

– James Santelle (Eastern District of Wisconsin): Santelle, who has been an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Eastern District office, succeeds Steven Biskupic, who stepped down as U.S. Attorney in January. Obama tapped Santelle for the post on Nov. 30. Read more about Santelle here.

– Mary Elizabeth Phillips (Western District of Missouri): Phillips, who was nominated Sept. 30, succeeds John Wood, who resigned in February. Read more about Phillips here.

The Senate has now confirmed 31 U.S. Attorneys. The Senate Judiciary Committee has yet to schedule votes votes for another 10 would-be U.S. Attorneys, including the nominees Obama tapped today and last Tuesday. One of Obama’s nominees, Stephanie Villafuerte of Colorado, withdrew from consideration two weeks ago.

The Senate Judiciary Committee endorsed four U.S. Attorney nominees this morning by voice vote.

They are:

Barbara L. McQuade (ICLE)

-Barbara McQuade (Eastern District of Michigan): The Eastern District of Michigan Assistant U.S. Attorney would succeed Stephen J. Murphy, who resigned in 2008. She was nominated on Nov. 30. Read more about her here.

-Christopher Crofts (Wyoming): The counsel to Gov. Dave Freudenthal (D) would replace Bush holdover Kelly Rankin. He was nominated on Nov. 30. Read more about Crofts here.

James L. Santelle (Wisconsin Law Journal)

-James Santelle (Eastern District of Wisconsin): The Eastern District Assistant U.S. Attorney would succeed Steven Biskupic, who stepped down as U.S. Attorney in January. President Barack Obama tapped Santelle for the post on Nov. 30. Read more about Santelle here.

-Michael Cotter (Montana): The Helena, Mont., lawyer would replace Bill Mercer, who is a holdover from the George W. Bush administration. Obama nominated Cotter for U.S. Attorney on Sept. 25, after the live-in girlfriend of Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) withdrew from consideration. As the state’s senior Democratic senator, Baucus had recommended candidates to the White House. Read more about the nominee here.

The panel has now approved 31 U.S. Attorney nominees, including the 24 U.S. Attorneys who have won Senate confirmation thus far. The committee has yet to schedule votes for another two would-be U.S. Attorneys.

The Senate Judiciary Committee is scheduled to consider two U.S. Attorney nominees at its meeting on Thursday, according to the panel’s Web site.

They are:

Barbara L. McQuade (ICLE)

-Barbara McQuade (Eastern District of Michigan): The Eastern District of Michigan Assistant U.S. Attorney would succeed Stephen J. Murphy, who resigned in 2008. She was nominated on Nov. 30. Read more about her here.

-Christopher Crofts (Wyoming): The counsel to Gov. Dave Freudenthal (D) would replace Bush holdover Kelly Rankin. He was nominated on Nov. 30. Read more about Crofts here.

The panel has approved 27 U.S. Attorney nominees, including the 24 U.S. Attorneys who have won Senate confirmation thus far. The committee has yet to schedule votes for another five would-be U.S. Attorneys.

Christopher A. Crofts (University of Wyoming, University of Wyoming College of Law) has been nominated to replace Kelly Rankin as the U.S. Attorney for Wyoming.

His vitals:

• Born in Lander, Wyo., in 1942.
• Attended the University of Virginia in 1985 while in the FBI Academy.
• Attended the University of Missouri School of Journalism during the summer of 1969.
• Attended the University of California, Berkeley’s School of Criminology during the fall of 1962.
• Has served as counsel to Gov. Dave Freudenthal (D-Wyo.) since June 2006.
• Was an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the district from August 1990 to June 2006. Simultaneously was detailed to the Justice Department’s Office of Overseas Prosecution Development and Training in Iraq from November 2005 to June 2006.
• Worked as the director of the division of criminal investigation in the Office of the Attorney General from July 1981 to August 1990.
• Served as a legal adviser in the division of criminal investigation in the Office of the Attorney General from March, 1978 to July, 1981.
• Was a part-time county judge in Fremont County, Wyo.,  from August 1976 to March 1978.
• Worked as an associate at Hamilton and Hursh, P.C. in Riverton, Wyo., from January 1975 to August 1976.
• Was an associate at the law firm led by Elmer C. Winters, who died in 1987.
• Worked as a part-time city attorney in Lander, Wyo.
• Was an English-social studies teacher at Laramie Junior High School in Laramie, Wyo., during the 1969-1971 school years.
• Was an active duty Army Officer from March 1965 to May 1969. Was in the Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps at the University of Wyoming. Received an honorable discharge at the rank of captain.
• Tried approximately 40 to 50 cases to trial, serving as sole counsel on almost all of the cases.

Click here for his full Senate Judiciary Committee questionnaire.

UPDATE: On his Senate Judiciary financial disclosure Crofts reported assets of $4.6 million (mostly from an undeveloped plot his owns valued at $3.5 million). He has $2,500 in liabilities in the form of secured notes payable to banks. Crofts has a net worth of $4.6 million.

On his Office of Government Ethics disclosure he reported earning a $127,550 salary from his job in the governor’s office. This salary covers 2008 and most of 2009.

Less than two weeks after their Nov. 30 nominations, the Senate Judiciary Committee has released questionnaires completed by the four would-be U.S. Attorneys.

Here they are:

• Christopher A. Crofts, District of Wyoming. Click here.
• Thomas Walker, Eastern District of North Carolina. Click here.
• James L. Santelle, Eastern District of Wisconsin. Click here.
• Barbara L. McQuade, Eastern District of Michigan. Click here.

The nominees’ questionnaires from the Office of Government Ethics have yet to be posted. We will update with the nominees’ financial information when it becomes available.

President Obama nominated U.S. Attorneys for Wyoming, the Eastern District of Wisconsin, the Eastern District of North Carolina and the Eastern District of Michigan today. They are:

• Christopher A. Crofts (Wyoming): Gov. David Freudenthal’s legal counsel since 2006 previously served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for 16 years. He would replace Bush holdover Kelly Rankin, who has headed the office since 2008.

• 

  James L. Santelle (Wisconsin Law Journal).

  James L. Santelle (Eastern District of Wisconsin):  The Assistant U.S. Attorney has served in his current role since 1985. While working in the office he simultaneously has had stints as  principal deputy director for the Executive Office of U.S. Attorneys, civil division chief for the U.S. Attorney’s office for the Western District of Michigan and a Justice Department attaché. He would replace Steven Biskupic who was appointed U.S. Attorney by Bush in May 2002. In 2007, Biskupic and his office came under review by congressional investigators looking into the dismissal of U.S. Attorneys. He resigned in January to join the Milwaukee law firm of Michael Best & Friedrich as a litigator.

• 

  Thomas G. Walker (Alston & Bird)

  Thomas G. Walker (Eastern District of North Carolina): The partner at Alston & Bird, LLP has been with the firm since 2003. He previously served as special counsel to North Carolina attorney general Roy A. Cooper, III,  an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina and an assistant district attorney for Mecklenburg County, N.C. Walker would replace Bush holdover George E. B. Holding. Holding is overseeing federal probes of two prominent Democrats: Former Gov. Mike Easley and two-time presidential candidate, ex-Sen. John Edwards.

• 

  Barbara L. McQuade (ICLE).

  Barbara L. McQuade (Eastern District of Michigan): The Assistant U.S. Attorney has served in her role for 11 years. Simultaneously she has served as deputy chief of the national security unit since 2005. McQuade previously was an associate at Butzel Long, P.C. She would replace Stephen J. Murphy who became U.S. Attorney in 2006. In 2008 he became a federal judge in the Eastern District of Michigan.

Obama has now made a total of 34 U.S. Attorney nominations. The full Senate has considered 24 of those nominees and they were all confirmed by unanimous consent.

Ryan Reilly contributed to this report.

Matt Mead (Matt Mead for Governor)

Former Wyoming U.S. Attorney Matt Mead on Thursday formed an exploratory committee to consider running for the Republican nomination for governor in 2010, The Casper Star-Tribune reports.

Mead served as the state’s top federal prosecutor from 2001 to 2007. He resigned to seek the Senate seat vacated by the death of Sen. Craig Thomas (R-Wyo.) but lost in a special GOP convention election. The seat eventually went to Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.).

Mead said after a recent meeting of the Natrona County Republican Women that his interest “is not a casual exploration. It is a serious move to announce a candidacy in 2010,” The Star-Tribune reported.

Mead plans to spend the next months traveling across the state. He will not actively fund raise until after the the winter holiday season, The Star-Tribune reports. “I don’t believe campaigns should be as lengthy as they are,” Mead told the newspaper. However, Mead’s Web site Meadforgovernor.com is accepting donations.

Republicans who have officially announced their candidacy are former state Rep. Ron Micheli and state House Speaker Colin Simpson. State Auditor Rita Meyer also has been mentioned as a possible candidate.

No Democrats have announced plans to run. Gov. Dave Freudenthal (D) has not announced whether he will seek a third term, which would require challenging term limit laws that cap the governor’s tenure at eight years.