1988 Wyoming Senate election
November 8, 1988
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15 out of 30 seats in the Wyoming Senate 16 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in Wyoming |
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The 1988 Wyoming Senate election was held on November 8, 1988, to determine which party would control the Wyoming Senate for the following two years in the 50th Wyoming State Legislature. Fifteen of the 30 seats in the Wyoming Senate were up for election. Prior to the election, 19 seats were held by Republicans and 11 seats were held by Democrats. The general election saw neither party gain nor lose any seats, thereby meaning that Republicans retained their majority in the State Senate.[1]
Retirements
Democrats
- Big Horn: Frank T. Hinckley retired.
- Sweetwater: John R. Schmidt retired.
Republicans
- Laramie: Richard R. Larson retired.
- Park: Robert W. Frisby retired.
- Platte: Donald R. Cundall retired.
- Sheridan: Carleton F. Perry retired.
Incumbents defeated
In primary
Democrats
- Laramie: Alvin Wiederspahn lost renomination to James L. Applegate and Liz Byrd.
Closest races
Seats where the margin of victory was under 10%:
- Sheridan, 4.54%
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Lisa Kinney (incumbent) | 7,239 | 63.07% | |
| Republican | Ted Gertsch | 4,238 | 36.93% | |
| Total votes | 11,477 | 100.0% | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Allan Howard | 2,632 | 57.38% | |
| Democratic | Francis Hecker | 1,955 | 42.62% | |
| Total votes | 4,587 | 100.0% | ||
| Republican gain from Democratic | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | John Perry (incumbent) | 8,873 | 39.69% | |
| Republican | Kelly Mader (incumbent) | 7,079 | 31.67% | |
| Democratic | Lawrence J. Hunter | 3,277 | 14.66% | |
| Democratic | Ruth Slater | 3,124 | 13.98% | |
| Total votes | 22,353 | 100.0% | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
| Republican hold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Frank Dusl (incumbent) | 8,341 | 100.0% | |
| Total votes | 8,341 | 100.0% | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Russell W. Zimmer | 3,724 | 58.29% | |
| Democratic | Anne Gardetto | 2,665 | 41.71% | |
| Total votes | 6,389 | 100.0% | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Liz Byrd | 15,122 | 28.69% | |
| Democratic | James L. Applegate | 13,878 | 26.33% | |
| Republican | John Clay | 12,881 | 24.44% | |
| Republican | Richard M. Baker | 10,821 | 20.53% | |
| Total votes | 52,702 | 100.0% | ||
| Democratic gain from Republican | ||||
| Democratic hold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Dan Sullivan (incumbent) | 16,339 | 35.88% | |
| Republican | Diemer True (incumbent) | 15,904 | 34.92% | |
| Democratic | Linda Burkhart | 7,642 | 16.78% | |
| Democratic | Lowell Stephens | 5,657 | 12.42% | |
| Total votes | 52,702 | 100.0% | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
| Republican hold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Hank Coe | 6,244 | 64.34% | |
| Democratic | Felix Bessler | 3,460 | 35.66% | |
| Total votes | 9,704 | 100.0% | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Jim Geringer | 2,614 | 65.48% | |
| Democratic | A. Edward Kendig | 1,378 | 34.52% | |
| Total votes | 3,992 | 100.0% | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Tom Kinnison | 5,557 | 52.29% | |
| Democratic | James Bankes | 5,070 | 47.71% | |
| Total votes | 10,627 | 100.0% | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Carl Maldonado | 9,756 | 100.0% | |
| Total votes | 9,756 | 100.0% | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | John Fanos (incumbent) | 4,208 | 73.26% | |
| Republican | Ken Near | 1,536 | 26.74% | |
| Total votes | 5,744 | 100.0% | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
References
- ^ "50th Legislature" (PDF). wyoarchives.wyo.gov. Retrieved December 14, 2025.