Gov. Mike Sullivan easily won his second nomination for the job but must stave off the popularity of a former governor's daughter if he's to hold onto it in the general election.
Computer problems during Tuesday's primary delayed returns from 17 of the state's 471 precincts, but they weren't expected to have an outcome on the races.As expected, Sullivan coasted past motorcycle mechanic Ron "Suds" Clingman, capturing 88 percent of the vote with 454 of the precincts, or 96 percent of the total, counted.
Mary Mead, the daughter of former Gov. and U.S. Sen. Cliff Hansen, also handily won her party's nomination, collecting 67 percent of the vote in sailing past challenger Nyla Murphy.
Republican Sen. Alan Simpson also put in a strong primary showing, garnering 84 percent of the vote in his bid to win a third term.
Mead, whose last appearance in politics was a losing effort for state Senate in the last 1970s, hoped her victory would unify the Republican Party, which hasn't held the governor's seat in 16 years.
Simpson, the Senate minority whip, was happy with his showing.
"It's very gratifying," he said. "But you work hard and the people watch you and they want to know how bad you want it. I hope I disclosed to them I am ready to work for it."
Simpson's general election opponent will be Kathy Helling, a 32-year-old college student from Casper who received 34 percent of the returns.
Helling said that while she wouldn't be able to match Simpson's financial resources, she was confident a strong grass-roots campaign and her pro-life stance on abortion would make her a formidable opponent.
Republican Rep. Craig Thomas had no opposition in the primary. Elected last year to fill Dick Cheney's unexpired term, Thomas is seeking his first full term in the House. Also unopposed was his Democratic opponent, Pete Maxfield, a University of Wyoming law professor.
In the other top state races, Democratic incumbent Lynn Simons won her fourth nomination as state schools superintendent and will face Republican Diana Ohman in the general election, while former Deputy State Auditor Dave Ferrari narrowly beat current Deputy State Auditor Tom Jones for the GOP nomination.