Wyoming State Senate

Wyoming State Senate

Summary

The Wyoming Senate is the upper house of the Wyoming State Legislature. There are 30 Senators in the Senate, representing an equal number of constituencies across Wyoming, each with a population of at least 17,000. The Senate meets at the Wyoming State Capitol in Cheyenne.

Members of the Senate serve four year terms without term limits. Term limits were declared unconstitutional by the Wyoming Supreme Court in 2004, overturning a decade-old law that had restricted Senators to three terms (twelve years).

Like other upper houses of state and territorial legislatures and the federal U.S. Senate, the Wyoming Senate can confirm or reject gubernatorial appointments to the state cabinet, commissions, boards, or justices to the Wyoming Supreme Court.

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The Wyoming Senate is the upper house of the Wyoming State Legislature. There are 31 Senators in the Senate, representing an equal number of constituencies across Wyoming, each with a population of at least 17,000. The Senate meets at the Wyoming State Capitol in Cheyenne.

Members of the Senate serve four-year terms without term limits. Term limits were declared unconstitutional by the Wyoming Supreme Court in 2004, overturning a decade-old law that had restricted Senators to three terms (twelve years).

Like other upper houses of state and territorial legislatures and the federal U.S. Senate, the Wyoming Senate can confirm or reject gubernatorial appointments to the state cabinet, commissions, boards, or justices to the Wyoming Supreme Court.

Composition of the Senate

AffiliationParty
(Shading indicates majority caucus)
Total
RepublicanDemocraticVacant
End of 67th Legislature29231[a]0
Beginning of 68th Legislature292310
Latest voting share94%6%
  1. ^ A 31st district was created during redistricting.

Leadership

Wyoming, along with Arizona, Maine, and Oregon, is one of the four U.S. states to have abolished the Office of the Lieutenant Governor, a position which for most upper houses of state legislatures and indeed for the U.S. Congress (with the Vice President) is at least the nominal head of the legislative body. Instead, a separate position of Senate President is in place, removed from the Wyoming executive branch.

The current Senate President is Republican Bo Biteman of District 21 (Ranchester).

PositionNamePartyDistrict
President of the SenateBo BitemanRepublican 21
Senate Vice PresidentTim SalazarRepublican26
Majority LeaderTara NethercottRepublican4
Minority LeaderMike GierauDemocratic17
Minority WhipChris RothfussDemocratic9

Members of the Wyoming Senate

DistrictRepresentativePartyResidenceCounties RepresentedNested House districts[1]First electedNext election
1Ogden DriskillRepublicanDevils TowerCampbell, Crook, WestonHD 1, HD 5220102026
2Brian BonerRepublicanDouglasConverse, PlatteHD 6, HD 622015*2028
3Cheri SteinmetzRepublicanLingleGoshen, Niobrara, WestonHD 2, HD 520182026
4Tara NethercottRepublicanCheyenneLaramieHD 7, HD 820162028
5Lynn HutchingsRepublicanCheyenneLaramieHD 12, HD 4220182026
6Taft LoveRepublicanCheyenneLaramieHD 4, HD 102025*2026 (special)
7Stephan PappasRepublicanCheyenneLaramieHD 9, HD 4120142026
8Jared OlsenRepublicanCheyenneLaramieHD 11, HD 4420242028
9Chris RothfussDemocraticLaramieAlbanyHD 13, HD 4520102026
10Gary CrumRepublicanLaramieAlbanyHD 14, HD 4620242028
11Larry S. HicksRepublicanBaggsAlbany, CarbonHD 13, HD 4520102026
12John KolbRepublicanRock SpringsFremont, SweetwaterHD 17, HD 4820202028
13Stacy JonesRepublicanRock SpringsSweetwaterHD 39, HD 6020222026
14Laura Taliaferro PearsonRepublicanKemmererLincoln, Sublette, Sweetwater, UintaHD 18, HD 2020242028
15Wendy Davis SchulerRepublicanEvanstonUintaHD 19, HD 4920182026
16Dan DockstaderRepublicanAftonLincoln, Sublette, TetonHD 21, HD 2220082028
17Mike GierauDemocraticJackson HoleTetonHD 16, HD 2320182026
18Tim FrenchRepublicanPowellParkHD 24, HD 5020202028
19Dan LaursenRepublicanPowellBig Horn, ParkHD 25, HD 2620142026
20Ed CooperRepublicanTen SleepBig Horn, Hot Springs, Park, WashakieHD 27, HD 2820202028
21Bo BitemanRepublicanRanchesterSheridanHD 29, HD 30, HD 40, HD 51[a]20182026
22Barry CragoRepublicanBuffaloSheridan, Johnson20242028
23Eric BarlowRepublicanGilletteCampbellHD 3, HD 3120222026
24Troy McKeownRepublicanGilletteCampbellHD 32, HD 5320202028
25Cale CaseRepublicanLanderFremontHD 33, HD 5419982026
26Tim SalazarRepublicanRivertonFremontHD 34, HD 5520202028
27Bill LandenRepublicanCasperNatronaHD 35, HD 362007*2026
28James Lee AndersonRepublicanCasperNatronaHD 56, HD 5720122028
29Bob IdeRepublicanCasperNatronaHD 37, HD 592022*[2]2026
30Charles ScottRepublicanCasperNatronaHD 38, HD 5819822028
31Evie BrennanRepublicanCheyenneLaramieHD 43, HD 6120222026
*Senator was originally appointed

Current committees and members

History

Women in the Senate

SenatorPartyResidenceSenate TermNotes
Dora McGrathRepublicanThermopolis1931–1933First woman in the Wyoming Senate[3][4]
Willa Wales CorbittDemocraticRiverton1965-1969
Edness Kimball WilkinsDemocraticCasper1967-1973First woman to serve as Speaker of the Wyoming House of Representatives[5]
June BoyleDemocraticLaramie1973–1985
Catherine ParksRepublicanGillette1979–1985
Win HickeyDemocraticCheyenne1981–1991
Lisa F. KinneyDemocraticLaramie1985–1995
Della HerbstDemocraticSheridan1987–1993
Harriet Elizabeth ByrdDemocraticCheyenne1989–1993First African-American to serve in the State Legislature[6][7]
Susan C. AndersonDemocraticCasper1993–1995
April Brimmer-KunzRepublicanCheyenne1993–2005First female President of the Senate
Barbara CubinRepublicanCasper1993–1995Resigned to become U.S. Representative
Cynthia LummisRepublicanCheyenne1993–1995Later served as State Treasurer, U.S. Representative, and U.S. Senator
Mary MacGuireRepublicanCasper1993–1995Son Joe MacGuire currently serves in the Wyoming House of Representatives
Irene DevinRepublicanLaramie1997–2005
Rae Lynn JobDemocraticRock Springs1997–2009
E. Jayne MocklerDemocraticCheyenne1997–2009
Kathryn SessionsDemocraticCheyenne1999–2011
Jana H. GunterDemocraticCheyenne2004–2005
Patricia AullmanRepublicanThayne2005–2009
Saundra MeyerDemocraticEvanston2009–2011
Leslie NuttingRepublicanCheyenne2011–2015
Bernadine CraftDemocraticRock Springs2013–2017
Liisa Anselmi-DaltonDemocraticRock Springs2017–2021
Affie EllisRepublicanCheyenne2017–2025Member of the Navajo Nation, first Native American to serve in the Wyoming Senate.[8]
Tara NethercottRepublicanCheyenne2017–present
Wendy Davis SchulerRepublicanEvanston2019–present
Lynn HutchingsRepublicanCheyenne2019–present
Cheri SteinmetzRepublicanLingle2019–present
Evie BrennanRepublicanCheyenne2023–present
Stacy JonesRepublicanRock Springs2023–present
Laura Taliaferro PearsonRepublicanKemmerer2025–present

Past composition of the Senate

Main article: Political party strength in Wyoming

Recent composition

AffiliationParty
(Shading indicates majority caucus)
Total
RepublicanDemocraticVacant
57th Legislature (2003–2004)2010300
58th Legislature (2005–2006)237300
59th Legislature (2007–2008)237300
60th Legislature (2009–2010)237300
61st Legislature (2011–2012)264300
62nd Legislature (2013–2014)264300
63rd Legislature (2015–2016)264300
64th Legislature (2017–2018)273300
65th Legislature (2019–2020)273300
66th Legislature (2021–2022)282300
67th Legislature (2023–2024)29231[b]0

Historical composition

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Only two senate districts not nested.
  2. ^ A 31st district was created during redistricting.

References

  1. ^ "HB0100 - Redistricting of the legislature". Wyoming Legislature. Retrieved November 29, 2024.
  2. ^ LaChance, Brendan (December 6, 2022). "Casper's Bob Ide sworn in to Wyoming Senate District 29 seat". Oil City News. Retrieved August 28, 2025.
  3. ^ "Wyoming Women in the Legislature" (PDF). Historical Information. Wyoming: Wyoming Ssecretary of State Office. 2010. Retrieved March 29, 2010.
  4. ^ "Nation's 147 Women Legislators Active". The Palm Beach Post. Associated Press. January 19, 1931. Retrieved March 29, 2010.("In Wyoming, where women have been voting since 1869, Mrs. Dora McGrath is the first woman ever elected to the senate. Following her election last September she remarked that rather than go down to the legislature she would prefer to 'stay home and win prizes for my apple pies.'")
  5. ^ American legislative leaders in the West, 1911-1994. Sharp, Nancy Weatherly., Sharp, James Roger, 1936-. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press. 1997. ISBN 031330212X. OCLC 35138609.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  6. ^ University of Wyoming-UW Profiles Harriet Elizabeth "Liz" Byrd
  7. ^ "Liz" Byrd, first black woman in Wyoming House, dies at 88"
  8. ^ "First Native American". Women in Wyoming. Archived from the original on August 4, 2020. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
  9. ^ Trenholm, Virginia Cole (August 1974). Wyoming Blue Book, Volume One (PDF) (First ed.). Cheyenne, Wyoming: Wyoming State Archives and Historical Division. pp. 151–171. Retrieved March 6, 2025.
  10. ^ Trenholm, Virginia Cole (August 1974). Wyoming Blue Book, Volume Two (PDF) (First ed.). Cheyenne, Wyoming: Wyoming State Archives and Historical Division. pp. 253–378. Retrieved March 6, 2025.
  11. ^ Trenholm, Virginia Cole (August 1974). Wyoming Blue Book, Volume Three (PDF) (First ed.). Cheyenne, Wyoming: Wyoming State Archives and Historical Division. pp. 52–90. Retrieved March 6, 2025.
  12. ^ Jost, Loren (1991). Wyoming Blue Book, Volume Four (PDF) (First ed.). Cheyenne, Wyoming: Wyoming State Archives, Department of Commerce. pp. 158–192. Retrieved March 6, 2025.
  13. ^ Roberts, Phillip J. (2008). Wyoming Blue Book, Volume Five (PDF). Cheyenne, Wyoming: Wyoming State Archives, State Parks and Cultural Resources Department. pp. 58–93. Retrieved March 6, 2025.

41°08′25″N 104°49′13″W / 41.14028°N 104.82028°W / 41.14028; -104.82028

source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wyoming_Senate

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