The 2018 United States Senate election in Wyoming took place on November 6, 2018, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the State of Wyoming. The primary election took place on August 21, 2018. Republican John Barrasso won re-election with 67% percent of the vote, the lowest percentage of his four U.S. Senate campaigns and the closest a Democrat has come to winning a Senate seat in the state since the 1996 election, and the first time since that election in which Democrats managed to even win counties in the state, those being Teton and Albany, and the first time that the Democratic candidate won any counties for this seat since 1994. Trauner was the first Democrat to win Teton County in a Senate contest since 1940, and the first ever losing Democrat to do so.

Background In 2012, incumbent Republican John Barrasso was re-elected with 76% of the vote. Heavily rural, Wyoming has the smallest population of any state and is considered the most Republican state in the nation. It had not elected a Democratic Senate candidate since 1970. In 2008, Republican presidential nominee John McCain carried the state with 64% of the vote. Republican Mitt Romney won it in 2012 with 68% of the vote, and Republican Donald Trump won it in 2016 with 67% of the vote.

Republican primary Candidates Nominated John Barrasso, incumbent U.S. senator

Declared Rocky De La Fuente, perennial candidate, and candidate for president of the United States in 2016 Dave Dodson, businessman John Holtz, attorney Anthony Van Risseghem

Declined Foster Friess, businessman (running for governor of Wyoming) Erik Prince, founder of Academi

Withdrawn Charlie Hardy, Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in 2014 and candidate for U.S. House of Representatives in 2016 (endorsed Dave Dodson)

Results

Democratic primary Candidates Nominated Gary Trauner, businessman and nominee for the U.S. House of Representatives in 2006 and 2008

Declined Mary Throne, former Minority Leader of the Wyoming House of Representatives (running for governor)

Results

Independents Candidates Withdrew Dave Dodson, businessman (running as a Republican)

General election Predictions SourceRankingAs ofThe Cook Political Report October 26, 2018Inside Elections November 1, 2018Sabato's Crystal Ball November 5, 2018Fox News November 5, 2018CNN November 5, 2018RealClearPolitics November 5, 2018

Polling Poll source Date(s)administered Samplesize Marginof error JohnBarrasso (R) GaryTrauner (D) JosephPorambo (L) UndecidedChange ResearchChange Research November 2–4, 2018 858 – 60% 31% 6% –

Endorsements

Results

By county +Vote breakdown by county John BarrassoRepublican Gary TraunerDemocrat Joseph PoramboLibertarian Write-ins Total County Votes % Votes % Votes % Votes % VotesAlbany6,36644.15%7,57652.54%4423.07%350.24%14,419Big Horn3,56482.56%63914.80%1022.36%120.28%4,317Campbell11,02084.44%1,62812.47%3872.97%160.12%13,051Carbon3,67370.72%1,35926.16%1563.00%60.12%5,194Converse3,95979.87%83416.82%1533.09%110.22%4,957Crook2,64285.56%33510.84%1103.56%10.03%3,089Fremont9,26264.34%4,73432.89%3802.64%190.13%14,395Goshen3,65876.24%1,02021.26%1152.40%50.10%4,798Hot Springs1,74277.15%45520.15%582.57%30.13%2,258Johnson3,08579.33%72218.57%792.03%30.08%3,889Laramie19,47359.72%12,16737.31%9072.78%610.19%32,608Lincoln5,84681.23%1,15216.01%1872.60%120.16%7,197Natrona16,35966.87%7,28529.78%7783.18%420.17%24,464Niobrara98084.56%14412.42%322.76%30.26%1,159Park8,93875.57%2,58921.89%2762.33%240.20%11,827Platte2,85075.30%80121.16%1313.46%30.08%3,785Sheridan8,31870.46%3,20527.15%2612.21%210.18%11,805Sublette2,65377.87%66819.61%842.47%20.06%3,407Sweetwater8,57766.11%3,94330.39%4303.31%230.18%12,973Teton3,83332.62%7,69165.46%2201.87%60.05%11,750Uinta4,71375.05%1,37121.83%1882.99%80.13%6,280Washakie2,42377.91%58818.91%932.99%60.19%3,110Weston2,27584.64%32111.94%893.31%30.11%2,688

Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic Albany (largest municipality: Laramie) Teton (largest municipality: Jackson)

Notes

References

External links Candidates at Vote Smart Candidates at Ballotpedia Campaign finance at FEC Campaign finance at OpenSecrets

Official campaign websites John Barrasso (R) for Senate Gary Trauner (D) for Senate