Republicans sweep most races in Wyoming elections

With most of the results of the 2010 elections tallied, U.S. Senator Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., says he is energized and ready to roll into 2011 to work on pertinent issues facing the country.
“This has been an exciting election season where not only candidates, but voters hit the pavement to get their voices heard,” says Enzi.
In Wyoming, Republican candidate Matt Mead was elected to governor. “We stuck with our message and always ran a positive campaign, and I think that’s what carried the day,” said Mead said at a Cheyenne rally. “We put our heart and soul into this.”
Former Wyoming U.S. attorney, Mead will succeed outgoing Democratic Governor Dave Freudenthal, who did not endorse Democratic candidate Leslie Petersen. Seventy-two percent of Wyoming voters cast their ballots in favor of Mead, while 25 percent voted for Petersen and the remaining three percent voted for Libertarian Mike Wheeler.
As Wyoming Governor, Mead plans to add Wyoming to the lawsuit challenging the federal health care overhaul, in which 20 other states are already involved. He also emphasizes that marriage is between a man and woman, and he is against abortion.
Max Maxfield won reelection to secretary of state, Joe Meyer won the position of state treasurer and Cynthia Cloud won the position of state auditor. Cindy Hill also won the state’s top education position as state superintendent of public instruction.
“The campaigning has been an amazing experience, but the work is where it’s at and I’m looking forward to doing the work,” said Hill election night night. Hill gained 61 percent of Wyoming’s vote.
According to Wyoming voter registration statistics, in the Nov. 2 General Election, 270,083 Wyomingites were registered to vote. Statistics for the percentage of registered voters who actually voted in the General Election weren’t available as of press time. In the last mid-term election in 2006, out of 263,083 registered voters in Wyoming, 75 percent turned out on Election Day.
“I truly enjoyed traveling the state with these candidates and getting to know them. I got to spend a lot of time with those who will be Wyoming’s five state elected officials also making up many boards and commissions. I am confident Wyoming will continue to be the best state in the nation. I am proud of all of the candidates who participated in the Wyoming races. No matter what side of the aisle you’re on, running for public office is a difficult task to take on. I am excited to work with Matt Mead on a variety of Wyoming issues and know the state is in good hands for the next four years. I also look forward to working with Cindy Hill, especially with the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) around the corner,” says Enzi, the most senior Republican on the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee.
“The results are in, and my outlook for 2011 is positive and invigorated. People were impassioned when they went to the polls. There are a few new faces in the Senate, and a lot of new faces in the House. I’m hopeful the people still serving in office who had a ‘we won the election, we write the laws’ attitude after the 2008 election will be able to set those sentiments aside and concentrate on areas of agreement so both parties can be productive. The same lesson is there for the victors from yesterday to learn.”
The Democratic majority in the House held a 77-seat advantage until last night, and now in January Republicans will take back the majority.
This includes the reelection of U.S. Representative Cynthia Lummis to her second term in Congress. Lummis defeated Democrat David Wendt, president of the Jackson Hole Center for Global Affairs, for Wyoming’s lone House seat. Lummis won the seat two years ago after Republican Barbara Cubin retired after seven terms.
“Now we can begin to address runaway federal spending, begin to limit the size of the federal government, reduce the debt and the deficit, and focus on jobs and the economy, which is what we should’ve been doing all along,” says Lummis, who beat out Democratic candidate David Wendt 71 percent to 25 percent, respectively. Libertarian candidate John Love garnered five percent of the vote.
“The shift in the makeup of Congress is a direct result of the American people and reflects their desire for more accountability and transparency in Congress. The emergence of the Tea Party has also shed light on what people are paying attention to and what should be on candidates’ agendas. Congress needs to focus on cutting spending, creating jobs, reviving the economy, lowering the deficit and fixing the faulty health care law. I hope both parties have learned a lesson about setting priorities,” says Enzi.
“We are on the heels of the New Year and a new Congress, and I am excited to continue my work in Washington with both old and new colleagues to give the American people what they asked for. The new Congress needs to realize not every problem can be fixed with a new law, a new regulation or a new tax. Every problem isn’t a federal problem,” continues Enzi.
Results and information compiled by Christy Martinez, managing editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments to christy@wylr.net.