Josh Romney, son of presidential candidate Mitt Romney, talks with Jack Andereck, 8, while perusing a Star Wars magazine at the Laramie County GOP County Convention in Cheyenne, Wyo. Saturday, Jan. 5, 2008. Voters at the convention elected a delegate and alternate to represent Mitt Romney in the upcoming national GOP convention.

jrogstad@wyomingnews.com

CHEYENNE - Did the 177 Republicans voting in the ballroom of a Cheyenne hotel actually help bring the Cowboy State to its feet in the field of presidential politics?

These and other conservatives in the state are hoping so, especially in 2012 - that is, lacking a Republican incumbent.

Saturday, just over half the voters at the Laramie County GOP Convention picked Leigh Vosler to represent Mitt Romney.

That means Vosler, a Cheyenne resident, is taking a trip to St. Paul, Minn., in September to attend the 2008 Republican National Convention.

How it works is Vosler was campaigning to specifically represent Romney. Four other delegates were vying to represent four other presidential candidates, Ron Paul, Fred Thompson, Duncan Hunter and Rudy Giuliani. (No one said much about Iowa's winner, Mike Huckabee.)

A vote for Vosler meant a show of support for Romney. And Romney emerged victorious in Wyoming - 8 of the 12 counties picked delegates to represent him in St. Paul.

The early victory is a boost to Romney. But Tom Sansonetti, the county convention organizer, hopes it's also a boost to Wyoming.

Because of Saturday, Wyoming is now the lone Western voice in the campaign until Feb. 5, he said.

By going earlier than its typical March convention, Wyoming could be a battleground state in 2012, which would mean more focus on Western issues, like energy development, water and public lands.

"If a Republican candidate can't hold the Rocky Mountain spine ... that Republican candidate is in trouble," Sansonetti said. "We're the only voice right now of the Rocky Mountain spine."

Indeed, the Wyoming conventions were not getting anywhere near the same level of media and political attention as the early-battleground institutions of Iowa and New Hampshire. At least, not at the Cheyenne Holiday Inn.

Nor were there any candidates flying in to smile and glad-hand.

But a couple of their relatives came to Laramie County: Romney's son, Josh, and Duncan's wife, Lynn.

Five photojournalists were there, making the Holiday Inn ballroom the most photographed room in Laramie County that morning. This was a lot more media interest than what Josh Romney saw at his post during the Iowa caucus.

It was already clear that having the convention early was a big step up from the March 2000 event, Vosler said afterwards.

Then, George Bush was already the clear leader. Only 60 people showed up.

And not one candidate visited Wyoming, unlike this fall, when Hunter, Thompson and Paul paid visits.

"There wasn't the excitement (in 2000) - the delegate wasn't asked to stand for a specific candidate. It was simply a popularity contest," Vosler said.

"In the past, we haven't mattered. One vote for one delegate doesn't matter if California's already voted and New York's already voted and Michigan's voted.

"At this juncture, your vote very, very much matters and it makes for a great deal of excitement."

The view was somewhat different for Josh Gartrell. He said he traditionally votes Republican, and came Saturday to observe the process. While there were plenty of observers - in all, nearly 300 people filled the room - there wasn't much opportunity for the average citizen to get involved.

He didn't see the passion of Iowa, either, in Cheyenne: The speeches were brief; there wasn't that exciting, fevered, last-minute push to change minds and hearts.

"I didn't see a lot of news coverage ahead of time, encouraging the average person to get involved," Gartrell said. "It seems like this avenue almost discourages participation from your local average citizen. That's my first impression."

Unlike Iowa, residents didn't pick candidates. They were picked by GOP delegates who were selected at precinct caucuses in December.

"That's grassroots politics at its best," said Chris Allen, who is also Vosler's husband. "Anybody who supports any candidate or any issue has the ability to work their way up through the grass roots."

Here's how the delegates voted Saturday: After one 3-minute speech from each of the five candidates hoping to go to St. Paul, it was time for the county GOP to vote. (Supporters of the presidential candidates settled on a delegate-hopeful ahead of time.)

The 177 delegates seated in chairs were handed bright green squares of paper for ballots.

"All delegates, do you have your card," asked Jerry Zellars, chairman of the county GOP, from the podium on a platform.

This presented an opportunity for a little humor about a hot-button issue for conservatives: "I have my green card!" shouted Jack Mueller, raising his ballot in the air.

He was rewarded with a fairly loud din of claps and laughs. Mueller was also in the running to represent Thompson at the national convention.

The voters passed their squares to the ends of the rows, and these handwritten ballots were collected and taken to another room to be tallied.

It wasn't without hiccups. They took a five-minute break to examine the rules. Then a glitch in the bylaws caused minutes of worry of a locked vote.

The magic number for victory was 51 percent. If the winning candidate didn't garner at least that many, they would have to vote again.

But the bylaws didn't allow them to remove the least vote-getter. That raised the possibility of fruitless, stubborn, repetitive ballot-casting.

When Romney's tally came in at 89, no one really cheered. Originally, they thought the winner needed 92 votes - that was based on a head count of 181 delegates.

It looked like another vote: How stubborn would those Thompson supporters be?

But wait - only 177 cast ballots. That changed things.

Therefore, under the rule of 50 plus one, Zellers said, Vosler is Laramie County's delegate to the 2008 convention in St. Paul.

And then, it was time to cheer, clap and pump those Romney signs in the air.