With Wyoming’s Primary Election less than two weeks away, the only national Republican race with competition is that of the House seat left open by retiring Rep. Barbara Cubin. Four candidates have stepped up.

Wyoming is an interesting political landscape. The GOP in Wyoming seems to be close to half full of voters who have no trouble casting a ballot or donating money across party lines. That, and the fact that Democrat Gary Trauner came within spitting distance of beating Cubin two years ago in November, makes the House race the most fun to watch from now through the General Election.

The four Republican House candidates are an interesting group because each is unique. Cynthia Lummis is backed by her experience in the Legislature and eight years as state treasurer. Mark Gordon seems to be the good ol’ boy who is fed up with Washington. Bill Winney draws on his military experience and desire to give back to the state. Michael Holland, a virtual unknown, is a doctor from Gillette.

On Monday evening, the quartet squared off in a debate on Wyoming PBS. Few sparks flew, however the hour did reveal the fact that the candidates are all quite different from one another.

If I had to call a winner of that debate, I would hand it to Lummis. Clearly the most well-spoken and dynamic candidate, she appeared bright, well prepared and extremely knowledgeable on all topics. But Lummis will want to keep an eye on Gordon. He’s not as practiced at public speaking, but his miles traveled in Wyoming over the past several months may pay off pretty well on election day.

Winney has the potential to be an effective Congressman. A very sincere and knowledgeable person, Winney went through the same race in 2006 in what he called a good learning experience. Since then, he has been engrossed in the issues of Wyoming on both the state and national level.

My prediction is that these three will top the vote counts on Aug. 19. Because of their unique appeal, the numbers will likely fall within a few percentage points of one another. While each candidate has his or her positive attributes, they all have some marks in the other column which may work against them when the ballots are cast.

Lummis may suffer a bit as a woman in Cubin’s wake. Right or wrong, talk in coffee shops reveals Cubin’s shadow may extend to any woman who seeks to follow her, simply because she’s a woman. Second, Lummis is said to represent the Republican establishment, a career politician, the inner circle.

To some, though, that may be preferable to Gordon’s previous donations of money to Democrats John Kerry, Trauner, the Sierra Club and others. This has already raised the hackles of true Republicans. Add that to the fact that his name is relatively unfamiliar, and he has quite a lot of ground to make up.

Winney, like Lummis, appears to be a sincere Republican, but he may struggle a bit due to the fact that while Wyoming folks surely respect his service to our country, they might not be able to identify with his years spent in the halls of the Pentagon or at the command of a submarine. While he may well have spent most of the past two years dedicated to becoming the next Wyoming Congressman, I am not sure your average voter will realize his diligence to answer the call to service which he feels.

Holland is likely to come in a distant fourth in the primary race.

Looking past Aug. 19, the person who comes through the Primary as the Republican candidate had better be saddled up. With all the money the Democratic National Committee has been pouring into its effort to take over the West, Republicans would do well to get organized behind their candidate.

So, who would make the most interesting and fun-to-watch match-up for the General? Who would you like to see win? Be sure to vote on Aug. 19.

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