CHEYENNE - Democrat Lori Millin of Cheyenne came up 20 votes short in her bid for a second term to represent House District 8 Tuesday night in Cheyenne.

With all precincts reporting, her Republican challenger, Bob Nicholas, collected 1,374 votes to Millin's 1,354.

Nicholas, 51, an attorney and businessman, has no previous political experience.

He is the brother of Sen. Phil Nicholas, a Laramie Republican and co-chairman of the Joint Appropriations Committee.

Millin, a 39-year-old surgical assistant, is married to John Millin, the chairman of the Wyoming Democratic Party.

It didn't appear that the 20 votes rose to the threshold of the less than one percent difference that would trigger an automatic recount.

Laramie County Clerk Debra Lathrop said Tuesday night that while all the precincts reported, not all of their voting equipment was in.

Laramie County had two types of voting equipment in use Tuesday.

Moreover, Lathrop said, 15,000 absentee ballots were yet to be counted but would be done later Tuesday night.

Veteran Republican legislator Rodney "Pete" Anderson, meanwhile, won re-election to House District 10 in eastern Laramie County over his Democratic challenger, Jana Ginter.

Anderson, 77, a rancher from Pine Bluffs, has served 16 years in the house and is chairman of the key House Revenue Committee, which screens all tax bills.

With all precincts reporting, Anderson polled 2,998 votes, or 53 percent, to 2,625 votes, or 46 percent for Ginter, a 45-year-old geologist from Carpenter.

Another Republican incumbent, Wayne Johnson, seeking his second term to Senate District 6, scored an easy win over his Democratic challenger, Phyllis Sherard.

Johnson received 6,400 votes, or 67 percent of the total, compared to Sherard's 3,077, or 32 percent.

Johnson, 66, is a retired state librarian who served 12 years in the house before running for the senate.

Sherard, 53, the director of advocacy and government for Cheyenne Regional Medical Center, had never run for political office.

In House District 12, Republican incumbent Amy Edmonds, 37, out-polled her Democratic challenger, Katherine Van Dell, 64.

With all precincts reporting, Edmonds polled 1,800 votes, or 53.9 percent, to 1531 for Van Dell, or 45.9 percent. She is retired from the Wyoming Education Association.

In House District 44, which includes south Cheyenne, Democrat Jim Byrd, 54, an IT network designer defeated his Republican opponent, Drew Hill, 20, a University of Wyoming student.

Byrd collected 1,687 votes, or 58.4 percent, while Hill received 1183, or 41 percent.

Neither Byrd nor Hill has previous political experience.

In House District 41, Cheyenne, Democrat Ken Esquibel beat back a challenge from Becket Hinckley to win a second term.

Esquibel, a 49-year-old railroad engineer, drew 2,146 votes, or 55 percent, while Hinckley collected 1,742, or 44 percent of the total.

Hinckley is an assistant district attorney who previously served two terms in the House.

In House District 5, which includes eastern Platte County and western Goshen County, Republican incumbent Matt Teeters romped over his Democratic opponent, Russell Johnson, to win a second term.

Teeters collected 1,542 votes in Goshen County, for 74 percent of the total, while Johnson picked up 525, for a 25 percent share.

In Platte County, Teeters tallied 1,146, or 66 percent, to Johnson's 498 votes, or 28 percent.

Teeters, 25, a rancher from Lingle, is the youngest member of the Legislature.

Johnson is a 72-year-old rancher from Veteran.

Contact capital bureau reporter Joan Barron at (307) 632-1244 or joan.barron@trib.com