This has been my first election cycle in Wyoming and it has been a rather eventful one to observe.

The campaign started with a jolt last summer when Liz Cheney jumped into the Senate race, announcing she intended to defeat Sen. Mike Enzi for the Republican nomination.

Enzi quickly said he would run for the party’s nod and fully intended to keep his seat.

A friend of mine who has worked in Washington, D.C., for more than a quarter century tried to tell me last summer that Enzi would drop out and Cheney, fueled by her father Dick’s name and deep pockets, would be the GOP nominee.

I had to tell him that I had just spoken with Enzi and he repeatedly said his hat was in the ring. While Washington was buzzing with rumors and conjecture, Enzi was doing what he has done for decades — touring the state, talking with people and shaking hands. He is a masterful retail campaigner.

Wyoming residents then witnessed the Cheney campaign spin out of control. Liz got into an online debate with her sister Mary, who is in a same-sex marriage, over gay unions. That was uncomfortable to watch unfold.

Cheney’s mother Lynne had a dust-up in Cody with former Sen. Al Simpson, upset that Simpson was supporting Enzi. That also created headlines and TV reports that surely did not help the challenger.

All this was closely watched by the media in Wyoming, the U.S. and the world. A British reporter attended the 2013 Big Horn Basin TEA Party picnic, telling me the name Cheney was still big news to his readers.

Finally, after repeated stumbles, and with polls showing Enzi with a big lead, Cheney dropped out, citing concerns about one of her children’s health. Enzi soon had four low-profile, underfunded and widely unknown challengers.

As veteran Wyoming journalist Bill Sniffin put it, among the saddest people over Cheney’s withdrawal were newspaper publishers and TV station managers, who saw a pile of money that would have been spent in the race vanish.

The three-way battle for the Republican nomination for governor was another interesting race to observe.

I interviewed Gov. Matt Mead, Superintendent of Public Instruction Cindy Hill and Dr. Taylor Haynes during the race. All were well-spoken and tried to make a strong case why they should lead the state.

Haynes was to me the most interesting. I interviewed him by phone four or five times before I saw him speak on the Northwest College campus in March. He proved to be quick-witted, and unafraid of tossing red meat to the conservative audience.

Calling President Barack Obama an “idiot” and promising to open Yellowstone National Park up for drilling and forestry, while also vowing to lock up federal workers was a sure way to draw applause from that crowd. When I saw a measured, even reserved and professorial Haynes during the PBS debate between the three of them last week I had to check to ensure it was the same man.

I was invited to join the panel for a pair of PBS debates on Aug. 12. After a drive to Riverton, I sat in with two other journalists and we peppered the GOP candidates for superintendent of public instruction and Congress.

While I have been accused of having a face for radio and a voice for print, it was rather enjoyable. If you’re dying to see it, go to www.wyomingpbs.org/debates.php. Be aware the camera adds 50 pounds.

I took part in two of the televised debates but watched all or part of all of them. They were educational and at times amusing.

One of the Republican Senate hopefuls, Thomas Bleming, was introduced at the GOP Senate debate on PBS on Aug. 14 as a Vietnam veteran, an award-winning photojournalist and a mercenary.

That was a new one for me.

I met Bleming at the Big Horn Basin TEA Party picnic earlier in the month. I was walking to the tent where Ted Nugent was to speak when Bleming caught my eye.

He was speaking with people, handing out campaign material and asking for their vote. I also noticed a semi-automatic weapon he had placed on the hood of his car, which was also something I had not seen before in a campaign setting.

About 3,770 votes chose the man who was called the “mystery candidate,” James “Coaltrain” Gregory. Ol’ “Coaltrain” made no campaign appearances and did not come to the PBS debate. But with that nickname, he deserves being mentioned.

There are two other candidates who are rather unique.

Democratic Senate hopeful William Bryk is from Brooklyn, N.Y., but he ran in Wyoming. Bryk didn’t make it out of the primary, but the Democratic U.S. House candidate in the general election on Nov. 4 is Richard Grayson of Apache Junction, Ariz., — and formerly of Brooklyn.

Not sure why guys from Brooklyn are drawn to seek office in the wide-open spaces of Wyoming, but they have added a dab or two of color to the campaign.

Grayson is a 63-year-old writer who specializes in short fiction and humor. He’s gay, has not spent much time in Wyoming and said he is well aware he has absolutely no chance of winning.

While candidates for local and statewide office must be Wyoming residents, anyone from any state can run for national office. They would have to move here and establish residence if elected, but I don’t think there’s much chance of that.

Enzi, on the other hand, had a different approach. The three-term senator traveled the state serving root-beer floats. He seems headed for a fourth term this fall unless Democratic candidate Charlie Hardy pulls a huge upset,

If Enzi wins, he will become only the fourth senator in state history to claim four or more terms in the Senate. It’s worth noting that until 1914, U.S. senators were not elected by the people; they were appointed by legislatures.

Francis E. Warren, a Republican, was appointed or elected seven times, serving five full terms before he died in 1929. Joseph O’Mahoney, a Democrat, was elected/appointed six times — he was twice named to fill a seat when a senator died — and Clarence D. Clark, a Republican, was appointed or elected four times, although his first term was truncated, as he filled a seat when Warren briefly left the Senate in 1893.

Enzi would need to serve three more full terms, and since he is 70, that seems unlikely. But don’t underestimate him — just ask Liz Cheney.