In the end, her opponents’ attacks didn’t stick much.

“I really think that the voters of Wyoming have always been focused on substance and policy, and I’m really proud of the campaign we ran,” Cheney said. “It was one focused on issues.”

Stubson and Christensen, both state lawmakers, tried to bill themselves as moderate and practical. Cheney, along with Darin Smith, a Cheyenne attorney who does humanitarian work with the Christian Broadcasting Network, were more socially conservative. Both Cheney and Smith said, for instance, that Planned Parenthood trafficked in human body parts, based on a video created by an anti-abortion rights group that has widely been dismissed as creatively edited.

Stubson said it was hard to compete with a smaller budget.

“Certainly the resources play a role in it,” he said, speaking from a vote watch party at FireRock Steakhouse in Casper. “And when you have to get your message out and you have that sort of budget, it makes it difficult. We did work hard and we had great supporters great volunteers across the state. I’m proud of the work they did, knowing they were trying to move the state forward.”