Senator Michael Enzi Announces His Retirement

WASHINGTON — Senator Michael B. Enzi, Republican of Wyoming, said on Saturday that he would not seek re-election at the end of his term, the third Republican senator to do so ahead of the 2020 campaign.

Mr. Enzi, 75, who leads the Senate Budget Committee, has held his seat since 1997, making him the longest-serving Wyoming senator in modern times. Speaking at a news conference in his home state, he said he planned to spend the rest of his tenure focusing on budget overhaul.

“I have much to get done in the next year and a half,” Mr. Enzi said. “I want to focus on budget reform to get control of our national debt.”

“I don’t want to be burdened by the distractions of another campaign,” he added.

Senator John Barrasso, Republican of Wyoming, praised Mr. Enzi’s time in the Senate, calling him a “respected moral leader.”

“He has never wavered in his commitment to God, family or Wyoming,” Mr. Barrasso said in a statement.

Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the majority leader, described Mr. Enzi as a “thoughtful voice” who was “a powerful advocate for the people of Wyoming.”

Mr. Enzi has a reputation for avoiding flashy television fights and has maintained a reliably conservative voting record. His first bill and his most recent bill, he noted on Saturday, passed unanimously.

Mr. Enzi began his political career as the mayor of Gillette, Wyo., before serving in the state’s legislature. He has passed more than 100 bills. A studious lawmaker, he has led the Budget Committee since 2015. In his remarks announcing his retirement, he highlighted his involvement in shepherding the 2017 Republican tax overhaul into law.

“I like being a senator, not for the title, not for the recognition and certainly not for publicity,” he said. “I like solving federal problems for Wyoming people. I like doing legislation.”

Mr. Enzi is the fourth senator to announce his intention to step down, following two other Republicans, Pat Roberts of Kansas and Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, and one Democrat, Tom Udall of New Mexico.

His seat, in a state that President Trump won by 46 points in 2016, is likely to remain in Republican hands. The last Democratic senator to represent Wyoming left office in the 1970s.

It is unclear if Representative Liz Cheney, the No. 3 House Republican who once challenged Mr. Enzi in a primary race, will take another shot at the seat — a decision that would reshape Republican leadership in the House. Mr. Enzi, in his remarks, said he could see Ms. Cheney becoming speaker one day. Ms. Cheney has also told people in recent months how much she is enjoying the House, where her father, former Vice President Dick Cheney, once served.

Mr. Enzi “brought our state’s values to the nation’s capital,” Ms. Cheney said in a statement, “fighting for a smaller, less obstructive, and more efficient federal government that would allow people to grow and thrive. He recognized that empowering people, not politicians, was the best way to expand opportunity, and he worked tirelessly toward that goal.”