CHEYENNE - The nominees for Wyoming's open U.S. Senate seat Tuesday survived an intense grilling from Republican Party officials about their stand on the issues.

Now Gov. Dave Freudenthal wants a shot.

Freudenthal has invited the nominees to Cheyenne for individual discussions about important issues facing the state.

"From my point of view, I really just view it as a job interview at this point," Freudenthal said Wednesday.

State law requires Freudenthal, a Democrat, to appoint one of three Republican nominees to the position no later than Monday.

Freudenthal, who had declined to discuss his role in selecting the next senator until after the state GOP completed its nomination process Tuesday, said he will not delay his selection.

The nominees are Sen. John Barrasso of Casper, former state Treasurer and legislator Cynthia Lummis of Cheyenne and former state Republican Party Chairman and Department of Justice attorney Tom Sansonetti. They outmaneuvered 25 other contenders to draw the party's support.

The winner will succeed Sen. Craig Thomas, R-Wyo., who died earlier this month of complications from leukemia.

On Wednesday, the governor notified the finalists in a letter that he would like to meet with them by Thursday afternoon.

The letter includes a long list of topics for discussion, including wolves, federal funding and energy.

On Wednesday, Freudenthal brushed aside a theory floating in Washington, D.C. and the blogosphere that he might sidestep state law and appoint a Democrat.

Some legal scholars have theorized that the state law requiring Freudenthal to select a candidate from Thomas' party is unconstitutional. They argue that the state Legislature might lack authority to dictate who the governor appoints, or even the time frame in which he must act.

Freudenthal, a lawyer and former U.S. attorney for Wyoming, said that he supports the law " a position he took after a similar scenario in South Dakota in 2006 threatened to upset the delicate balance of power in Congress.

"I just think we need to get this done," Freudenthal said, "but I do think it's a fascinating law school question."

Freudenthal has had noted political differences with at least two of the nominees, but said he won't let those experiences color his decision.

As state treasurer, Lummis publicly criticized Freudenthal on more than one occasion. Sansonetti was the state GOP chairman in the 1980s when Freudenthal was chairman of the state Democratic Party, and the two occasionally butted heads.

Freudenthal said he took a lesson from former U.S. Rep. Teno Roncalio, D-Wyo., who observed a "24-hour rule" when it came to holding political grudges.

"I don't take all that (political fighting) too seriously," Freudenthal said.

Also Wednesday, Freudenthal responded to a report by Wyoming Public Radio that he has been working behind the scenes with Wyoming Democratic Party Executive Director Brandon Owens to narrow the field of candidates.

The story said Owens was helping to ensure that Thomas' successor will "not be a strict conservative."

Freudenthal's office issued a news release early Wednesday saying the comments attributed to Owens were "simply incorrect."

Bill Luckett, spokesman for the state Democratic Party, also said the report was in error.

"The Democratic Party has had no discussions with the governor's office whatsoever on who should be selected, nor the kind of person who should be selected," Luckett said.

Wyoming Public Radio News Director Bob Beck said he stands by the story, and that perhaps Owens spoke out of turn. He said the reporter, Peter O'Dowd, did not record the interview with Owens.

Wednesday afternoon, Wyoming Public Radio had revised its original story to include mention of the governor's complaint.

"All our reporting was accurate, and that's why I would take issue with the press release," Beck said.

Reach Star-Tribune capital bureau reporter Jared Miller at (307) 632-1244 or at jared.miller@casperstartribune.net.

The issues

Here is a list of issues Gov. Dave Freudenthal has laid out for possible discussion in a letter to the three finalists for Wyoming's vacant U.S. Senate seat.

- FERC (Federal Energy Regulatory Commission): pipelines, transmission lines, energy corridors, Clean coal and alternative energy, Carbon management/climate change.

- EPA (Environmental Protection Agency): air quality.

- Federal research dollars, Interstate highway system funding.

- Role of federal government: 2nd Amendment, 10th Amendment.

- APHIS (federal Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service) - brucellosis; Wolves, Sage Grouse, Preble's Meadow Jumping Mouse, Grizzly, ESA, etc.

- Federal disaster designation.

- Health care, electronic medical records, costs, federal responsibility Medicaid/Medicare, rural hospitals.

- Law enforcement, National Guard, Patriot Act.

- Wyoming Range, Wild and Scenic Rivers.

- Real ID.

- Responsibility for immigration policy.

- Special places in Wyoming Federal lands.

- Forest Service, BLM, Park Service.

- Constituent services.

- Farm bill/agriculture policy/federal grazing policy.

- Free trade.

- Alcohol and substance abuse.

- National parks.

- Ability to work on a bi-partisan basis.

- Unfunded mandates on state/locals FMRs, revenue stream.

- Senate confirmation power.

- Gasoline prices.

- Balanced growth, federal government as landlord.

- Education, NCLB (No Child Left Behind Act), role of federal government.

- Water, federal role through Bureau of Reclamation and participation in water projects.

- Wind River Indian Reservation, federal trust responsibility.

- Firefighting.

- Federal objections to state water projects.

- Air traffic/support for airport construction Worker Visas Federal lease buyback.]]>

Last we knew: Former treasurer Cynthia Lummis, state Sen. John Barrasso and former state GOP party chair Tom Sansonetti were selected as candidates to replace the late Craig Thomas in the Senate.

The latest: Gov. Dave Freudenthal said he'd like the interviews with the candidates wrapped up by Thursday afternoon.

What's next: Freudenthal must make his appointment no later than Monday.