The winner of the Senate District 27 race in the Nov. 4 general election will represent a geographically small -- in Wyoming terms -- but a developmentally huge area.

The district -- comprising House districts 35 and 36 -- includes Casper's east side, Evansville and the land east to the Converse County Line.

As the district has grown in commerce and neighborhoods, it has grown in Republican strength.

Yet this election marks the first time since 1992 that a Democrat has run for the office.

Republican Sen. Bill Landen was appointed to the position in 2007 to succeed Dr. John Barrasso, who was named to fill the U.S. Senate post vacated by the late Sen. Craig Thomas.

So why the heck is Democrat and political newcomer Dr. Bert Toews even considering running?

"I've been a person known to have strong opinions," Toews said, adding that family and friends persuaded him to run. "It is an uphill fight, but I'm finding a lot of support."

However, as of Friday, 67.1 percent of the 4,857 registered voters in HD 35 were Republicans, 22.4 percent were Democrats, 10.2 percent were unaffiliated or Libertarians.

In House District 36, 55.6 percent of the 3,385 registered voters were Republicans, 33.9 percent were Democrats, 10.4 percent were unaffiliated or Libertarians.

Issues

Some of the issues facing the district and the state transcend party lines, but Landen and Toews differed on other matters.

Property taxes:

As the district has grown, so have the concerns over property taxes, Landen and Toews said.

Many constituents are on fixed incomes, and their houses have risen in value while their ability to pay higher property taxes has not, they said.

While Landen has been asked to do something in the Legislature, he'd like to see more use made of existing programs such as tax deferral programs and homestead exemptions, he said.

Landen has considered the idea of proposing a cap on how much property taxes can go up in a year, but he also recognizes the counterargument that the higher values are a result of the free market system and a cap would deprive the counties of revenue.

Toews said he supports Gov. Dave Freudenthal's homestead exemption act proposal to help provide property tax relief for Wyomingites. An estimated $30 to $50 million would be set aside for property tax relief.

Fuel taxes: Landen, who serves on the Joint Transportation, Highways and Military Affairs Interim Committee, generally opposes both an increase in fuel taxes and a toll on the interstate highways in the state for large trucks.

Toews doesn't have a fixed opinion, but he said the fuel taxes on vehicles along Interstate 80 are not enough to cover the costs of the damages to the highway.

Health care: About 21 percent of state funds support health care services, mostly Medicaid, Landen said. He'd like to see more done with senior citizens, whose community centers are often the heart of small towns.

Landen would focus more on primary care and recruitment and retention of physicians, he said.

Toews, an addiction medicine specialist, favors strengthening the state's insurance commission to make insurance companies more accountable and more equitable. To that end, he supports the Coalition for Wyoming Insurance Solutions for Healthcare, or C-WISH, to help solve problems with accessing insurance benefits.

Community colleges: Both Landen, associate vice president of student services at Casper College, and Toews said they believe the current community college system works well, and dislike the idea of a more centralized system.

Stricter penalties for drunken driving: Landen helped sponsor a bill to require anyone arrested for drunken driving to be placed on a mandatory hold in jail until sober before being released.

However, Toews said asking whether the state should have stricter penalties is the wrong question. About half of those who receive first-time citations for driving under the influence have a drinking problem, and the other half are just stupid.

"We need the first DUI to be a full clinical event," Toews said. Everyone arrested should be examined to see whether they have an alcohol addiction, and mandate treatment for those who do. If someone fails to go through treatment, the punishment for the second DUI should be very harsh, he said.

Smoking ban: Landen does not favor any smoking ban unless it allows for exemptions. "I do think it should be a local option," he said.

Toews strongly disagreed.

"We know [a ban] is going to happen. Why not be a leader?"

Smoking and second-hand smoke is harmful, especially to young people who work in businesses where smoking is allowed, he said. "Having a smoke-free area of a restaurant is like having a pee-free area of a swimming pool."

Encouraging economic diversification: Landen favors continued support for the Wyoming Business Council's Business Ready Community Grant and Loan Program. "We've got a good structure in place to keep taxes low and keep businesses [competitive]."

Toews wants to build on the state's strong legacy of energy development, and continue the alternative energy work going on at the University of Wyoming.

Worker and housing shortages: Landen believes the Legislature could help local governments to reduce barriers to installing infrastructure, as well as asking industry to help pay for the housing for the workers it recruits to Wyoming.

Toews also would like to see the Legislature offer incentives for more housing, adding that it cannot mandate building housing.

Reach Tom Morton at (307) 266-0592, or at Tom.Morton@trib.com.