Casper Star-Tribune from Casper, Wyoming • 13

ft 3iai fining Bl Wednesday, November 7, 1990 Star-Tribune, Casper, Wyo. 1 Northeast Northwest LaLonde wins in Teton-Sublette Democrats find it hard going I 1 I 1 kr I I DAVE DUNHAM Ousted from House MICHAEL ENZI Leading in Campbell LUSK Democratic legislative challengers in Weston and Campbell counties were failing in attempts to unseat Republican incumbents, according to incomplete returns from northeast Wyoming. Final results from Converse County showed that both Republican incumbents Rory Cross and Bill Tibbs won the state House scats with all 20 precincts reporting with votes of 2,399 to 2,224. Democratic challenger Cisco Valdez finished third, with 2,010 votes. The Republicans said "right-to-work" was a top campaign issue, while Valdez, disagreed.

Cross and Tibbs said Valdez's union involvement indicated his loyalty to organized labor. Democrats also lost a legislative race in Niobrara County, where gambling and reapportionment of legislative seats were issues. With all six precincts reporting in Niobrara, Republican incumbent Melvin ZumBrunnen defeated Democratic challenger Ross Diercks with 689 to 522 votes. Both candidates said the loss of the county's only House seat or sharing a representative with Goshen County because of declining population could result in a loss of identity and representation for their county. In heavily-Republican Campbell County, Democrats fielded challengers to run against the county's all-Republican legislative delegation.

All three Campbell Republican incumbents, Michael Enzi, John Ilines and Dick Wallis, were up for re-election, facing challenges by Democrats Rebecca Claar, Dave Stueck and Chuck 20 of 32 precincts reporting, Hines held a two-vote lead over Enzi, 2,248 to 2,248, followed by Wallis with 1,909, followed by the Democratic challengers Claar JACKSON Teton County Republican state Senate incumbent Bob LaLonde fended off a challenge Tuesday from Democrat and House Minority Leader H.L. Jensen for the Senate seat shared by Teton and Sublette counties. The final vote tally was 3,729 for LaLonde and 3,656 for Jensen. Meanwhile, Rep. Dave Dunham, a Democrat, was defeated in Washakie County Tuesday by Republican challenger Ray Harrison, a longtime rancher and educator.

The final vote was 1,916 for Harrison to 1 ,45 1 for Dunham. Jensen garnered more votes than LaLonde in Teton County, but LaLonde picked up nearly twice as many votes in Sublette County to offset the Teton margin. With all 1 1 precincts reporting in Teton County, Jensen picked up 3,043 votes and LaLonde had 2,559. In Sublette County, LaLonde had 1,170 votes to 6 1 3 for Jensen, with all nine precincts reporting. LaLonde was appointed to the Senate in 1989 to fill the vacancy created when former Republican Sen.

John Turner was named to head the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The appointed incumbent has a little over a year of legislative experience and was challenging an incumbent who has represented Teton County for the past 1 6 years. The two opposed each other once before in 1980 when LaLonde challenged Jensen for the House seat, and was defeated by a 2 to 1 margin. Jensen has been vocal on a statewide basis in his opposition to laws which limit the right of women to choose to have an abortion while LaLonde describes himself as "fundamentally pro-life." However, LaLonde said he would favor making abortions available to victims of rape incest, or to women's whose lives or livelihoods would be threatened by giving birth.

In Teton County's House race, Democrat Leslie Petersen was defeated by Republican Clarene Law. With all eleven precincts reporting Law tallied 3,072 votes and Petersen got 2,564 votes. Democratic Sen. Delia Hcrbst was leading challenger Republican George Meredith for the open Senate seat with nine of 28 precincts reporting by 1,673 to 898 votes. In that county's House race, incumbent Democratic Jim Perkins was leading the field of six candidates with 1,534 votes, followed by incumbent Virginia Wright with 1,434, Bill Bensel with 1,269, Nancy Drummond with 1,218, Norma Nichols 1,076, and Sterling Corcoran with 550.

Also in Sheridan County, incumbent Sheriff Bill Johnson was trailing Bob Shelley with 1,486 votes to 1,107. In Weston County, with three of seven precincts reporting, incumbent Rep. Lauris Tysdal, a Republican, was leading challenger Robert Norlin, a Newcastle Democrat, with 524 votes to 253. In Douglas, incumbent Douglas Mayor Diane Harrop lost by 50 votes to newcomer Ray Haskins by a vote of 869 to 8 19. GUY CAMERON Incumbent senate Southeast Guice, Travsky battling in Albany Southwest Budd narrowly wins in Sublette MELVIN ZUMBRUNNEN Opposed gambling in Lusk with 1 ,339, Tolar 938, and Stueck with 824.

In his campaign, Stueck said he would call for changes in death penalty laws in which one of the state's top officials would actually carry out executions. Wallis, Enzi and Hines all said they favor the death penalty. Democrats also got an unexpected boost from Republicans in Campbell County in the county commission race, where some Republicans unhappy with their candidate slate organized a political action committee to back two Democratic commission candidates. With 20 of 32 precincts in, Republicans Les Desavedo led with 2,542 votes, followed by Stan Sheehan with 1,817, and Willie Chrans with 1 ,683 hanging on to a sma'l lead over Democrats R.J. "Bub" Werner with 1,668 and David Stewart with 1,456, who both won on write-in campaigns in the primary election.

In Sheridan County, incumbent TERRY GUICE Currently in House Meanwhile, in the Goshen County Attorney race, incumbent Lowell Fitch, who lost in the primary election, failed in his write-in campaign against primary winner Greg Knudsen. Knudsen defeated Fitch 2,446 to 1,971. In other early returns from the the Albany County House race, where four seats were contested, Republican Samuel Dunnuck led all vote-getters with 1,019. Trailing Dunnuck were: Patti MacMillan, 986; Herb Pownall, 877; Sheila Arnold, 841; Matilda I lansen, 8 1 Carole 1 lomer, 8 1 Charles Fanning, 562; Nick Evans, 357. The race for Albany County Attorney featured an incumbent who earlier this year filed fetal abuse charges against an allegedly alcoholic pregnant mother.

County Attorney Cal Rcrucha lost that court battle, but early returns showed his battle for re-election against opponent Kennard Nelson might have better chances for success. Nelson was leading 171 to 169 with three of 29 precincts reporting. In early returns from the Carbon County legislative race. Senator Bob Grieve was leading Democrat Tom McGuire 74 to 6 1 In the House race. Democrats Fred Harrison, Pat O'Toole and Bill Vascy appeared to be warding I BOB LALONDE Staves off Jensen challenge Petersen, a former Teton Commissioner, emphasized her "good background in understanding state government and how the legislature works." Law said her experience base "in all disciplines" would help her work effectively in Cheyenne.

Both candidates said they desired balance between environmental protection and economic growth in Teton county. Both supported passage in the Legislature of a local option real-estate transfer tax a tax on real estate transactions above a certain level. Washakie County, Republican victor Harrison said he favored the death penalty, "for the crimes that merit it," but refused to take a stand on the abortion rights issue. 1 Harrison is a retired rancher who taught math, physics, aviation and electronics in Worland for more than 30 years. In Fremont County, John Vinich, a Democrat seeking his third term in the state Senate after four terms in the House and unsuc-cessful bids for both the U.S.

Senate and the U.S. House, is running against Republican Sky Phifer, a Lander attorney. Phifer waged a successful write-in campaign in an uncontested Republican primary. DAN BUDD Sublette County Senator Richard Honaker had 8,059 votes while Rep. Sam Blackwell followed with 7,389 votes.

In the Sweetwater Senate race, Republican sheep rancher Bill Taliaferro, having won his party's nomination with just eight write-in votes, took 5,284 votes, trailing well behind Sen. Frank Prevedel's 8,611 votes and Sen. Robert Reese's 7,176 votes. Sweetwater County Judges Bradford Schroeder and Samuel Soule faced a trying challenge, having both received the lowest ratings in a Wyoming State Bar survey of 17 judges statewide who are up for a retention election. But both judges overcame the Bar's criticisms, with Schroeder garnering a 66 percent favorable vote and Soule getting 62 percent approval.

Paul OblOck won the Rock Springs mayoral race with 3,670 votes compared to Allen Knight's 2,667 votes. In Lincoln County, geopolitics played a role as two Democrats from Kemmcrer, Zem Hopkins and Dave Walton, challenged two Star Valley Republicans, incumbent in 1 iiiii, 11 11 1 1 With 28 of 32 precincts reporting, Vinich was leading, with 5,711 votes to 4,515 for Pfifcr. The candidates have opposing views on the issues ranging from abortion rights to the legalization of gambling in the state. In the Fremont County House race incumbent Democrats Eli Bebout lead the field with 6,669 votes with Scott Ratliff, trailing with 5,964. With 27 of 32 Fremont County's precincts reporting Republican incumbent Dennis Tippets had 4,940 votes and Harry Tipton had 6,472.

The fifth Fremont House seat appeared to be filled by former legislator Bruce McMillan, with 4,295 votes. Republican challenger Alan O'Hashi had 3,355 votes and Republican challenger had and Democrats H.A. Hamption had 3,246, Joyce Jansa had 2,694 and Jim Urbigkit had 3,699. In Park County with 16 out of 22 precincts reporting Republican incumbents John DeWitt narrowly lead the field with 4, 1 72 votes over incumbent Peg Shreve who had 4,017. Another Republican incumbent Bill Rohrbach was third with 3,892 votes.

The lone independent candi date Marilyn Lanchbury got 2,623 votes. RON MICHELI Up for eighth term Rep. Clyde Wolfley and Afton businessman Gene Call in the race for two State House seats. Wi'h 9 of 17 precincts reporting, all but two from the southern part of the county, Hopkins and Walton were well in the lead with 1 ,055 and 1,139 votes respectively while call and Wolfley had 831 and 841 votes respectively. Hopkins ran on the theme of bringing "back representation to the south end of the county." But Wolfley, who sought a fifth term, asserted he has "never perceived a fence" between the two ends of the county.

In Uinta County two Democrats, John Bowers and Wayne Morrow, having emerged from write-in primary campaigns, were challenging incumbent Republican Ron Micheli and Republican Janice Bodine in the race for two House seats. With five of nine precincts, excluding Evanston, reporting the two Republicans enjoyed strong leads with the following vote tallies: Micheli Bodine 936; Bowers 523; and Morrow 767. 1 "'V. i i I LARAMIE Early results from the state Senate race in Albany County showed Republican Terry Guice in a tight race with Democrat Amber Long Travsky. With only seven of 29 precincts reporting, Guice, currently a Republican member of the House of Representatives, was leading Laramie City Council member Travsky 951 to 848.

And Democrat Guy Cameron and Republican Gary Yordy appeared headed for an easy win for two Wyoming Senate seats from Laramie County Tuesday night. With 13 out of 44 precincts reporting in Laramie County, Cameron, a senator appointed last year to fill out the term of ailing Sen. Jim Norris, polled 3,556, for 30 percent of the vote. Yordy, a state representative trying to pick up the seat of retiring Democratic Sen. Win Hickey, tallied 2,793, for 24 percent of the vote.

Trailing were Democrat Pam Taylor, with 2,064 votes, and Republican Derrell Norman, with 1,638. Incumbents were faring well in the contest for nine Wyoming House seats in Laramie County. Leading the slate were Democrats Don Sullivan, followed by Carol Watson, 2,729 and Mary Kay Schwope, 2,650. In fourth place was non-incumbent Democrat Bernard Phelan, 2,620, followed by Democratic incumbent Shirley Humphrey; Republican incumbent Cynthia Lummis; Democratic incumbent Pat Hacker, and Democratic non-incumbents Edith Garcia and Charles Frenthcway. Running out of the top ten were Republican non-incumbents April Brimmer Kunz, a former legislator, Ben Zavorka, Ed Sencabaugh, Jayne Mockler, Dean Fogg, Henry Bailey, William F.

(Bill) White, and Tom Lindsey and Democratic non-incumbent Eileen Oldenburg. The most divisive issue to arise during the Laramie County race was funding for the University of Wyoming. Most ot the aspirants opposed more money for the university, but Bailey, Schwope, Phelan and White gave priority to funding for UW. PINEDALE Republican Rep. Dan Budd squeeked by his low-key race for re-election Tuesday.

With all nine precincts reporting, Budd had 1,124 votes while his Democratic opponent Cornelius "Cork" Kelly garnered 1,058 votes. "We worked very hard. We ran a good clean race," said Kelly shortly after the results were in. "The good old boy system is very tough to beat." Budd was in Omaha, Neb. selling cows and could not be reached for comment.

Kelly faced an uphill battle in Sublette County, which has just 372 registered Democrats compared to about 2,000 registered Republicans. Meanwhile, the lone Republican in the Sweetwater County I louse race rode a top ballot spot to defeat. With all 30 precincts reporting, Republican Jay Lyon had garnered 6,295 votes in his race against five Democratic incumbents. Chris Plant, who had the next lowest tally, maintained a decisive lead with 7,237 votes. "I feel really good about it," said Lyon, asserting that "we did everything we could" despite the defeat in the Democratic stronghold.

Asked about possible future races, he said, "You never know," adding that he would be taking a "good hard look" at how his campaign might have been more effective. Lyon had the advantage of the top line on all the new, electronically scanned ballots while Plant and the other Democrats were derogated to rotating their various ballot positions by precinct. That arrangement prompted an unsuccessful Democratic court challenge which briefly threatened the holding of the general election on Tuesday. The top Sweetwater vote getter in the House race was Rep. Louise Ryckman with 8,563 votes.

Rep. ..1 AMBER TRAVSKY First legislative race off Republican Loren "Tcense" Willford's bid for his former seat. Harrison led with 102 votes; O'Toole had 94, Vasey 90 and Willfordonly40. And sparse results from the Carbon County Sheriff's race indicated a strong possibility that incumbent Republican Don Sherrod might be unseated. Challenger Chet Engstrom was leading Sherrod handily, 95 to 41.

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