Senator Mike Enzi has been leading the polls by nearly three times as much as Charlie Hardy since July. Instead of being concerned over poll numbers, both candidates are prioritizing reaching out to the public. Enzi said heis more focused on the legislation and issues with the democrats in congress than his poll numbers. “I don’t pay much attention to the polls because I focus more on the opinions of people in Wyoming and what they are looking for,” Enzi said. Enzi said one of his primary concerns within congressional legislation involves the nation’s debt crisis. Enzi said his Penny Plan involves cutting one cent from every dollar that the federal government spends. The goal of Enzi’s Penny Plan is to create a budget for the federal government’s spending and reduce the national debt. Enzi will also focus on the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB). “The more years that a person is in school means more money and opportunities for them in the future,” Enzi said. Education is very important, Enzi said, and his concern for students is that the act focuses more on the teachers and administration within schools. “Focusing on the students education is the point of this act, especially in rural areas of Wyoming,” said Enzi. Instead of regulations and laws being created by the Federal Government, Enzi said he is certain that states should be the ones to decide what works specifically for their schools. Enzi’s challenger for the senate seat is Democrat Charlie Hardy. Hardy’s priorities if elected focus on raising the minimum wage, the national debt and the equality of women. “Everyone in Congress needs to have both an eye exam and a hearing test,” said Hardy. “My plan is to fight for what is right for the people, and I believe congress is not considering the people anymore.” Being willing to work with anyone, Hardy said, is what makes him different from the incumbent. Senator Enzi has been in congress for 18 years, and Hardy said he believes Enzi has become a career politician, which should never happen in congress. Voting against the Violence Against Women Act and against the increase of minimum wage were mistakes, Hardy said. “If there is anything that I have noticed while traveling throughout Wyoming, it is that there are many people working over 40 hours per week just to provide for their families,” said Hardy. Even though Enzi is against raising the minimum wage, Hardy said a 40-hour workweek is supposed to sufficiently provide for a small family and that in Wyoming, it just is not possible. When it comes to healthcare and education, Hardy said he believes both issues should be used as a commodity, but as a right. “I believe that all education should be free-even up to a Doctorate Program,” Hardy said. “Unfortunately, the United States is one of the few nations that doesn’t consider much when it comes to healthcare,” Hardy said. “We need to focus more on healthcare assurance instead of insurance.” Concerning the national debt, Hardy has several ideas to reduce spending, which includes fair taxing, corporate welfare and defense expenses.
