CHEYENNE - Rancher Mark Gordon said he wants to bring the values of hard work and common sense to Congress.

Gordon, 50, of Buffalo is a candidate for the Republican nomination for Wyoming's lone seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Why join the crowded field of Republicans running for the House rather than the Senate, where Wyoming's incumbents have been coy about their intentions?

"I've never been afraid of hard work," he said Thursday, "and I think you have to work harder in the House (than the Senate).

"It's all about getting the job done," Gordon said.

Gordon grew up in a ranching family in Kaycee.

He and his wife, Jennie, ranch near Buffalo.

He also has run retail businesses in Sheridan and Buffalo.

Rep. Barbara Cubin, R-Wyo., has done a good job, Gordon said, but people are ready for change, and the Republican Party needs to be revitalized.

"I think that Barbara ought to be thanked for the work she did," Gordon said.

Cubin is retiring at the end of her term.

"She has been a good representative for the state of Wyoming," Gordon said.

The Republican Party he grew up with, Gordon said, stood for limited government, individual responsibility and low taxes. "The party nationally has to come back to those roots."

The nation needs to come back to a sound fiscal policy instead of running up debt, he said.

Gordon said he is unsure how much good the economic stimulus bill that passed the House this week and is pending in the Senate will do for the flagging economy.

"I'm glad I didn't have to vote on that bill," Gordon said, because on the one hand the nation may benefit short-term from the economic stimulus package, but on the other the nation is incurring more debt to put a relatively small amount of money back in the hands of taxpayers.

Cubin voted against that bill, saying it siphons taxpayer funds to people who pay no taxes and provides no real long-term economic stimulus.

As a rancher and businessman, he said, he supports greater international trade. Congressional representatives need to realize we are all part of a world marketplace, but trade agreements have to be crafted carefully.

"We need to make sure that other labor costs don't undercut our own (job market)," Gordon said.

The nation needs a sound energy policy with clean-coal research as part of the initiatives, he said. And Wyoming needs to take advantage of the energy boom to diversify its economy.

Wyoming's representative needs to play an important role in protection of water resources as well. Farm programs such as erosion control are critical to maintaining water quality and availability, he said.

Gordon was the chairman of the Wyoming Environmental Quality Council until last year.

He voted for a controversial rule to give the state Department of Environmental Quality the ability to regulate the volume of groundwater discharged in coal-bed methane production.

Gov. Dave Freudenthal rejected it, and the governor's action was upheld in court.

No matter what people believe about how the United States became entangled in Iraq, he said, the nation now has interests there and has to come up with a comprehensive plan for dealing with all the problems in the region and assessing what is best for U.S. interests before pulling out.

While the United States needs to continue to develop and be willing to use a strong military, "We cannot be the world's policeman.

"We should never be arrogant," he said. "We should never, ever be a bully."

On education, Gordon said, the federal No Child Left Behind Act "has raised the floor."

But students need to be encouraged to go further, and along with the basics, the education system needs to teach subjects like the arts and civics as well as "reemphasize citizenship."

Four other people have announced as candidates for the Republican nomination.

They are former state treasurer Cynthia Lummis of Cheyenne, Bill Winney of Sublette County, Swede Nelson of Cheyenne and state Rep. Dan Zwonitzer of Cheyenne.

Democrats running are Gary Trauner of Wilson, who came within 1,100 votes of beating Cubin in the 2006 general election, and Al Hamburg of Torrington.