Dan Zwonitzer
Encyclopedia
Dan Zwonitzer is a Republican Party
(GOP) member of the Wyoming House of Representatives from District 43, which comprises south-central Laramie County
and includes southeastern Cheyenne
.
On May 8, 2008, Zwonitzer, having trailed in campaign fund-raising, withdrew as a candidate for the GOP nomination for the United States House of Representatives
in the August primary
to succeed the retiring Barbara Cubin
of Casper
. He will instead seek renomination to the Wyoming House. Zwonitzer is a moderate Republican by Wyoming standards, known for his support for gay rights in a traditionally conservative state. Former State Treasurer
Cynthia Lummis
of Cheyenne went on to win the race, and the election.
.
He has one brother and is uncle to his brother's only son.
He graduated from Cheyenne East High School
and attended Georgetown University
in Washington, D.C.
where he received degrees in Government and Classical History. He returned to Cheyenne after college and has worked for the Wyoming Department of Agriculture and as a natural resources policy analyst in the office of Democratic
Governor Dave Freudenthal
. He is an auctioneer.
Edward R. Prosser in the Republican primary. He then polled 60 percent of the general election
vote.
Prosser, the son of the late Representative Dean T. Prosser
, tried to unseat Zwonitzer in the 2006 primary, but he was unsuccessful and Zwonitzer cruised to reelection.
Zwonitzer was reelected in the 2008 campaign by a 2-1 margin over Democratic challenger Kevin Lumsden.
Since Zwonitzer's first election, no other candidate has been able to defeat an incumbent Wyoming state representative as a primary challenger. Upon election, Zwonitzer became the youngest serving Wyoming legislator since former Wyoming state treasurer and fellow Republican Cynthia Lummis
was elected to the House in 1978.
Dan and his father, Dave Zwonitzer, are the first father-and-son team in Wyoming history to simultaneously serve in the state legislature. Dave Zwonitzer was appointed to the legislature to represent District 9 (northeastern Cheyenne) in May 2006 after the previous representative moved to another district. He was thereafter elected to his first full term. His father also owns a local furniture store and followed his son's lead into public service.
.
Committee member Tom Lubnau, a Republican from Gillette
, sided with Zwonitzer. "Maybe the right thing to do is stand up for tolerance
," Lubnau said. The committee voted 7-6 to kill the bill, with Republican Speaker
Roy Cohee of Casper
casting the tie-breaking vote.
Zwonitzer later discussed his speech on a radio program hosted by Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign
and was picked up quickly by several bloggers, including Michael Petrelis, who posted the entire text of Zwonitzer's speech to the House Rules Committee on his blog.
On May 6, 2007, Zwonitzer was awarded the "Uncommon Courage Award" by the Log Cabin Republicans
, an organization lobbying for gays within the Republican Party, at its annual national convention in Denver
. The award, which applauds Republican elected officials for displaying "leadership in fighting for basic fairness for gay and lesbian families," was also presented to Michigan
State Representative Lorence Wenke and New York
Assemblywoman Teresa Sayward
.
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
(GOP) member of the Wyoming House of Representatives from District 43, which comprises south-central Laramie County
Laramie County, Wyoming
Laramie County is the most populous of the 23 counties of the U.S. state of Wyoming. The county is located in the southeastern corner of the state. The county's population was 91,738 at the 2010 census. The county seat is Cheyenne, the state capital...
and includes southeastern Cheyenne
Cheyenne, Wyoming
Cheyenne is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Wyoming and the county seat of Laramie County. It is the principal city of the Cheyenne, Wyoming, Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Laramie County. The population is 59,466 at the 2010 census. Cheyenne is the...
.
On May 8, 2008, Zwonitzer, having trailed in campaign fund-raising, withdrew as a candidate for the GOP nomination for the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
in the August primary
Primary election
A primary election is an election in which party members or voters select candidates for a subsequent election. Primary elections are one means by which a political party nominates candidates for the next general election....
to succeed the retiring Barbara Cubin
Barbara Cubin
Barbara Lynn Cubin was a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives, having served as the sole member of that body from Wyoming. In the 109th Congress, she was a member of the House Resources Committee and the House Energy and Commerce Committee...
of Casper
Casper, Wyoming
Casper is the county seat of Natrona County, Wyoming, United States.. Casper is the second-largest city in Wyoming , according to the 2010 census, with a population of 55,316...
. He will instead seek renomination to the Wyoming House. Zwonitzer is a moderate Republican by Wyoming standards, known for his support for gay rights in a traditionally conservative state. Former State Treasurer
State Treasurer
In the state governments of the United States, 49 of the 50 states have the executive position of treasurer. Texas abolished the position of Texas State Treasurer in 1996....
Cynthia Lummis
Cynthia Lummis
Cynthia Marie Lummis Wiederspahn is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2009. She is a member of the Republican Party. She previously served as a state representative , state senator , and state treasurer .-Early life:Lummis was born on September 10, 1954 in Cheyenne...
of Cheyenne went on to win the race, and the election.
Personal life
Zwonitzer is a native and fifth-generation resident of the state capital, Cheyenne, WyomingCheyenne, Wyoming
Cheyenne is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Wyoming and the county seat of Laramie County. It is the principal city of the Cheyenne, Wyoming, Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Laramie County. The population is 59,466 at the 2010 census. Cheyenne is the...
.
He has one brother and is uncle to his brother's only son.
He graduated from Cheyenne East High School
Cheyenne East High School
Cheyenne East High School is a public secondary institution located in Cheyenne, Wyoming and serves Laramie County School District #1. The high school serves students who attended Carey JHS, Alta Vista ES, Anderson ES, Baggs ES, Buffalo Ridge ES, Dildine ES, Henderson ES, and Saddle Ridge in...
and attended Georgetown University
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
where he received degrees in Government and Classical History. He returned to Cheyenne after college and has worked for the Wyoming Department of Agriculture and as a natural resources policy analyst in the office of Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
Governor Dave Freudenthal
Dave Freudenthal
David Duane "Dave" Freudenthal , is an American politician who served as the 31st Governor of Wyoming. A Democrat, he was reelected to his second term on November 7, 2006, and announced on March 4, 2010, that he would not attempt to seek a third term as Governor.-Education and early...
. He is an auctioneer.
Wyoming Legislature
Zwonitzer was propelled into the state House in 2004 by having unseated incumbentIncumbent
The incumbent, in politics, is the existing holder of a political office. This term is usually used in reference to elections, in which races can often be defined as being between an incumbent and non-incumbent. For example, in the 2004 United States presidential election, George W...
Edward R. Prosser in the Republican primary. He then polled 60 percent of the general election
General election
In a parliamentary political system, a general election is an election in which all or most members of a given political body are chosen. The term is usually used to refer to elections held for a nation's primary legislative body, as distinguished from by-elections and local elections.The term...
vote.
Prosser, the son of the late Representative Dean T. Prosser
Dean T. Prosser
Dean T. Prosser, Jr. , was a Republican member of the Wyoming House of Representatives from 1971–1983, who authored major environmental legislation to preserve the Wyoming landscape. Prosser was also the executive secretary and then the executive vice-president of the influential Wyoming...
, tried to unseat Zwonitzer in the 2006 primary, but he was unsuccessful and Zwonitzer cruised to reelection.
Zwonitzer was reelected in the 2008 campaign by a 2-1 margin over Democratic challenger Kevin Lumsden.
Since Zwonitzer's first election, no other candidate has been able to defeat an incumbent Wyoming state representative as a primary challenger. Upon election, Zwonitzer became the youngest serving Wyoming legislator since former Wyoming state treasurer and fellow Republican Cynthia Lummis
Cynthia Lummis
Cynthia Marie Lummis Wiederspahn is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2009. She is a member of the Republican Party. She previously served as a state representative , state senator , and state treasurer .-Early life:Lummis was born on September 10, 1954 in Cheyenne...
was elected to the House in 1978.
Dan and his father, Dave Zwonitzer, are the first father-and-son team in Wyoming history to simultaneously serve in the state legislature. Dave Zwonitzer was appointed to the legislature to represent District 9 (northeastern Cheyenne) in May 2006 after the previous representative moved to another district. He was thereafter elected to his first full term. His father also owns a local furniture store and followed his son's lead into public service.
Committees
Zwonitzer currently sits on the Corporations, Elections & Political Subdivisions Committee, Agriculture, Public Lands & Water Resources Committee, State Building Commission Liaison, State Workforce Investment Board, and is the alternate for the NCSL - Communications, Financial Services and Interstate CommerceNational Conference of State Legislatures
The National Conference of State Legislatures is a bipartisan non-governmental organization established in 1975 to serve the members and staff of state legislatures of the United States...
.
Equality
Dan Zwonitzer, who is homosexual, was hailed by gay rights activists nationwide when, on February 22, 2007, he spoke against a proposed bill that would have prohibited Wyoming from recognizing same-sex marriages performed in other jurisdictions. Zwonitzer told the House Rules Committee that he needed to oppose the measure – even if it cost him his seat – because he believed that was the right thing to do. He told the committee that gay rights were the civil rights struggle of his generation. "I will tell my children that when this debate went on, I stood up for basic rights for people," he said.Committee member Tom Lubnau, a Republican from Gillette
Gillette, Wyoming
Gillette is a city in and the county seat of Campbell County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 29,087 in 2010. Gillette is a city centrally located in an area involved with the development of vast quantities of American coal, oil, and coal bed methane gas...
, sided with Zwonitzer. "Maybe the right thing to do is stand up for tolerance
Toleration
Toleration is "the practice of deliberately allowing or permitting a thing of which one disapproves. One can meaningfully speak of tolerating, ie of allowing or permitting, only if one is in a position to disallow”. It has also been defined as "to bear or endure" or "to nourish, sustain or preserve"...
," Lubnau said. The committee voted 7-6 to kill the bill, with Republican Speaker
Speaker (politics)
The term speaker is a title often given to the presiding officer of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body. The speaker's official role is to moderate debate, make rulings on procedure, announce the results of votes, and the like. The speaker decides who may speak and has the...
Roy Cohee of Casper
Casper, Wyoming
Casper is the county seat of Natrona County, Wyoming, United States.. Casper is the second-largest city in Wyoming , according to the 2010 census, with a population of 55,316...
casting the tie-breaking vote.
Zwonitzer later discussed his speech on a radio program hosted by Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign
Human Rights Campaign
The Human Rights Campaign is the United States' largest LGBT advocacy group and lobbying organization; according to the HRC, it has more than one million members and supporters...
and was picked up quickly by several bloggers, including Michael Petrelis, who posted the entire text of Zwonitzer's speech to the House Rules Committee on his blog.
On May 6, 2007, Zwonitzer was awarded the "Uncommon Courage Award" by the Log Cabin Republicans
Log Cabin Republicans
The Log Cabin Republicans is an organization that works within the Republican Party to advocate equal rights for all Americans, including gays and lesbians in the United States with state chapters and a national office in Washington, D.C...
, an organization lobbying for gays within the Republican Party, at its annual national convention in Denver
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
. The award, which applauds Republican elected officials for displaying "leadership in fighting for basic fairness for gay and lesbian families," was also presented to Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
State Representative Lorence Wenke and New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
Assemblywoman Teresa Sayward
Teresa Sayward
Teresa R. Sayward is a member of the New York State Assembly for Willsboro , first elected in 2002. She is a Republican.-Career:...
.
External links
- Wyoming State Legislature - Representative Dan Zwonitzer official WY House website
- Project Vote Smart - Representative Daniel K. Zwonitzer profile
- Follow the Money - Dan Zwonitzer