Republican State Sen. Rich Crandall taking job in Wyoming

By Craig McDermott, cross-posted from Random Musings

From KPHO.com (Phoenix Channel 5), written by Phil Benson –

An Arizona state senator has been chosen to run the Wyoming Education Department.

Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead late Wednesday afternoon announced his choice
of Richard Crandall, of Mesa, who co-owns two nutritional service
companies.

This isn’t exactly breaking news – it’s been common knowledge for months that Crandall was leaving to “pursue other opportunities”.

In
my previous post covering this topic, I predicted that Crandall would
catch on with a (potential) Jeb Bush presidential campaign.  This would
seem to show that prediction to be incorrect, however, the job in
Wyoming may be a temp job.

From the KPHO article –

Mead and the Legislature enacted a new law this past winter removing
the statewide elected superintendent of public instruction as head of
the Education Department. Instead, the department will be administered
by a director appointed by the governor.

The change occurred in the middle of Superintendent Cindy Hill’s
four-year term. Hill is challenging the constitutionality of the change.

The press release from Wyoming’s governor is here.

So
far as I can tell, Crandall has yet to submit his resignation from the
state senate.  Once he does, however, the fun will start.

Former
state senator Russell Pearce, the subject of a historic recall election
in 2011 appeared on KTVK’s Politics Unplugged this past weekend.  When
asked about future political aspirations, he responded coyly and
ambiguously, neither confirming nor refuting plans to run for office
next year.  However, there have been rumors that he is looking at a
return to the senate, either by challenging incumbent LD25 senator Bob
Worsley or by moving a little east into Crandall’s current district,
LD16.

If Pearce does make that move, it will be an exercise in irony.

Crandall
made the same move after the redistricting process placed him in the
same district (LD25) as Pearce, a longtime political adversary (just because they’re Rs doesn’t mean they like each other).
Crandall chose to move into LD16 to avoid a primary battle with
Pearce.  In LD16, Crandall defeated Pearce ally John Fillmore, avoiding
Pearce but still deepening the bad blood between the two camps.

However
it works out in LD16, it probably won’t be as entertaining as what
happened at the Texas lege on Tuesday, but it will still be fun to watch
in a “get your popcorn and put up your feet” kind of way.