The Wyoming Republican Party this evening settled on state Sen. John Barrasso, former state Treasurer Cynthia Lummis, and ex-Justice Department attorney Tom Sansonetti as its top three choices to replace the late Sen. Craig Thomas (R). Gov. Dave Freudenthal (D) now has five days to select Thomas’ successor from among them, the Casper Star Tribune reported. In three rounds of secret-ballot voting, the 71-member state GOP central committee pared a field of 30 applicants down to three, in the process rebuffing state Rep. Colin Simpson, the son of former Sen. Alan Simpson (R-Wyo.). The three finalists have indicated their intention to stand for election in 2008 if chosen by Freudenthal to replace Thomas, who lost his bout with leukemia on June 4. — David M. Drucker