Nearly all incumbents advance in state, county and city races
Aug. 17—CHEYENNE — Laramie County voters seem to support those elected officials currently serving them at the state, county and city levels, based on Tuesday's preliminary primary election results.
Based on unofficial final results, only one incumbent member of the Wyoming Legislature from Laramie County — John Romero-Martinez — lost their primary race. All three incumbent county commissioners retained their seats. And all three Cheyenne City Council members seeking re-election advanced to the general election.
Senate District 7
Rachel Bennett and JC Manalo entered the running looking to unseat incumbent Sen. Stephen Pappas, R-Cheyenne. However, Pappas easily advanced to face Democratic candidate Marcie Kindred in the general election on Nov. 8.
In unofficial final results from the Laramie County Clerk's Office, Pappas led Bennett 2,199 to 1,283. Manalo earned 717 votes.
Pappas has represented House District 7 since 2015. He wants to continue to address deficits, create a healthy business environment and find stable revenue.
Senate District 31
In one of the more competitive races of the Legislature, Evie Brennan bested challenger Janet Marschner by a margin of 1,869 to 1,418 to represent the one of the newest districts in the Wyoming Legislature. No Democrat filed to run in this district.
Brennan is pro-life and pro-Second Amendment rights, is for education freedom and is a proponent of fiscal responsibility, according to her campaign website, eviebrennanforwyosenate.com.
"I will also consider not just how (each) bill will affect us today, but how it will affect the next generation," Brennan told the Wyoming Tribune Eagle. "I will work hard to leave a better legacy for Wyoming's next generation."
House District 7
Prior to redistricting, Rep. Bob Nicholas, R-Cheyenne, served in House District 8 since 2011. In pursuit of re-election in his new district, Nicholas beat Republican challenger Rick Coppinger 1,514 to 1,150.
A businessman and attorney, Nicholas announced his candidacy for re-election in May. His top priorities include finding new solutions for property tax payers, balancing the state budget and conserving taxpayer dollars.
Nicholas will face Democratic candidate Jordan Evans in the Nov. 8 general election.
House District 8
One of the more tightly contested races in this year's primary election comes from the district encompassing northeast Laramie County. Former Republican lawmaker Dave Zwonitzer, father of Rep. Dan Zwonitzer, R-Cheyenne, beat second-place finisher Lily Sharpe by a margin of 1,267 to 1,021.
Stephen Neal Johnson (692 votes) and Brian Tyrrell (611 votes) finished third and fourth, respectively.
Zwonitzer has been a businessman in Laramie County for four decades and previously represented House District 9 from 2007-17. He considered the top issue in the state to be water, education, economic development, civility, the mineral industry and finances.
House District 9
Out of HD 9 rose a personal rivalry spurred by challenger Dean Petersen's opposition to incumbent Rep. Landon Brown, R-Cheyenne, in regard to Brown's voting history.
Brown won a three-way race with 1,192 votes to Alan Sheldon's 545 and Petersen's 489.
Brown will next face Democratic candidate Stephen Latham in the Nov. 8 general election.
Brown has held office since 2017. His priorities are to continuing to advance K-3 literacy, working to balance the state's fiscal profile through economic diversification, broadening the tax base and lowering taxes, and decreasing regulation on businesses to encourage economic development.
"I've lived in this district for 30 out of the 35 years I've been alive, and I know the people that I'm representing," Brown told the WTE.
Peterson decided to run after Brown sponsored a failed bill to legalize marijuana in 2021. He criticized Brown's support of Medicaid expansion and COVID-19 vaccines, as well.
"His voting record does not match up with the needs and wants of the people I know and am meeting in our district," Peterson said in an interview with the WTE.
House District 10
Incumbent Rep. John Eklund, R-Cheyenne, handily beat former Republican House District 12 Rep. Lars Lone by a margin of 2,133 to 743.
Eklund will not have a challenger in the Nov. 8 general election.
Eklund assumed office in 2011 and chairs the House Agriculture, State and Public Lands and Water Resources Committee. Before this, he spent his life working as a rancher.
House District 11
Current Laramie County School District 1 Trustee Marguerite Herman defeated former House District 44 Rep. James Byrd in the Democratic primary in House District 11. Herman had 162 votes to Byrd's 90.
Herman will face incumbent Rep. Jared Olsen, R-Cheyenne, on Nov. 8.
Byrd, 68, previously told the WTE he decided to run for the seat again after some constituents pushed for his return to the Legislature. He feels there is unfinished business to address, such as the diversification of jobs in the state and the energy market.
Herman, 71, has been involved with the League of Women Voters. She advocates for issues such as health care.
"I have established my commitment to the community," she said.
She previously told the WTE that her record of service on the LCSD1 board, as well as in other community boards and agencies, demonstrates her ability to listen, have an open mind and come to solutions. She hopes to use these skills to pass legislation that ensures maximum access to the ballot box, to expand Medicaid and to develop strong education funding.
House District 12
Rep. Clarence Styvar, R-Cheyenne, easily defeated Republican challenger Derek Goldfuss 831 to 412.
Styvar, 58, has held the office since 2018.
House District 42
Republican Ben Hornok, 47, bested Linnaea Sutphin, 46, by a tally of 1,291 to 1,082. Hornok will not have a challenger in the general election.
The current holder of the seat, Rep. Jim Blackburn, R-Cheyenne, is not seeking re-election. He has represented the district since 2015.
House District 43
Republican incumbent Rep. Dan Zwonitzer eked out a victory over challenger Clayton "Leroy" Mills in House District 43 race, 1,084 to 913. There is no Democrat in the race.
Zwonitzer, 42, has represented the southeastern district since 2005. Although he has served for nearly two decades, he previously told the WTE he's excited to have the opportunity for the first time in eight years to be in the Legislature during a budget surplus. He said lawmakers will be able to invest money for the future, to make up for cuts undertaken in the past six years and to put funds toward infrastructure.
His priorities also include fighting for Laramie County to receive school capital funding, and bringing back civility to the chamber floors. He believes there's a need for stable leadership, and with his tenure in the House, he can provide it.
"We need to be having productive conversations that are moving the state forward, and that requires some basic decorum and civility that we haven't seen lately," he told the WTE.
House District 44
In the only Laramie County legislative race resulting in an incumbent's ouster, Tamara N. Trujillo defeated incumbent Rep. John Romero-Martinez, R-Cheyenne, 404 to 293, with challenger Michael Reyes receiving 261 votes.
Trujillo will face Democratic candidate Sara Burlingame in the general election.
Burlingame previously represented the district from 2019-2021.
Trujillo cited her experience in procurement and accounting. Her background has allowed her to handle contracts, budgets and both internal and external audits. She said she wants to reassess how the government is spending, and tighten the proverbial belt.
"HD 44 needs help with their schools, fixed income property owners with rising taxes and sewer issues which cause flooding in some areas," she said in a statement. "I need to get in and find the funds for our schools, but also need to push for school choice and have those taxpayer funds follow the students to the best education the parents see fit."
House District 61
In another three-way Republican primary, Daniel Singh won with 618 votes to 375 for Matt Malcom and 336 for Don Odom in the newly-added House District 61. There is no Democrat in the race.
County commissioners
Despite having four Republican challengers, the three incumbent Laramie County commissioners easily retained their seats.
Gunnar Malm, Troy Thompson and Linda Heath were the top three vote-getters, in that order. Malm had 12,536 votes, Thompson had 12,305, while Heath had earned 10,171 votes.
Challengers were Bryce Freeman, who came in fourth with 7,424 votes; Brian D. Casey, who received 6,332; Abbie Mildenberger, who earned 6,024, and Sam Eliopoulous, who got 5,302 votes.
With no Democratic candidates having filed for the general election, barring a strong write-in campaign between now and the Nov. 8 general election, the incumbents will retain their seats in January.
Malm will serve his second term on the Board of Commissioners. He also serves as the public policy chair for the Wyoming Association of Realtors, the president of the Cheyenne Board of Realtors, and Currently in the vice chair of the Cheyenne Planning commission.
Among his priorities are ensuring sixth-penny sales tax projects are completed on schedule, and continuing a policy of fiscal conservatism that, Malm said, has allowed Laramie County to be the only local government in Wyoming that didn't lay off workers during the pandemic.
Thompson is the current chairman of the board. He was first elected as a commissioner in 2010. Thompson is also the a member of the National Association of County Officials and serves on the executive board of the Wyoming County Commissioners Association.
In a previous interview, Thompson emphasized his love for being a county commissioner, and said that he hopes to continue his work on economic projects and following through on sixth-penny sales tax projects. His priorities are to have a conservative budget, keep a strong relationship with LEADS and the local business community on economic development, as well as help manage the residential growth.
Heath, former vice-chair of the Laramie County Republican Party, has served on the commission since 2014 and spent 27 years as a precinct committee member.
In a questionnaire, Heath said that she strives to "decrease regulations (where) possible within the county." She also wants to encourage the public to become more involved in local government.
City Council
All three incumbents on the Cheyenne City Council advanced to the November general election.
In the two contested primary races, incumbent Scott D. Roybal and Cameron Karajanis prevailed in Ward 1 with 2,010 and 1,176 votes, respectively, while incumbent Mark D. Rinne and Lynn A. Storey-Huylar, with 2,956 and 1,787, respectively advanced in Ward 2. In Ward 1, Michael Blakeley finished third with 789 votes, while in Ward 2, Matt Miller earned 1,203 votes, and Brian Eicholtz got 796.
Since there were only two candidates in Ward 3, both incumbent Ken A. Esquibel and Joe Shogrin will advance.
These two candidates in each ward will now face one another in the Nov. 8 general election.
Roybal is seeking a third term representing Ward 1. After first being elected in 1996 and serving until 2000, he ran for re-election in 2014 and as served ever since. He is currently the council president.
Karajanis will join Roybal in the Ward 1 race. He has experience serving on committees and boards within the Cheyenne Police Department, Downtown Development Authority and Cheyenne Frontier Days.
In a questionnaire published online at WyomingNews.com, Karajanis said his priorities as councilman would be to "continue Cheyenne's path forward while continuing to work with current city council members." Of the utmost importance to him as are community members feel safe cared for and engaged.
Dr. Mark Rinne is the longest tenured member of the City Council, having served six terms representing Ward 2 and as council president nine times. He is a local dentist.
His Ward 2 challenger, Lynn Storey-Huylar, is a lifetime resident of Cheyenne, and said she wants to continue to be a part of the city's development on the level of local government. She previously served on the Laramie County School District 1 Board of Trustees for eight years, and was a chair member for two of those years.
Ward 3 incumbent candidate Esquibel previously served in the 41st district of the Wyoming House of Representatives from 2007-17. He was elected to City Council in November 2018 and will maintain his position with the conclusion of this election cycle.
Shogrin relocated to Cheyenne in 2010 and has since run for City Council twice before. Before entering local government, he worked as a high voltage lineman, and now works as a real estate agent.
Hannah Black is the Wyoming Tribune Eagle's criminal justice reporter. She can be reached at hblack@wyomingnews.com or 307-633-3128. Follow her on Twitter at @hannahcblack.
Will Carpenter is the Wyoming Tribune Eagle's Arts and Entertainment/Features Reporter. He can be reached by email at wcarpenter@wyomingnews.com or by phone at 307-633-3135. Follow him on Twitter @will_carp_.
