Sen. Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.) prevailed over four primary challengers on Tuesday night, setting him up to face the Democratic nominee in November as he runs for his fourth term. If he wins re-election in November, he will be the state's second longest-serving senator.
Enzi defeated Bryan Miller, an Air Force veteran and business consultant. Miller worked as an advance staffer for Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton. In addition to Miller, he faced three other challengers in the primary.
Miller campaigned on the premise that Enzi was a member of the establishment who was more interested in serving entrenched interests than his constituents in Wyoming.
"Seniority is only good if you are doing the right things for Wyoming, if you're voting the way people in Wyoming want you to," Miller told the Casper Star-Tribune.
The primary race attracted national media attention last year when Liz Cheney, the daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, announced her intent to enter the race. Cheney had previously said that she would only run if Enzi decided to retire.
But Cheney dropped out of the race in January of this year, citing family health issues -- and clearing Enzi's path to the nomination. At the time, she had raised over $1 million for the campaign but was trailing in the polls.
Enzi, who is 70, has served in the Senate since 1997. He has argued that his seniority in the body is a boon to his constituents, which would otherwise lack the legislative clout of other states.
He has run a conservative campaign on the issues, deriding the administration's energy policies as a "war on coal" and pushing for a balanced federal budget. He has also said he would look to simplify the federal tax code.
He came under fire during the campaign for his support of an Internet sales tax, which Miller painted as government overreach. The tax is a policy initiative that Enzi has long supported.
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