It seemed to be a simple request: We asked for a photo of Charlie Hardy, the freshly announced Democratic candidate for Wyoming’s Senate seat now held by Sen. Mike Enzi.

No photos were available on his campaign website Wednesday morning, but we wanted to run a photo with the story about the launch of his campaign. More than 11 hours later, well past our deadline, it showed up in my email.

Maybe someone borrowed the Democrats’ camera.

The intent of this is not to poke fun at the Wyoming Democratic Party. It’s just plain wrong to kick someone when they’re down, and these folks are down deep, and lack the staff and resources for even basics like providing the media with a photo.

We’re glad to see Hardy enter the race, and wish him all the luck in the world. He will need it against Enzi, a popular three-term incumbent with more than $1.8 million in the bank and a proven record at the polls.

Frankly, Hardy will almost need a miracle just to run a competitive race. He’s a former Catholic priest, so perhaps he can pull some strings.

If Hardy would somehow win, it might be seen as an act of God. The acts, and votes, of Wyoming residents suggest the Republican Party has little to worry about.

The Senate seat Enzi holds has been in GOP hands since 1963. The state last elected a Democratic senator in 1970, when Gale McGee was successful. Teno Roncalio, who resigned in 1978, is the last Democrat to hold the state’s U.S. House seat.

It’s the same story in the Legislature, with Republicans controlling the state House since 1966 and the state Senate since 1938.

The only major office the Democrats have had success at is in the governor’s chair, where they have nearly split elections. Republicans have served in office just slightly more than 50 percent of the time since statehood, and Democrat Dave Freudenthal wrapped up eight years as governor in 2011.

However, recent election results have been striking.

In 2012, Sen. John Barrasso, a Republican, defeated Democrat Tim Chestnut 185,250 to 53,019 while Rep. Cynthia Lummis, also a Republican, overwhelmed Democrat Chris Henrichsen 166,452-57,573.

In 2010, Lummis defeated her opponent, David Wendt, by more than 85,000 votes, while Republican Matt Mead was elected governor by nearly 80,000 votes.

Simply put, the Wyoming Democratic Party has been unable to mount competitive campaigns. It shows little sign of being able to do so this year, with no candidates so far for the House seat, governor and other statewide offices.

While running with a D behind your name has always been a tough task in Wyoming, there are issues that might favor the party. It could call for an increased minimum wage, continue to fight for an expansion of Medicare and call for a fair break for the working class.

Democrats could work to register younger voters, who may favor it, and reach out to disaffected people in small communities who may be open to a party that wants to help them and speak up on their behalf.

The party also needs to raise money, recruit attractive, qualified candidates and convince voters it has something to contribute to the public dialogue. But it’s difficult to focus on that when the party seems unable to do the smallest things, like providing the media with a photo of the man it thinks should serve in the U.S. Senate.

Get the picture?