Wyoming's voice in Washington, D.C., just got a little louder.

Evanston native Dana Perino has been named White House press secretary, replacing Tony Snow, who resigned to seek a higher-paying job.

Perino, 35, who still has relatives in Wyoming, served as President Bush's spokeswoman back in March while Snow battled cancer. Perino takes over the job full time beginning Sept. 14.

Perino's relatives in the Newcastle and Rawlins areas were ecstatic when she was briefly promoted to acting White House press secretary in March. They could not be reached for comment Friday afternoon.

Her uncle, Matt Perino of Newcastle, said in March that he was "honored to have someone in such a position." Her sister, Angie Nour of Denver, said she recorded all her appearances at televised news conferences.

In announcing Perino's promotion in the nation's capital Friday, Bush called her "a smart, capable person who is able to spell out the issues of the day in a way that people listening on TV can understand. She can handle you all."

Perino, whose family moved to Colorado when she was young, travels about once a year to Newcastle, where her husband, English businessman Peter McMahon, likes to help out with the family cattle drive.

The ranch gives Dana Perino something to talk about with President Bush, her family said.

Perino's aunt, Donna Perino, and grandmother, Vicki Perino, live on the ranch in Weston County. Another aunt and uncle, Rod and Sue Schuler, live in Rawlins, Nour said.

Perino graduated from the University of Southern Colorado and has a graduate degree from the University of Illinois, Springfield. She got her start in Washington working for Rep. Scott McInnis of Colorado.

She later served four years as press secretary for Rep. Dan Schaefer of Colorado, when he was chairman of the House energy subcommittee.

Perino moved briefly to England to marry McMahon and lived in California for three years. She returned to Washington after the 9/11 attacks to serve as spokeswoman for the Department of Justice.

Snow, who had said recently that he would leave before the end of Bush's presidency, said cancer was not the reason he was stepping down. Instead, the father of three said he needs to make more than his White House salary of $168,000. He can earn far more on the speechmaking circuit.

"I ran out of money," said Snow, who was paid much more as a conservative pundit and syndicated talk-show host on Fox News Radio "We took out a loan when I came to the White House, and that loan's now gone. So I'm going to have to pay the bills."

"I sadly accept his desire to leave the White House," Bush said.

"He's smart. He's capable. He's witty. He's able to talk about issues in a way that the American people can understand," Bush said. "I don't know what he's going to do. I'm not sure he does yet either.

"But whatever it is … it's going to be two things - one, he'll battle cancer and win, and secondly, he'll be a solid contributor to society."

Snow, 52, was named press secretary on April 26, 2006. He is the latest in a string of White House officials to head for the exits.