2020 United States Senate election in Wyoming
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The 2020 United States Senate election in Wyoming was held on November 3, 2020, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the State of Wyoming, concurrently with the 2020 U.S. presidential election, as well as other elections to the United States Senate in other states and elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections. Cynthia Lummis defeated Democrat Merav Ben-David by more than 46 percentage points, becoming the first female U.S. Senator from Wyoming[1] and succeeding fellow Republican Mike Enzi, who did not run for reelection. This was the first open Senate seat since 1996, when Enzi was first elected.[2] The Democratic and Republican party primary elections were held on August 18, 2020.[3] This was the first time since 1996 that Democrats won any county for this seat.
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November 3, 2020
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| Turnout | 62.6%  | ||||||||||||||||
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  Lummis: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90% Ben-David: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% No data | |||||||||||||||||
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Cynthia Lummis won the election with 72.85% of the popular vote, winning 2.91% more than President Donald Trump had won in the concurrent presidential election in the state.
Republican primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Cynthia Lummis, former U.S. representative for Wyoming's at-large congressional district and former Treasurer of Wyoming[4][5]
Eliminated in primary
- R. Mark Armstrong, geologist[5][6]
- Devon Cade, businessman[7]
- John Holtz, attorney and U.S. Air Force veteran[8]
- Michael Kemler[5]
- Bryan Miller, candidate for U.S. Senate in 2014[5]
- Donna Rice, estate lawyer[9]
- Star Roselli, conspiracy theorist[10]
- Robert Short, Converse County commissioner and businessman[11]
- Joshua Wheeler, Wyoming Army National Guard veteran[12]
Withdrawn
Declined
- Liz Cheney, incumbent U.S. representative for Wyoming's at-large congressional district, Chair of House Republican Conference, and daughter of the 46th Vice President Dick Cheney (running for re-election)[16]
- Mike Enzi, incumbent U.S. senator[17] (endorsed Cynthia Lummis)[18]
- Foster Friess, businessman and former governor candidate[19]
- Mark Gordon, governor of Wyoming[20]
- Robert Grady, policy adviser to former president George H. W. Bush[21]
- Matt Mead, former governor of Wyoming[22]
- Donald Trump Jr., businessman and son of President of the United States Donald Trump[23]
Endorsements
Cynthia Lummis
U.S. senators
- John Barrasso, U.S. senator (WY)[18]
- Bill Cassidy, U.S. senator (LA)[18]
- Ted Cruz, U.S. senator (TX) and candidate for President in 2016[24]
- Mike Enzi, U.S. senator (WY)[18]
- Mike Lee, U.S. senator (UT)[18]
- Rand Paul, U.S. senator (KY) and candidate for President in 2016[25]
U. S. Representatives
- Michele Bachmann, former U.S. representative (MN) and 2012 presidential candidate[18]
- Jason Chaffetz, former U.S. representative (UT)[18]
- Mark Meadows, former U.S. representative (R-NC) and White House Chief of Staff[18]
Organizations
- Citizens United[18]
- Club for Growth[26]
- Concerned Women for America[18]
- Gun Owners of America[18]
- NRA Political Victory Fund[18]
- Senate Conservatives Fund[18]
- Students for Trump[18]
- United States Chamber of Commerce[18]
Individuals
- Foster Friess, businessman and 2018 Wyoming gubernatorial election candidate[18]
Polling
Results
Lummis
- 60–70%
- 70–80%
- 80–90%
Short
- 50–60%
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Cynthia Lummis | 63,511 | 59.67% | |
| Republican | Robert Short | 13,473 | 12.66% | |
| Republican | Bryan Miller | 10,946 | 10.28% | |
| Republican | Donna Rice | 5,881 | 5.53% | |
| Republican | R. Mark Armstrong | 3,904 | 3.67% | |
| Republican | Joshua Wheeler | 3,763 | 3.53% | |
| Republican | John Holtz | 1,820 | 1.71% | |
| Republican | Devon Cade | 1,027 | 0.96% | |
| Republican | Michael Kemler | 985 | 0.93% | |
| Republican | Star Roselli | 627 | 0.59% | |
| Republican | Write-ins | 501 | 0.47% | |
| Total votes | 106,438 | 100.00% | ||
Democratic primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Merav Ben-David, Chair of the Department of Zoology and Physiology at the University of Wyoming and wildlife ecologist[5][30][31]
Eliminated in primary
- Kenneth R. Casner, Democratic candidate for the 2018 Wyoming gubernatorial election and Democratic nominee for District 47 of the Wyoming House of Representatives in 2016[5]
- James DeBrine, progressive activist[5]
- Yana Ludwig, democratic socialist activist and community organizer[5][32]
- Nathan Wendt, think tank executive, management consultant, businessman, entrepreneur[5]
- Rex Wilde, veteran, service technician, Democratic candidate for the 2018 Wyoming gubernatorial election and Democratic candidate for the 2014 United States Senate election in Wyoming[5]
Withdrawn
Endorsements
Merav Ben-David
Local officials
- Gary Trauner, member of the Teton County School District Number 1 Board of Trustees (2006–2008) and businessman[31]
Individuals
- Jason Shogren, Department Chair in the Department of Economics at the University of Wyoming[34]
Organizations
Nathan Wendt
U.S. senators
- Tammy Duckworth, U.S. senator from Illinois (2017–present), U.S. Representative from Illinois's 8th congressional district (2013–2017), Assistant Secretary of Veterans Affairs for Public and Intergovernmental Affairs (2009–2011), Director of the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs (2006–2009)[35]
U.S. Ambassadors
- Richard Newton Holwill, American Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Ecuador (1988–1989)[35]
Local officials
- Pete Muldoon, Mayor of Jackson, Wyoming[36]
Yana Ludwig
Organizations
- Democratic Socialists of America - Southeast Wyoming chapter[37]
- Our Revolution - Casper chapter[37]
Results
Ben-David
- 30–40%
- 40–50%
- 50–60%
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Merav Ben-David | 9,584 | 40.28% | |
| Democratic | Yana Ludwig | 4,931 | 20.73% | |
| Democratic | Nathan Wendt | 4,212 | 17.70% | |
| Democratic | Kenneth Casner | 2,139 | 8.99% | |
| Democratic | Rex Wilde | 1,888 | 7.93% | |
| Democratic | James DeBrine | 865 | 3.64% | |
| Democratic | Write-ins | 173 | 0.73% | |
| Total votes | 23,792 | 100.00% | ||
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General election
Predictions
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| The Cook Political Report[39] | Safe R | October 29, 2020 |
| Inside Elections[40] | Safe R | October 28, 2020 |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball[41] | Safe R | November 2, 2020 |
| Daily Kos[42] | Safe R | October 30, 2020 |
| Politico[43] | Safe R | November 2, 2020 |
| RCP[44] | Safe R | October 23, 2020 |
| DDHQ[45] | Safe R | November 3, 2020 |
| 538[46] | Safe R | November 2, 2020 |
| Economist[47] | Safe R | November 2, 2020 |
Post-primary endorsements
Cynthia Lummis (R)
Merav Ben-David (D)
U.S. vice presidents
- Joe Biden, 47th Vice President of the United States (2009–2017), United States Senator from Delaware (1973–2009), Democratic nominee for the 2020 United States presidential election[50]
U.S. senators
- Ed Markey, U.S. senator from Massachusetts (2013–present), Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts's 5th congressional district (2013), Massachusetts's 7th congressional district (1976–2013)[51]
- Elizabeth Warren, U.S. senator from Massachusetts (2013–present)[51]
Organizations
- Center for Biological Diversity[52]
- Friends of the Earth[53]
- Retake the Senate 2020[34]
- Sierra Club[54]
- We the People[34]
- Women to Win[34]
- Wyoming Democratic Party[55]
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[a] |
Margin of error |
Cynthia Lummis (R) |
Merav Ben-David (D) |
Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Wyoming[56] | October 8–28, 2020 | 614 (LV) | ± 4% | 56% | 26% | – |
Results
Lummis outperformed fellow Republican Donald Trump in the concurrent presidential election by 2.9%, or 4,541 votes. She also won Albany County by 1%, or 182 raw votes, while Trump lost it by 2.7%, or 513 votes. She performed significantly better in the Democratic stronghold of Teton County, receiving 37.3% of the total vote, compared to Trump's 29.6%.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Cynthia Lummis | 198,100 | 72.85% | +0.66% | |
| Democratic | Merav Ben-David | 72,766 | 26.76% | +9.31% | |
| Write-in | 1,071 | 0.39% | +0.11% | ||
| Total votes | 271,937 | 100.00% | |||
| Republican hold | |||||
By county
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