When Sen. Alan Simpson announced he was retiring in December, he predicted: "It will be a very spirited Republican primary."
How right he was. Nine candidates are on the GOP ballot in Tuesday's primary: three state legislators, a doctor, a prosecutor, a former bureaucrat, an ex-sailor, a retired air traffic controller and a rancher.Two Democrats are battling for their party's nomination.
The nine Republicans have taken similar stands on many issues, with all in some degree calling for smaller government, de-creased federal spending, federal tax reform and cuts in entitlement programs.
Each candidate says his experience makes him the best choice.
"They're electing somebody to represent them for the next six years," said state Sen. Mike Enzi. "One of the ways they can see how somebody will operate is to look at the last six years."
Enzi won a straw poll of delegates to the state Republican convention in May. Dr. John Barrasso came in second.
"I am trained to listen and make a diagnosis and come up with a solution and take action," said Barrasso. "That's what I intend to do in the . . . Senate."
Cleveland Holloway, a former U.S. Bureau of Land Management employee, agreed that voters should look for a candidate with experience outside the Legislature.
"I'm saying backbone is more important than background," said Holloway, one of the few candidates to support an increase in the minimum wage. "We don't want a career politician."
Rep. Nimi McConigley, who sponsored a bill making English Wyoming's official language, said she's uniquely qualified "to bring back civility, honesty, decency and compassion to the process now that the nation is being torn apart."
And the third state lawmaker in the race, Sen. Curt Meier, pointed to his work on welfare reform, saying voters are looking for someone who has "offered alternatives and solutions to the significant problems we face today."
Natrona County District Attorney Kevin Meenan said his 10 years as a prosecutor have prepared him for Capitol Hill.
One of the first to enter the race was Kathleen Jachowski, a native of Washington, D.C., who moved to Wyoming 11 years ago to become a rancher. She also serves as the public relations officer and government liaison for Cody Lumber. She emphasized her ability to build coalitions.
Brian Coen, a former member of the Navy and Coast Guard, said his experience with federal agencies has given him budgeting and foreign policy background, while his job as a small-business owner gives him private sector experience.
Retired air traffic controller George "Russ" Hanrahan urged voters to remember that members of Congress are working for the good of the entire United States, not just for the benefit of their home state, and blamed voters for re-electing bad politicians.
"The people caused the problem by putting bad guys in Washington, D.C., and keeping them there," he said.
The heavy favorite in the Democratic primary is former Secretary of State Kathy Karpan, who faces Mickey Kalinay, a University of Wyoming student whose sole campaign issue has been promoting the construction of a tower that reaches into space.
In the race for the state's lone congressional seat, Republican incumbent Barbara Cubin is unopposed in her bid for a second term.
The Democratic primary pits state Sen. Pete Maxfield, 55, a University of Wyoming professor, against Worth Christie, 53, an insurance broker.
Christie spent about 15 months in prison in the 1960s for writing a phony check. He said it occurred while he was "drinking and gambling" as a youth.
Christie was pardoned in 1986 by then-Gov. Ed Herschler, the conviction was lifted from his record and he regained his privileges to run for a federal office.
"It's a 31-year-old piece of history," Christie said.