In elections for the Wyoming Legislature, every vote counts. 

This is especially true in the primary elections, which tend to have very low turnout but also essentially decide who will win the seat in most races.

In a new series, EVERY VOTE COUNTS, Better Wyoming looks at primary elections from recent years for the Wyoming House and Senate that featured two very different candidates and were decided by just a handful of ballots.

This should serve as a reminder that your vote matters, and encouragement to commit to vote in both the primary and general elections in 2026.

RACE: Senate District 28 - south Casper

YEAR: 2024

OUTCOME: 

Anderson - 1,304 votes

Reece - 1,274 votes

MARGIN OF VICTORY: 30 votes

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The Wyoming Senate was closely divided during the 2025 and 2026 legislative sessions, with votes on bills and budget amendments—and even the selection of the Senate President—coming down to a 16-15 split in the 31-member chamber.

It turned out that the fate of much legislation hung on just 30 votes cast in the incredibly close race for Senate District 28 in Natrona County.

The 2024 primary election between incumbent Sen. Jim Anderson and challenger Bryce Reece pitted two very different candidates against one another.

Sen. Anderson is a longtime state lawmaker who aligned with the traditional, moderate branch of his Republican Party. He has served as Wyoming Senate President, received endorsements from many of his sitting colleagues, and was Wyoming co-chair for Mitt Romney’s 2012 presidential bid.

Sen. Anderson has long prioritized support for public education, and he voted against a bill in 2024 that would have repealed gun-free zones in schools.

Reece sought to differentiate himself from Sen. Anderson and his traditional Republican allies in every way during the campaign. He was an avowed supporter of the Wyoming Freedom Caucus and especially Rep. Jeanette Ward, whose House seat overlapped Senate District 28.

Reece’s platform included abolishing property taxes and instilling more religion in government. His campaign frequently issued direct attacks at Sen. Anderson, as well as his allies like Gov. Mark Gordon, calling them “leftists” and “barely disguised socialists.”

Reece won the support of the Make Liberty Win PAC, which spent nearly $400,000 on mailers supporting Freedom Caucus-aligned candidates in the 2024 Wyoming GOP primaries.

In the end, however, Sen. Anderson eked out a re-election victory. Had 31 voters in Senate District 28 stayed home on Primary Election Day, the votes from that seat and the Senate as a whole could have been much different.