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WASHINGTON – Sen. Michael B. Enzi, a Wyoming Republican, said Saturday that he would not run again at the end of his term, the third Republican senator to do so before the 2020 campaign.
Enzi, 75, who heads the Senate Budget Committee, has held the position since 1997, making him the oldest senator in modern Wyoming. Speaking at a press conference in his home country, he said he planned to spend the rest of his term focusing on the budget revision.
"I have a lot to do in the next 18 months," Enzi said. "I want to focus on budget reform to control our national debt."
"I do not want to be overwhelmed by the distractions of another campaign," he added.
Sen. John Barrasso, a Wyoming Republican, praised Enzi's tenure in the Senate as a "respected moral leader."
"He has never faltered in his commitment to God, family or Wyoming," Barrasso said in a statement.
Kentucky senator Mitch McConnell, the leader of the majority, described Enzi as a "thoughtful voice" who was "a powerful advocate for the people of Wyoming."
Mr. Enzi has a reputation for avoiding nasty TV fights and has kept a reliable Conservative ballot. His first bill and his latest bill, he noted on Saturday, were passed unanimously.
Mr. Enzi began his political career as mayor of Gillette, Wyo., Before sitting in the state legislature. He has passed more than 100 bills. A studious legislator, he has headed the Budget Committee since 2015. In his remarks announcing his retirement, he emphasized his involvement in the legislative reform of the 2017 tax reform by the Republic.
"I like being a senator, not for the title, not for recognition and certainly not for advertising," he said. "I like to solve federal problems for the people of Wyoming. I like to make laws. "
Enzi is the fourth senator to announce his intention to withdraw after two other Republicans, Pat Roberts from Kansas and Lamar Alexander from Tennessee and Democrat Tom Udall from New Mexico.
Its headquarters, in a state that President Trump won by 46 points in 2016, should remain in the hands of Republicans. The last Democratic senator to represent Wyoming left office in the 1970s.
It is unclear whether Representative Republican Liz Cheney in House No. 3, who has already challenged Mr. Enzi during a primary race, will attempt another chance, which would change the Republican leadership in the House. Mr. Enzi, in his remarks, said that he could see Ms. Cheney become the speaker someday. Ms. Cheney also told people in recent months how much she appreciated the House where her father, former Vice President Dick Cheney, had already sat.
Mr. Enzi "brought the values of our state into the national capital," Ms. Cheney said in a statement. He acknowledged that empowering people, not politicians, was the best way to increase opportunities, and he worked tirelessly to achieve this goal. "
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