ROCK SPRINGS – Primary election night in Sweetwater County resulted in a few incumbents losing their Wyoming Legislature positions and a few close races after votes were tallied Tuesday evening.
The unofficial results tallied 6,499 ballots cast during the election, a majority of which came from Republicans. The Sweetwater County Clerk’s Office received 6,499 GOP ballots, 925 Democrat ballots, 132 nonpartisan ballots and nine blank ballots during the election. Voter turnout was much lower compared to the 2022 Primary Election, which resulted in 11,080 ballots cast during that election. The 2022 primary’s turnout was driven by the U.S. House of Representatives race between Liz Cheyney and Harriet Hageman.
The GOP races for House District 48 and House District 60 ended with defeats for incumbents Clark Stith and Tony Niemiec respectively. Stith was defeated by Darin McCann 617 votes to 490, while Niemiec was defeated by Marlene Brady 567 votes to 522. Stith was in the Wyoming House since 2017 after being apportioned to the position when then Rep. Mark Baker moved out of the house district. Stith rose to a leadership position during his time in the legislature, becoming the Speaker Pro Tempore in the House.
“It was the honor of a lifetime to serve in the Wyoming Legislature,” Stith told SweetwaterNOW.
Stith said the voters in his house district decided they wanted change, and they’ll receive it. Stith also said he still wants to be involved in the community.
Two house district races that gathered statewide attention ended in victories for the incumbents seeking re-election this year. Rep. Cody Wylie of House District 39 and Rep. J.T. Larson of House District 17 won their election bids amid controversy caused by mailers targeting the two sent by the Wyoming Freedom Caucus PAC. Wylie was in a three-way race involving himself and challengers Laura McKee and Marshall Burt. Wylie received 501 votes to McKee’s 457 and Burt’s 88. Larson faced a single challenger in Terry Ellison, defeating him with 562 votes to 481.
Larson was visibly relieved when seen at the Sweetwater County Courthouse Tuesday evening after the unofficial vote tallies were announced.
“I am honored that the Republican voters of Wyoming House District 17 chose me to be the Republican nominee,” Larson said in a prepared statement.
Larson commented on the mailers targeting himself and Wylie, saying there is no room for dishonesty in Wyoming politics, saying he stayed on the high ground and acted with integrity throughout the campaign. He said he plans to fight for Sweetwater County’s residents as more economic opportunities develop in southwest Wyoming.
“Thank you for putting your trust in me for another term in the Wyoming House of Representatives,” he said.
In Senate District 12, incumbent John Kolb defeated challenger Jeff Ramaj 1,313 votes to 814. Kolb will face Democrat Kanilynn Zanetti in November.
In Senate District 14, Laura Taliaferro Pearson narrowly defeated Speaker of the House Albert Sommers and Bill Winney 2,211 votes to Sommers’ 2,025 and Winney’s 490. In Sweetwater County, Pearson led with 324 votes, while Sommers received 161 and Winney earned 91. In House District 39, Scott Heiner retained his seat in the legislature, defeating challenger Thomas Crank 1,190 votes to 733. In Sweetwater County, Heiner led Crank 393 to 179.
Sweetwater County Commissioners
Incumbent Republicans Mary Thoman and Taylor Jones won their party’s nomination for the November General Election. The two were involved in a three-way race including challenger Rose Mosbey. Thoman received 2,992 votes, Jones received 2,707 votes, and Mosbey received 2,095.
Jones dedicated the night to his friend Robert Chandler, who had recently died following a bout with cancer. Jones said Chandler was a great, giving man who was involved with the community, saying his death is a great loss. Jones said he is thrilled and honored with the nomination and appreciates the support. He said work continues at the county level with the Rock Springs RMP, which he said will be released Friday. That kicks off a 30-day protest period and a 60-day review by Gov. Mark Gordon. He also said the county will need to address the housing issue it faces as people move in for work on the new trona mines and other developments coming to the area.
Thoman said she is excited to have succeeded in her re-election bid so far. Like Jones, she said there is still a lot of work to be done and said the county has a great group of county commissioners serving it. She said she plans to continue being a watchdog with federal agencies like the Bureau of Land Management if she is re-elected in November.
Jones and Thoman will face Democrat Joyce Corcoran in the General Election.
