PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Former Rhode Island governor and 2016 presidential candidate Lincoln Chafee says he is spending more time in Wyoming — and is contemplating declaring residency there.

Chafee said in emails to The Providence Journal on Monday that his wife, Stephanie, has already declared residency.

Teton County's clerk confirms that Stephanie Chafee has registered to vote in Wyoming.

Lincoln Chafee is still registered to vote in Warwick, Rhode Island. The former U.S. senator says he appreciates Wyoming's history and its state motto of "Equal Rights."

Chafee was a Republican U.S. senator from 1999 to 2007. He was elected governor in 2010 as an independent but became a Democrat midway through his single four-year term.

Chafee says he has not encountered former Vice President Dick Cheney, who also has a residence in Wyoming.

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