Eric Bingham and his wife, Elizabeth, concentrate as they stand amongst a group of county residents watching election returns at the Sweetwater County Courthouse Tuesday night.
Republicans made huge gains in Sweetwater County Tuesday night.
All three Republicans vying for seats on the Sweetwater County Board of County Commissioners won their electoral bids, while the Republican challengers for county sheriff and county clerk also made successful election bids.
Incumbent Randy Wendling received the most votes of the three Republicans, earning 7,987 according to unofficial results from the Sweetwater County Clerk's Office. Jeffery Smith and Roy Lloyd were only separated by three votes, with the two earning 5,612 and 5,609 respectively.
Democrats Joe Barbuto and incumbent Reid West earned 5,135 and 4,659 receptively.
For Smith, the next few months will be devoted to learning more about the role a county commissioner has and to introduce himself to more residents and county employees.
He said he knows a lot of people voted for him, but understands a lot also did not and wants to let people know he represents all county residents.
Lloyd said he was pleasantly surprised and humbled by the results, saying he plans to continue meeting with department heads to get himself up to speed by January. He admits there is a learning curve to the position, but plans to start by building relationships with both residents and county departments.
"It's about taking care of the citizens of Sweetwater County," Lloyd said.
Barbuto, despite not winning his election bid, said he is proud of the campaign he ran and is grateful for the support he received.
"They've got a big job ahead of them, but they're up to the challenge," Barbuto said.
Other county offices
Republican John Grossnickle earned a victory over Democrat incumbent Mike Lowell, securing 6,786 votes to Lowell's 6,040. Grossnickle said the support he received shows residents are ready for a different approach to law enforcement than the sheriff's office arresting their way out of situations. Grossnickle's campaign focused on proposing a community partnership between the sheriff's office and the county's residents, proposing outreach campaigns which give residents both a means to voice their concerns and an opportunity to work with the office to address those concerns.
Sweetwater County Attorney Daniel Erramouspe, who endorsed Grossnickle for sheriff last week, said it's a different era for law enforcement and many common problems require a different approach. He said Grossnickle has the ability and knowledge to do the job.
"I think he can bring a lot to law enforcement," Erramouspe said.
Republican challenger Cindy Lane defeated incumbent Democrat Dale Davis in her bid to become the next Sweetwater County Clerk. Lane received 7,580 votes, while Davis received 5,080.
For Clerk of District Court, Republican incumbent Donnalee Bobak defeated her Democrat challenger Annette Eychner to receive another term in office.
Bobak received 8,751 votes, while Eychner received 3,781. Bobak said she had a good opponent in the election, but said the county voters have spoken, saying she is appreciative by the support she received Tuesday.
At the county level, the Democrats sole victory in a contested race came when incumbent Dave Divis defeated Republican Perri Rubeck to remain Sweetwater County Assessor. Divis received 6,472 votes, while Rubeck received 5,966.
Erramouspe won his second term as the Sweetwater County Attorney in an uncontested race. Democrat incumbents Robb Slaughter and Dale Mahjanovich won re-election to Sweetwater County Treasurer and Sweetwater County Coroner respectively, with both men running uncontested.
Other elections
Republican challenger Tom James pulled off an upset by defeating longtime Democrat Senator John Hastert in Senate District 13.
According to unofficial results from the Wyoming Secretary of State's Office, James received 2,625 votes to Hastert's 2,108, while independent candidate Ted Barney secured 889 votes.
Many local house races were uncontested, with Democrats John Freeman and Stan Blake winning re-election in Green River.
Sweetwater County also showed a lot of support to retain and increase the county's lodging tax. Residents supported the proposal to charge 4 percent, with 10,130 votes in favor of the tax to 2,362 against.
The three judges on the ballot were allowed to retain their positions. Voters supported Craig Jones' retention with 8,453 votes to 2,606 against, while John Prokos received 8,593 in favor of his retention to 2,447 against, while Frank Zebre received 8,478 supporting his retention to 2,520 votes against it.
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