Democrat Nick Carter, a lawyer from Gillette, formally announced his candidacy for his party's nomination to run for the U.S. Senate seat held by Republican Sen. John Barrasso.

"I'm running for Senate because the people of Wyoming need an advocate for many of the tough issues that face Wyoming citizens today," Carter said at a press conference in Casper on Thursday.

Carter joins former legislator and Casper City Council member Keith Goodenough in the Democratic Party primary race. The primary is Aug. 19, and the general election is Nov. 4.

Barrasso, who is serving the remainder of the term of the late Sen. Craig Thomas, has not formally announced his re-election campaign, but he has raised more than $1 million through December, according to the Federal Election Commission. No other Republicans have indicated they will challenge Barrasso in that party's primary election.

During Carter's press conference, he said issues like health care, the environment, economic development and energy policy are important to him because they're important to Wyoming voters.

If elected, he'll also concentrate on quick removal of troops from Iraq. Carter said he wants to end the heavy flow of money from the U.S. Treasury to fund the Iraq War.

"The days of the no-bid contract and incredible waste in corruption must end," he said. "I will advocate for the people of Wyoming every day on these issues in the United States Senate and fight for limited government that does not infringe on our personal liberties and preserves opportunity for this generation and future generations."

A Campbell County resident since 1970, Carter said he knows what the people of Wyoming want.

"I believe that I have a better understanding of what affects the small businesses here in Wyoming, affects individuals more here in Wyoming," Carter said. "And I think once I get my message out and people get to meet me … they'll understand that I will be a better senator for Wyoming."

As a Democrat running in the primarily Republican Cowboy State, Carter believes that Wyoming voters are ready for nonpartisan politics.

"I don't think that the letter behind your name gives anyone the monopoly on being able to solve problems," Carter said.

Although he'll have to move to Washington if elected, Carter plans to retain his home in Gillette and return to Wyoming often.

"You have to come back to know what the issues are and what the problems are that you need to address, and also listen to the constituency as to what's going on in Wyoming," he said. "That's part of what I'm doing in this campaign is instead of telling people what they should believe, I want to get out there and listen as to what the important issues are and take those back to Washington and advocate those for the state."

Contact reporter Megan Lee at (307) 266-0589 or megan.lee@trib.com