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CHEYENNE, Wyo. — Sen. Mike Enzi ended months of speculation about his political future by telling a crowd in Gillette on Saturday that he is running for a third term.

The speculation turned out to be well-founded: After the announcement, Enzi told The Associated Press that he gave serious thought to not running after he was passed over, for a second time, for a seat on the powerful Senate Finance Committee in January.

“That was a really down time in my life,” Enzi said in a telephone interview. “I wanted to be on that committee since I got to the United States Senate.”

Enzi, 64, kept up suspense about his campaign plans well into his speech before a crowd of about 100 at Gillette City Hall. He stumbled several times as he began speaking.

“Very emotional day,” he said, seeming to choke up. “At the end of this year I’m going to … at the end of the year I will have served two full, six-year terms.”

He launched into a 10-minute rundown of his accomplishments in the Senate and offered a long list of thank-yous to staff, friends, family and wife Diana.

“Diana stood with me and did incredible things,” he said. “We’re proud of our 30 years of public service. We do still have things we want to do together while we’re still young enough and healthy enough, and we’ve been proud to serve you.”

Finally, Enzi said: “And now, I’m asking the people of Wyoming to renew my contract.”

He received hearty applause.

Enzi’s staff said several times before the announcement that even they didn’t know for certain whether Enzi would seek re-election.

Enzi said after his speech that he had a reason for keeping the crowd on pins and needles.

“I wanted to convey some of the stress and difficulty of making the decision, where you’re committing six more years. It’s not an easy decision,” he said. “But as I’ve said all along, I really enjoy my work and I hope to get a lot more done.”

He said he hoped to help overcome partisanship in Congress with his “80 percent rule” — his belief that Democrats and Republicans can get more done by focusing on the 80 percent of things on which they can agree.

“We’re going to get Congress unpolarized,” said Enzi, a Republican.

He also touted his 10-step health care plan, pointing out that the Senate unanimously passed one of those steps, a bill that would prohibit genetic discrimination, a couple of days ago.

The Finance Committee seat opened up when Mississippi Sen. Trent Lott left the Senate in December. The seat went to New Hampshire Sen. John Sununu even though Enzi has been in the Senate six years longer than Sununu.

Enzi told The AP that the hard work of his staff during an annual retreat soon after he was passed over for the committee helped him decide to run again.

“It was the most upbeat retreat that we have ever had. It was the most focused on what we needed to get done and how we could get it done. And as I looked around the room and watched them working, in spite of them sharing the disappointment that we had, I said, `You know, I have assembled the greatest team of staff people that anybody has ever done, and I’ve got to keep these people working,”‘ Enzi said.

No Republican has announced a campaign to run against Enzi. University of Wyoming instructor Christopher Rothfuss is seeking the Democratic nomination to run for Enzi’s seat.

Enzi became Wyoming’s senior senator upon the death of Sen. Craig Thomas from leukemia last year. State Sen. John Barrasso was appointed to replace Thomas.

Barrasso has not yet formally announced his campaign, although Barrasso has said that he does intend to run. Gillette attorney Nick Carter, who describes himself as a friend of Enzi’s, is seeking the Democratic nomination to run for Barrasso’s seat.

The person elected will serve four years to finish Thomas’ term.

Enzi has raised about $1.5 million since he was last elected in 2002, while Barrasso has raised roughly the same amount since Gov. Dave Freudenthal appointed him in June.

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FOXNews.com reporter Courtney Friel is spending Saturday online as well as on-air, and wants your feedback for a FOXNews.com/FOX News Channel feature.

Friel will report news, information and opinions from among the emails and videos sent by FOXNews.com viewers for her “America’s Election HQ Online” segment, which will appear throughout the day. She will also report on the blogs and other political Web sites covering the race in Wyoming.

Click on the “leave a comment” link below to send us your news, information or observations throughout the day and into the evening. We will read a select portion of the submissions on air, and answer many more online.

Barack Obama speaks at a town hall meeting in Casper, Wyo., Friday, a day before winning the state's caucuses. (AP Photo)

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Barack Obama’s campaign began to reclaim lost momentum Saturday, beating Hillary Clinton by double digits in the Wyoming caucuses on the road to more critical upcoming contests.

The caucuses only offered 12 total delegates, but both candidates campaigned there and drew rare attention to the state as well as historic turnout.

With all precincts reporting, Obama had 61 percent to Clinton’s 38 percent.

“It’s a big win,” Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs said. “It adds to our momentum, it adds to our delegate lead on the road to becoming the nominee.”

Associated Press tallies showed the delegate bonus was negligible. Obama was projected to win seven delegates to Clinton’s five.

The candidates were already shifting their attention toward the Mississippi primary Tuesday, which offers 33 delegates. Polls consistently show Obama ahead in the state, but Clinton stopped by the state Friday to campaign. Bill Clinton had four stops in Mississippi Saturday.

After Clinton disrupted Obama’s month-long winning streak Tuesday with victories in Texas, Ohio and Rhode Island, the onus was on Obama to win Wyoming. Obama had prevailed in 12 of the 15 caucuses so far and was generally favored in the state, but there were no public polls beforehand.

Obama got a big bump Saturday from Albany County, which contains the University of Wyoming. The state Democratic Party reported 75 percent of caucus-goers there went for Obama.

“They mounted a very aggressive effort on the ground,” Obama campaign manager David Plouffe said of the Clinton push in Wyoming. “So this is a very important win for us.”

However, Clinton downplayed expectations in Wyoming ahead of time, and campaign manager Maggie Williams issued a statement Saturday claiming the contest was a virtual draw.

“We are thrilled with this near split in delegates and are grateful to the people of Wyoming for their support,” she said. “Although the Obama campaign predicted victory in Wyoming weeks ago, we worked hard to present Senator Clinton’s vision to the caucus-goers and we thank them for turning out today.”

Clinton spokeswoman Hilary Perry told FOX News that the next big contest for them is Pennsylvania, which votes April 22 and offers 158 delegates. It is the biggest prize remaining on the election calendar, and polls show Clinton ahead in the state.

Obama still holds a comfortable lead in delegates. After Saturday’s caucuses, the count stood at 1,578 for Obama and 1,468 for Clinton. It takes 2,025 to win.

With the almost unprecedented political attention, turnout was high in Wyoming as thousands of voters deluged caucus sites. Wyoming Democrats hadn’t played this big a role in 50 years. Republicans have 136,000 registered voters in the state, compared with 59,000 Democrats.

Click here to see photos from the Wyoming caucuses.

“We just don’t even know how to act,” said Wyoming state Rep. Mary Gilmore, a Clinton supporter. “It’s fabulous.”

But party officials were struggling with how to handle the overflow crowds. The start of the Converse County caucus was delayed due to long lines.

In Cheyenne, scores of late arrivers were turned away when party officials stopped allowing people to get in line at 11 a.m. EST.

In the Cheyenne Civic Center, officials were expecting 500 caucus-goers, but 2,500 showed up early in the day.

In Casper, hundreds were lined up at the site of the Natrona County caucus. The location was a hotel meeting room with a capacity of 500. Some 7,700 registered Democrats live in the county.

“Wyoming is usually not thought of as a momentum state, but it happens to fall on a calendar at a good time for both of them,” said Kenneth Bickers, political science chair at the University of Colorado who is an expert in Western politics. “Both of them need to be able to claim a victory. Both of them need whatever delegates they can get to help move their delegate count in a positive direction.”

Only in the last few weeks did the campaigns step up their presence in Wyoming, opening offices and calling voters and sending mailers. The first visit came Thursday, when former President Clinton made three appearances in Wyoming.

The candidates followed on Friday. Clinton held town-hall meetings in Casper and Cheyenne. Obama held a town hall in Casper and a rally in Laramie at the University of Wyoming, counting on support from college students. Obama had been running television and radio ads in the state, while Clinton had been running radio ads.

The candidates had no public events Saturday, but traded barbs via campaign memos about Obama’s Iraq war plan. For the second day in a row, Clinton’s campaign ridiculed Obama for his former foreign policy adviser’s remarks to the BBC that his plan to withdraw troops was flexible.

“And if you can’t trust Senator Obama’s words, what’s left?” the Clinton memo said.

The Obama camp hit back with a memo claiming Clinton still trying to attack him with the “kitchen sink strategy.”

The memo said Clinton “knows full well” that Obama’s plan is to withdraw troops immediately while retaining the flexibility to do it “in a way that ensures the safety and security of our troops.”

Wyoming’s top Democrat — Gov. Dave Freudenthal — declined to endorse either candidate, saying they haven’t talked enough about Western issues. State party chair John Millin is backing Obama, while former Gov. Mike Sullivan has endorsed Clinton.

Although the win in Wyoming may not persuade many superdelegates, it is one more prize for Obama as he makes his case for the nomination.

Wyoming Democrats have relished the attention, harkening back to the 1960 Democratic National Convention when the state’s delegation cast 15 votes that pushed Sen. John F. Kennedy over the top for the nomination.

Party spokesman Bill Luckett said he’s never seen Wyoming Democrats in such a frenzy.

“People are really excited about this year and the role Wyoming is playing,” Luckett said.

FOX News’ Aaron Bruns and Bonney Kapp and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Barack Obama talks to customers during a brief visit to Johnny J's Diner in Casper, Wyo., where he was campaigning Friday ahead of the state's caucuses. (AP Photo)

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Its population may be sparse, but in a seemingly never-ending Democratic primary season, Wyoming for once is claiming its share of high-stakes national attention.

Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama took their fight Friday to the Western state, where caucuses will be held Saturday. The contest in Wyoming offers just 12 delegates. And it’s not exactly a blue state — Republicans have 136,000 registered voters, compared with 59,000 Democrats.

But in this deadlocked Democratic race, every delegate matters, and Wyoming is only the latest state or territory to play an unusually important role in the nominating process.

Clinton’s strong showing Tuesday in Ohio, Texas and Rhode Island pushed the race ever forward. After Wyoming this weekend, it heads to Mississippi on Tuesday.

Clinton downplayed expectations Friday, addressing a crowd of more than 1,500 at a community college in Cheyenne.

“I said, ‘Well you know what, I’m going to go to Wyoming anyway — I know it’s an uphill climb, I’m aware of that,” she said. “But, you see, I am a fighter, and I believe it’s worth fighting for your votes.”

She set a similar tone while campaigning Thursday night and Friday morning in Mississippi.

However, there haven’t been any public polls in Wyoming, so Obama’s front-runner status isn’t yet backed up by hard numbers.

Both candidates started campaigning personally in the state just this week. Obama talked foreign policy Friday in Casper, Wyo., slamming Clinton’s high-profile ad last week that asked voters who they wanted “answering the phone” in a crisis.

“Watch out for this politics of fear,” Obama told the crowd. “You know, we’re seeing a little bit of it going on right now with this phone call, you know 3 a.m. … but that was designed to feed into your fears, right?”

He said in such a crisis scenario, he’d exercise the “same judgment” he’s shown on Iraq and other foreign policy issues.

Earlier, Obama had stopped by a diner in Casper, where he posed for pictures, shook hands and ordered a burger and vanilla shake.

Wyoming Democratic Party spokesman Bill Luckett said voters are thrilled to play a part — however fleeting — in the nominating process.

“It’s not a once-every-four-years thing for us,” he said. “It’s more like a once-every-40-years thing for us.”

The last time Wyoming Democrats played a major role was in 1960, when the state’s delegation cast 15 votes at the national convention to push Sen. John F. Kennedy over the top, making him the party’s nominee for president on the way to defeating Republican Richard Nixon in the general election.

Luckett said several Democratic candidates campaigned in the state in 1988, when it held an early contest. But turnout was low.

He said Wyoming could see turnout Saturday reach about 20 percent, which would be high historically.

“People are super-enthused here,” he said. “We have no misconceptions about our place in the order of things. We know it’s a real rare thing.”

The two Democrats are about 100 delegates apart, and are already girding for a campaign that lasts through Puerto Rico on June 1, and then Montana and South Dakota and June 3.

Bill Clinton made three stops Thursday in Wyoming, talking about clean coal technology and saying there is no rush for the race between his wife and Obama to end.

“Democracy will have its say,” he said.

Bill Clinton plans to campaign Saturday in Mississippi.

Neither candidate is willing to cede any ground. Obama blamed his losses Tuesday in part on negative campaigning, and his campaign indicated it would step up the fight.

But that was halted momentarily Friday, as the two candidates traded shots long-distance on their way to Wyoming over comments made by Obama foreign policy adviser Samantha Power.

Power called Clinton a “monster” during an interview with a Scottish newspaper, but after the remarks were published Power apologized and then resigned from Obama’s campaign.

The Obama campaign denounced the comments.

FOX News’ Aaron Bruns, Bonney Kapp and Judson Berger and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Bill Clinton speaks at the Sweetwater County Events Complex in Rock Springs, Wyo., Thursday. (AP Photo)

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The former leader of the free world will be campaigning in Tupelo, Miss., later Friday. The day before he was in Rock Springs, Wyo.

How the mighty have … toned it down.

Bill Clinton, once his wife’s not-so-secret weapon, has since late January staked out a softer role in the campaign. The combative and blunt political warrior voters saw before the South Carolina primary is gone. In his place is a kinder, gentler Bill, wooing voters mostly in far-flung arenas where he’s not the main attraction of his wife’s campaign.

In Ohio, he spoke in school gyms. In Texas, he addressed supporters in parks and parking lots. His crowds typically number fewer than 500.

Clinton was speaking in Wyoming Thursday ahead of the state’s weekend caucuses, telling listeners how Hillary Clinton would establish 10 clean-coal technology projects if elected president in November.

“Some environmentalists don’t think we ought to be doing anything with coal, but they’re wrong,” he said. “Think about it, you could become, maybe, the first totally energy-independent state in the United States.”

Clinton’s wins in Ohio and Texas Tuesday may have yielded a valuable lesson — going negative on rival Barack Obama can work, so long as her husband’s not the one doing it.

A month-and-a-half after the testy South Carolina primary, Clinton no longer criticizes Obama personally, and he has not appeared onstage with his wife since Super Tuesday, Feb. 5. After months during which he seemed to talk as much about his own record as he did hers, his speeches now focus on policy and on his wife’s strengths.

On the trail, the former president travels to rural areas and so-called “secondary markets” that receive less media coverage.

He still stumps vigorously for his wife across the country, and her advisers credit him with boosting her support among rural voters, especially men. He also phones through a list of party “superdelegates” almost daily, urging them to back the former first lady. And he has raised considerable cash for her campaign, both at events with the well-heeled and in online appeals to smaller donors.

But campaign aides believe that after months of trial and error, they have finally found a role for the former president that plays to his strengths without needlessly reminding voters of the theatrics of his White House years.

The answer: play the traditional political spouse.

“He was the first to acknowledge after South Carolina that he’d failed to anticipate how he’d be held to a different standard than other spouses,” said Mike McCurry, who was Clinton’s White House spokesman. “Right now, he’s in a place he’s very comfortable with. But I’m sure he’s biting his tongue a lot.”

The former president was facing a Democratic backlash in January, as he was stepping up attacks on Obama.
Robert Reich, former Clinton labor secretary, wrote on his personal blog: “Bill Clinton’s ill-tempered and ill-founded attacks on Barack Obama are doing no credit to the former President, his legacy, or his wife’s campaign. Nor are they helping the Democratic party.”

Other Democratic standard-bearers aired similar concerns. Al Sharpton even called on him to “shut up.”

Clinton’s swipes at Obama had reached a fever pitch before fizzling out altogether.

In December, he suggested voters would be taking a “risk” with Obama, during an interview with Charlie Rose.

“In theory, we could find someone who is a gifted television commentator,” Clinton told Rose. “And let them run. They’d have only one year less experience in national politics (than Obama).”

Then before the Jan. 8 New Hampshire primary, he called Obama’s opposition to the Iraq war a “fairy tale. “

Then came South Carolina, where he lectured reporters on their alleged bias toward Obama, and suggested an Obama victory would be race-based. In a parting shot, Clinton even noted that Jesse Jackson won there 20 years ago.

After Super Tuesday, Clinton said he’d learned his lesson.

“I think I can promote Hillary but not defend her because I was president,” Clinton said in an interview with NBC affiliate WCSH-TV as he was campaigning in Portland, Maine. “I have to let her defend herself or have someone else defend her.”

Timeline: Where’s Bill?

Feb. 28: Smithfield, R.I.
Feb. 29: Wooster, Ohio
March 2: College Station, Texas
March 3: Corpus Christi, Texas
March 4: San Marcos, Texas
March 6: Rock Springs, Wyo.
March 7: Tupelo, Miss.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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CHICAGO — Democratic Sen. Barack Obama on Wednesday blamed his primary defeats in Ohio and Texas on rival Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton’s criticism and news coverage that he argued benefited her at his expense.

The presidential candidate said he planned to do more in the days ahead to raise doubts about his opponent’s claims to foreign policy and other Washington experience. In a television ad that her campaign credits with helping her win, she portrayed herself as most prepared to handle an international crisis.

“What exactly is this foreign policy experience?” Obama asked mockingly. “Was she negotiating treaties? Was she handling crises? The answer is no.”

Clinton, who was asked in TV interviews Wednesday about her national security qualifications, ticked off a series events in which she played a role, including peace talks in Northern Ireland, the Kosovo refugee crisis and standing up for women’s rights in China. She also cited her work on the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Obama’s campaign immediately delivered on his pledge to criticize Clinton. Aides distributed a memo and held a conference call to question why she won’t release her tax returns. The Clinton campaign responded with a statement e-mailed to reporters while they were on the Obama call that said the Clintons’ returns since they left the White House will be made public around April 15.

Obama reflected on the losses that broke a 12-contest winning streak in a talk with reporters aboard his campaign plane as he returned to his hometown of Chicago from San Antonio.

“There’s no doubt that Senator Clinton went very negative over the last week,” Obama said. He said the Clinton campaign’s multiple attacks “had some impact” on the election results “particularly in the context where many of you in the press corps had been persuaded that you had been too hard on her and too soft on me.”

“Complaining about the refs apparently worked a little bit this week,” he said, equating members of the news media with referees in a sporting event.

“So hopefully in addition to my call to Lorne Michaels, hopefully now people feel like everything’s evened out and we can start actually covering the campaign properly,” he said.

Obama spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the reference to Michaels, producer of the television comedy show “Saturday Night Live,” was a joke. The show has recently featured skits in which actors portraying reporters lob softball questions at an Obama impersonator and hardball ones at a Clinton character. Clinton herself appeared on the show last weekend. Obama was on the show last November.

Obama also complained about what he said was “the notion that somehow all the states I win somehow are not bellwether states but the states that Senator Clinton wins, those are the critical ones.”

He said it was “a strange way of keeping score and I don’t think it makes much sense.”

As to tactics ahead, Obama said that Clinton “made a series of arguments on why she should be a superior candidate. I think it’s important to examine that argument.”

“We’re happy to join the debate, If that’s the debate they want to have,” Obama said, noting Clinton’s efforts to portray him as lacking her level of experience. “In the coming weeks, we will join her in that argument.”

Obama also brushed off a question about a joint ticket with Clinton. “We are just focused on winning this nomination,” he said. “I think it is premature to start talking about a joint ticket.”

Obama had nothing on his public schedule Wednesday and Thursday. Friday, he flies to Wyoming to campaign and was also expected to go to Mississippi over the weekend — sites of the next two Democratic contests.