Sweetwater County saw some big changes as a result of the 2018 General election!
With only one exception, which was in the Assessor race, Sweetwater County voters chose the Republican candidate in every single contested race on their local ballot.
With the re-election of "Doc" Wendling, who ran as a Republican this year, and newly elected Republicans Jeff Smith and Roy Lloyd Joining incumbent Republicans Wally Johnson and Don VanMatre, all five of the seats in the Sweetwater County Commission are held by people with R's at the end of their names. In the other countywide races, Republican Challenger John Grossnickle upset the Democrat incumbent to takeover the position of Sweetwater County Sheriff, and Republican challenger Cindy Lane upset the Democrat incumbent to takeover the County Clerk's office. Republican incumbents Daniel Erramouspe and DonnaLee Bobak were both re-elected to their seats, and will remain Sweetwater County's County Attorney and Clerk of District Court, respectively.
As a result, 9 out of the 12 countywide offices now belong to Republicans.
In the legislative seats that serve Sweetwater County, the Republican party also made gains. Republican challenger Tom James upset the longtime Democrat incumbent in Senate District 13. Republican legislative incumbents Senator Larry Hicks, and Representatives Clark Stith, Tom Crank, and Jerry Paxton also held on to their seats. As a result, 5 out of the 9 legislative seats that represent parts of Sweetwater County are held by Republicans. Like Wyoming as a whole, Sweetwater County voters also chose the Republican candidate in every one of the Statewide races. Republican Governor Elect Mark Gordon, Republican Auditor Elect Kristi Racines, and Republican Treasurer Elect Curt Meier, as well as incumbent Republican Secretary of State Ed Buchanan and incumbent Republican Superintendent of Public Instruction Jillian Balow, all received the overwhelming number of votes in their races, both statewide, and right here in Sweetwater County!
In addition, Republican incumbent Senator John Barrasso and Republican incumbent Representative Liz Cheney both handily won re-election, again, both statewide, and in local vote tallies.
In another exciting piece of news, both of them were also elected to be Chairman of the House Conference Committee in their respective houses, making Senator Barrasso the third highest ranking Republican in the United States Senate, and Representative Cheney the third highest ranking Republican in the United States House of Representatives. With Senator Enzi continuing to serve as the Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, Wyoming's small delegation to the U.S. Capitol packs a mighty punch! The red wave was very real in Sweetwater County, as Republicans continue to grow to become the county's dominant political force.
