Wyoming State Senate elections, 2010
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Elections for the office of Wyoming's State Senate were held in Wyoming on November 2, 2010.
The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was May 28, 2010 (August 23 for independents). The primary election day was August 17, 2010. Of the 30 seats in the Senate, 15 were up for election in 2010. Incumbents ran in 10 of the seats. In addition, in 10 of the 15 seats, candidates ran unopposed in the November 2, 2010, general election.
In the 2010 elections, Republicans gained three seats and retained a majority in the chamber.
- See also: Wyoming State Senate and State legislative elections, 2010
November 2 General Election Results
The following candidates won election on November 2, 2010:
Majority control
- See also: Partisan composition of state senates
Heading into the November 2 election, the Republican Party held the majority in the Wyoming State Senate:
| Wyoming State Senate | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 1, 2010 | After the 2010 Election | |
| Democratic Party | 7 | 4 | |
| Republican Party | 23 | 26 | |
| Total | 30 | 30 | |
Campaign contributions
This chart shows how many candidates ran for state senate in Wyoming in past years and the cumulative amount of campaign contributions in state senate races, including contributions in both primary and general election contests. All figures come from Follow The Money.[1]
| Year | Number of candidates | Total contributions |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 32 | $259,183 |
| 2008 | 37 | $232,124 |
| 2006 | 49 | $368,423 |
| 2004 | 47 | $317,964 |
| 2002 | 22 | $126,509 |
In 2010, the candidates for state senate raised a total of $259,183 in campaign contributions. The top 10 donors were:[2]
| Donor | Amount |
|---|---|
| Democrat (Party) | $16,550 |
| Meier, Curtis Eugine | $16,516 |
| Wyoming State Senate Republican Conference | $10,000 |
| Steinmetz, Corey A | $7,978 |
| Frisbie, Tom | $5,000 |
| Workers Help in Politics | $5,000 |
| Republican (Party) | $4,500 |
| Rothfuss, Chris | $4,446 |
| Wyoming Trial Lawyers Association | $4,150 |
| Williams Companies | $4,000 |
Qualifications
Section 2 of Article 3 of the Wyoming Constitution states, "Senators shall be elected for the term of four (4) years and representatives for the term of two (2) years. The senators elected at the first election shall be divided by lot into two classes as nearly equal as may be. The seats of senators of the first class shall be vacated at the expiration of the first two years, and of the second class at the expiration of four years. No person shall be a senator who has not attained the age of twenty-five years, or a representative who has not attained the age of twenty-one years, and who is not a citizen of the United States and of this state and who has not, for at least twelve months next preceding his election resided within the county or district in which he was elected."
Incumbency
Unopposed incumbents
8 incumbents (53%) faced no competition in the November 2 general election.
- 2 Democratic incumbents faced no November challenger.
- 6 GOP incumbents faced no November challenger.
Primary challenges
Two incumbents faced competition in the August 17 primary. Two incumbents -- Republicans Curt Meier and Cale Case defeated their challengers -- Cheri Steinmetz and Joe Malek respectively.[3] The following 2 incumbents (2 Republicans) won their primaries:
- District 3: Incumbent Republican Curt Meier
- District 17: Incumbent Republican Cale Case
Retiring incumbents
Four incumbent representatives did not run for re-election, while 11 incumbents (73%) ran for re-election. Of the 4 incumbents who did not run for re-election, one was a Democrat and 3 were Republicans.
Incumbents who retired were:
- District 1: Incumbent Republican Charles Townsend.
- District 5: Incumbent Republican Rick Hunnicutt.
- District 9: Incumbent Democrat Mike Massie.
- District 17: Incumbent Republican Grant Larson.
List of candidates
| Partisan dominance in state senates heading into the 2010 state legislative elections |
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| 2010 State senate elections
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| Parties with candidates |
| Impact of term limits |
| Successful challengers |
| Defeated incumbents |
| State house elections |
| State senate elections |
| State legislative elections |
District 1
August 17 Democratic primary:
- No Democratic candidates filed to run for this seat.
August 17 GOP primary:
- Ogden Driskill 1,844
- Tom Dunlap 1,791
- Terry Marie Henderson 1,776
- Ogden Driskill 1,844
Note: Charles Townsend,(R) incumbent, was first elected in 2005 but did not seek re-election.
November 2 General election candidates:
- Ogden Driskill 2,363
District 3
- August 17 Democratic primary:
- No Democratic candidates filed to run for this seat.
- August 17 GOP primary:
- Curt Meier, 2,422 incumbent, was first elected in 1995.
- Cheri Steinmetz 1,570
- Curt Meier, 2,422
November 2 General election candidates:
- Curt Meier 5,496
District 5
- August 17 Democratic primary:
- Lori Millin 728
- Lori Millin 728
- August 17 GOP primary:
- Fred Emerich 2,707
- Fred Emerich 2,707
Note: Rick Hunnicutt (R), incumbent, was first elected in 2009 but did not seek re-election.
November 2 General election candidates:
- Lori Millin 2,896
- Fred Emerich 3,002
District 7
- August 17 Democratic primary:
- Kathryn Sessions, 699 incumbent, was first elected in 1999.
- Kathryn Sessions, 699
- August 17 GOP primary:
November 2 General election candidates:
- Kathryn Sessions 2,029
- Leslie Nutting 2,421
District 9
- August 17 Democratic primary:
- Jodi Guerin 510
- Chris Rothfuss 784
- August 17 GOP primary:
- No Republican candidates filed to run for this seat.
Note: Mike Massie (D), incumbent, was first elected in 1999, but did not seek re-election as he ran for state superintendent.
November 2 General election candidates:
- Chris Rothfuss 3,572
District 11
- August 17 Democratic primary:
- James E. Elliott, Jr., 736 incumbent, was first elected in 2009.
- James E. Elliott, Jr., 736
- August 17 GOP primary:
- Sue Hewitt 664
- Larry S. Hicks 926
- Blake Waldrop 788
November 2 General election candidates:
- James E. Elliott, Jr. 1,798
- Larry S. Hicks 2,903
Ken Casner 527
District 13
- August 17 Democratic primary:
- John Hastert 1,442 , incumbent, was first elected in 2007.
- John Hastert 1,442
- August 17 GOP primary:
- No Republican candidates filed to run for this seat.
November 2 General election candidates:
- John Hastert 3,919
District 15
- August 17 Democratic primary:
- Saundra Meyer, 521 incumbent, was first elected in 2009.
- Saundra Meyer, 521
- August 17 GOP primary:
- Paul Barnard 1,153
- Janice Davis 856
- Lyle Williams 434
- Paul Barnard 1,153
November 2 General election candidates:
- Saundra Meyer 2,061
- Paul Barnard 2,550
District 17
- August 17 Democratic primary:
- Tom Frisbie 1,299
- Tom Frisbie 1,299
- August 17 GOP primary:
- Leland Christensen 2,448
- Sam Harrell 610
- Leland Christensen 2,448
Note: Grant Larson (R), incumbent, was first elected in 1995 but did not seek re-election.
November 2 General election candidates:
- Tom Frisbie 3,547
- Leland Christensen 4,361
District 19
- August 17 Democratic primary:
- No Democratic candidates filed to run for this seat.
- August 17 GOP primary:
- Ray Peterson, 4,253 incumbent, was first elected in 2004.
- Ray Peterson, 4,253
November 2 General election candidates:
- Ray Peterson 5,678
District 21
- August 17 Democratic primary:
- No Democratic candidates filed to run for this seat.
- August 17 GOP primary:
- Bruce Burns, 3,127 , incumbent, was first elected in 2003.
- Bruce Burns, 3,127
November 2 General election candidates:
- Bruce Burns 5,825
District 23
- August 17 Democratic primary:
- No Democratic candidates filed to run for this seat.
- August 17 GOP primary:
- John Hines 3,937 , incumbent, was first elected in 2003.
- John Hines 3,937
November 2 General election candidates:
- John Hines 5,882
District 25
- August 17 Democratic primary:
- Clarence Thomas 712
- Clarence Thomas 712
- August 17 GOP primary:
- Cale Case 1,772 incumbent, was first elected in 1999.
- Joe Malek 1,318
- Cale Case 1,772
November 2 General election candidates:
- Clarence Thomas 2,408
- Cale Case 3,400
District 27
- August 17 Democratic primary:
- No Democratic candidates filed to run for this seat.
- August 17 GOP primary:
- Bill Landen (R) 3,017 , incumbent, was first elected in 2007.
- Bill Landen (R) 3,017
November 2 General election candidates:
- Bill Landen 5,569
District 29
- August 17 Democratic primary:
- No Democratic candidates filed to run for this seat.
- August 17 GOP primary:
- Drew Perkins (R) 2,586 , incumbent, was first elected in 2007.
- Drew Perkins (R) 2,586
November 2 General election candidates:ad
- Drew Perkins 4,685
See also
- Wyoming State Senate
- Wyoming State Legislature
- State legislative elections, 2010
- Primary election dates in 2010
External links
- Official Wyoming State Senate Election Results
- Wyoming primary election results
- Wyoming official list of 2010 candidates
- Wyoming Republican Party's list of 2010 candidates
- Project Vote Smart list of candidates for Wyoming State Senate in the November 2, 2010 election
Footnotes
