It wasn’t called until after 11pm but a win is a win is a win.
Senate Majority Floor Leader Ogden Driskill, R-Devils Tower, survived two challengers to win the Republican primary on Tuesday night and will likely go on to lead Wyoming’s State Senate.
Driskill beat challengers Roger Connett and Bill Fortner receiving 2,547 votes while Connett had 2,105 votes and Fortner receiving 1,735 votes.
“I can’t tell you how lucky I feel that I am able to fulfill my last term,” Driskill told Cowboy State Daily. “The world has been dang nice to me. I had a feeling this red wave was coming and I would be a part of it.”
Driskill, who has the second highest office in the state senate, said he wasn’t taking the likely ascension to senate presidency for granted. He said he knows he’s going to have to work for it.
“I definitely want to be senate president,” Driskill said. “I want to be the second president of the senate in Crook County history. I am going to try to go get it.”
“But it’s a matter of votes and I know there are some people who do not want me to have it,” he said. “But I’m going to work for it.”
Former State Sen. Bruce Burns, a longtime legislator from Sheridan, said Driskill’s victory was a big loss for the Wyoming Gun Owners group (WYGO) who had Driskill down as enemy number one.
“Not a good night for the Dorr Brothers,” Burns said, alluding to the trio of siblings who run the gun advocacy group. “Their number one target was Ogden.”
Burns said Albert Sommers’ (R-Pinedale) victory in his primary and Anthony Bouchard’s third-place finish in the U.S. House race was further evidence of WYGO’s bad evening.
“They were also after Albert Sommers. He prevailed,” Burns said. “And Anthony Bouchard just got flat-out embarrassed.”
Bouchard had 2.6% of the vote in the U.S. House race.
