Former Republican Sen. Michael Enzi, who served in Congress for 23 years, died Tuesday after being hospitalized from a bike accident last week.
Police in Gillette, Wyoming, were informed that a man was lying unresponsive on the road near a bicycle last Friday close to 8:30 p.m. The former senator went to the hospital for a broken neck and ribs following his crash. Authorities have yet to determine if other individuals were involved.
Enzi announced in 2019 he would not seek reelection in Congress. He began a career in politics at age 30, assuming the mayorship of Gillette. In 1986, he joined the Wyoming House, and in 1991, the U.S. Senate.
“Nothing gets done when we’re just telling each other how wrong we are,” Enzi told lawmakers in his 2020 Senate farewell address. “Just ask yourself: Has anyone ever really changed your opinion by getting in your face and yelling at you or saying to you how wrong you are? Usually that doesn’t change hearts or minds.”
Republican Cynthia Lummis, a former state representative and treasurer, succeeded Enzi in 2021. Prior to assuming office in 2017, GOP Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney unsuccessfully challenged Enzi for his seat in 2014.
“I’ve really enjoyed being a senator,” Enzi also said in announcing his retirement on the Senate floor. “Not for the title, not for the recognition, and certainly not for publicity. I love solving problems for folks in Wyoming and America. I like working on legislation.”
