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Mark Gordon secures GOP nomination for governor

Hugh Cook
/
Wyoming Public Media

IncumbentGov. Mark Gordon will move one step closer to the general election after securing the Republican nomination for governor. This comes after primary opponentsBrent Bien,James Scott Quick, andRex Rammell sought to unseat Gordon, who is nearing the end of his first term in office.

“Thanks to the people of Wyoming for showing up in force,” he said. “That's what makes our country work. It's nice that people are engaged. I'm looking forward to the dust settling a little bit and understanding kind of what the pieces are going to look like to really move Wyoming forward and make it as successful as we've always hoped it would be.”

Gordon said that while he’s been able to accomplish many of the objectives he initially set out to complete, there’s still more that he wants to do in a second term.

“I think one of the greatest successes is that we were able to meet the challenge of a revenue source that disappeared for a time,” Gordon said. “We didn't have to fall on our knees, Wyoming tightened its belt. We now have a budget, that's about $400 million less than it was before. And we're just not going to stop working on those issues as we move to the general [election].”

Gordon said some highlights from his first term included keeping the state as open as possible during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic as well as enhancing digital infrastructure and advocating for the state’s energy sector.

“When I was elected governor [it] was with the platform of making sure that Wyoming could diversify its economy, that we protected our legacy industries, while also becoming the real energy capital of the country. We were anxious to see broadband built out,” he added. “We knew that we had to do good work for agriculture, and we had to do good work for tourism, all of those very important parts of our economy. Most of that agenda, I think we were able to get done in some form or fashion.”

After securing the GOP nomination with around 62 percent of the vote, Gordan is planning an ambitious second term, which includes an emphasis on education in the state and the Wyoming innovation partnership.

Gordon will move on to face Democratic nominee Theresa Livingston, who clenched that nomination with just over 72 percent of the vote.

“Wyoming has a lot of work to do,” he said. “I'm really looking forward to working with the legislature. I hesitate to use the word, but confirmation of how well we're doing will help in making sure that the legislature and the governor can work together to address these really important issues that still face Wyoming.”

Hugh Cook is Wyoming Public Radio's Northeast Reporter, based in Gillette. A fourth-generation Northeast Wyoming native, Hugh joined Wyoming Public Media in October 2021 after studying and working abroad and in Washington, D.C. for the late Senator Mike Enzi.
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