CASPER, Wyo. — The Candy Desk is about to belong to Sen. Craig Thomas, R-Wyo., but not without first raising a sticky question.

The Candy Desk is a long-standing Senate tradition. The senator using the desk stocks it with treats from his or her home state.

For the past decade, Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pa., filled the desk with chocolate Kisses from Hershey and with treats from other Pennsylvania-based companies. The National Confectioners Association organized the treat donations.

After Santorum lost his re-election bid in November, Republicans who had noticed Thomas' habit of regularly visiting the candy stash told him the desk was open.

Thomas has enough seniority now that he could have moved closer to the front of the chamber. But he thought the Candy Desk in the back row was too sweet to pass up.

Wyoming, however, has no National Confectioners Association members. And that raised a question: Who will supply candy for the Candy Desk?

At least one Wyoming chocolate company might come to the rescue. Huckleberry Mountain Candy, based in Jackson, might be interested in donating the treats.

"That sounds like fun, actually," co-owner Kay Yost said. "We have this white-chocolate-covered popcorn. It's addictive. I can just imagine all the senators gathered around the desk and saying, 'Do you have any more of that popcorn?"'

Hershey provided about 100 pounds of candy four times a year. Yost said that would be the equivalent of shipping about five cases of her products. She said her business has about 150 products. They include huckleberry lollipops and gummy bears, chocolate "river rocks," "mountain bark," "moose poop," truffles, fudge and other goodies.

Thomas spokesman Cameron Hardy said Thomas' staff has just begun looking into who will supply candy for the Candy Desk. He said the staff would like to involve Wyoming candy makers, but other senators might want to contribute to the stash, as well.

The Candy Desk began with former Sen. George Murphy of California, who in 1965 started keeping candy in his desk to satisfy his own sugar cravings. His colleagues began stopping by to help themselves.

The tradition was established within a few years, and California candy makers began to supply the treats.