CHEYENNE, Wyo. — Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal, a former Clinton administration appointee, announced Wednesday that he will support Illinois Sen. Barack Obama for the Democratic presidential nomination.

Freudenthal said he was impressed by the large, enthusiastic crowds that turned out to see Obama when he visited Wyoming ahead of last month's caucuses.

"They paid attention and were riveted and reactivated, and trying to be part of an America that's bigger than just their own self-interest," Freudenthal told The Associated Press. "And you hope that can work. Because something has got to dig us out of this morass that we've gotten into, where it's sort of gotcha politics."

Freudenthal is the second Western governor and former Clinton appointee to endorse Obama in recent weeks. New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, former energy secretary and UN ambassador under Clinton, announced his support for Obama two weeks ago.

Former Indiana Rep. Lee Hamilton, who was the top Democrat on the Sept. 11 Commission, also endorsed Obama on Wednesday.

As governor, Freudenthal is a superdelegate to the party's national convention this summer. In the close contest between Hillary Rodham Clinton and Obama, the superdelegates _ elected officials and party leaders _ could ultimately decide the Democratic nominee.

When both Obama and Hillary Clinton came to Wyoming, the governor spent time with each. Freudenthal said he had nothing negative to say about Hillary Clinton, but Obama struck him as "incredibly smart" and someone who gives honest answers instead of scripted responses.

The governor also said Obama gave him an honest answer about putting the Wyoming Range in western Wyoming off-limits to oil and gas drilling, something Freudenthal would like to see the U.S. Senate approve.

Former President Bill Clinton named Freudenthal U.S. attorney for Wyoming in 1994, a job Freudenthal held until 2001. He was elected governor in 2002 and re-elected in 2006.