(GILLETTE, Wyo.) — Wyoming Republican U.S. Sen. Mike Enzi announced Saturday that he will not run for a fifth term in 2020, costing the GOP a loyal conservative senator but likely not the seat.
Enzi, 75, announced his pending retirement in his hometown of Gillette, where he owned a shoe store and “never intended to get into politics.” But his election as mayor in 1974 was the start of a successful political career that led him to the Senate in 1996.
“I have much to get done in the next year and a half,” he said. “I want to focus on budget reform. I don’t want to be burdened by the distractions of another campaign. After this year, I’ll find other ways to serve.”