Sen. Anthony Bouchard, a legislative lightning rod who clashed with colleagues and sparked controversies while pushing to expand gun rights, is retiring, he announced Wednesday.
“I never thought of elected office as a lifetime position,” he said in a statement. “I’m proud of winning four hotly contested races in District 6. And I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished for my district and for the state. But now it’s time for someone new.”
During his seven years in office, the state senator representing District 6 — a large portion of southeast Wyoming that currently includes Wheatland, Pine Bluffs and areas around Cheyenne — plowed headlong into contentious issues, including fighting against COVID-related restrictions, successfully banning gender-affirming care for trans youth, and working to eliminate gun-free zones in Wyoming.
He often stirred controversy both locally and nationally, including when he challenged then-Rep. Liz Cheney for her congressional post and revealed he’d impregnated a 14-year-old when he was 18. Via a social media post, he also suggested White House Chief Medical Advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci was a liar and should be executed.
Bouchard was once even stripped of committee assignments as punishment for what Senate leadership characterized as a “pattern” of behavior that included name-calling and intimidation tactics.
His critics are manifold, including health care experts, education advocates and LGBTQ+ groups. But he also found support from gun advocates, COVID skeptics and parts of the far right.
While Bouchard is stepping back, plenty of others are stepping up to take his place. As of Thursday morning, six Republican candidates were vying for Senate District 6 — the largest primary field by far this year in Wyoming.
Playing the field
Bouchard has endorsed Cheyenne attorney Darin Smith as a replacement, saying that Wyoming is “at a crossroads.”
“If we sit back and do nothing, the RINOs in Cheyenne will turn our state into the next Colorado in less than ten years,” Bouchard stated. “Now, more than ever, we need legislators who will fight for our conservative principles. As I retire from the Senate, I believe Darin Smith will be that fighter.”
Smith ran for Wyoming’s lone U.S. House seat in 2016 and 2022, but was unsuccessful.
However, he has continued to make waves, including a 2021 call for conservatives to challenge books and mask mandates at Laramie County School District No. 1 where his wife is a school board member.
Smith did not respond to requests for comment.
Another candidate is finance industry longtimer Kim Withers, who told WyoFile she thinks it’s a crowded field because people want to “see real folks solving real issues.”
“I think they’re tired of the headline news,” she said, referring to issues that may be more for entertainment than of real importance to Wyomingites. “It goes from minute to minute.”
Withers aims to support infrastructure, parental rights, property tax reform and help the population age in place. But she acknowledged that this particular race may devolve into personal attacks beyond issues that are important to the candidates.
“Action speaks louder than words, and I have a history of solving problems and collaborating,” she said. “And I haven’t delved in[to] mudslinging, and it’s not particular[ly] in my wheelhouse.”
Also running is Taft Love, who chairs the county GOP and is a former Wyoming Game & Fish Department employee. He didn’t respond to requests for comment.
There are some non-Cheyenne residents vying for the position, too, including Eric Johnston from the Wheatland area. He’s a former county commissioner who told WyoFile in a statement that he wants to represent rural Platte County residents who’ve been grouped into Senate District 6 after a redistricting in 2022.
“I wanted to offer rural SE Wyoming residents a choice for representation other than a man from Cheyenne,” he said, noting that Bouchard lived in the Cheyenne area. “When I speak to groups, I tell them about my ‘3-R’s’ – Respectful Rural Representation.”
While the race is crowded, Johnston said he’s pleased that voters will have more choice, comparing the race to shopping for a truck.
“Some folks like Chevrolet, some Ford and some Ram,” he wrote. “Now, the shopper even has the choice of Toyota and Honda.”
Rounding out the group are Gary Bjorklund of Wheatland and Pine Bluffs rancher and businessman Marc Torriani. Neither returned a request for comment by publishing time.
The Senate District 6 field is the largest primary cohort for a legislative district in nearly two decades. It has only been surpassed in the last 26 years — the earliest records posted on the Secretary of State website — by a Cheyenne race in 2006. In that race for Senate District 5, there were seven candidates.
Candidates have until 5:00 p.m. on Friday, May 31 to file.
This story will be updated with more information as it becomes available.
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