WYOMING
     Nov. 6, 2018 Governor

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+Mark Gordon (R) 
136,412
67.12%
Mary Throne (D)
55,965
27.54%
Rex Rammell (C)
6,751
3.32%
Lawrence G. Struempf (L)
3,010
1.48%
write-ins
1,100
0.54%

203,238

Ballots Cast:  205,275 (includes 71 over votes and 1,966 under votes).
Plurality:  80,447 votes (39.58 percentage points).
  WY Secretary of State




Notes
: 
Gov. Matt Mead (R) was term-limited.  Treasurer Mark Gordon (R) defeated former state House Minority Leader Mary Throne (D) by a wide margin to keep the seat in Republican hands.  In fact this proved to be the most lopsided governor's race of the 2018 cycle. 

Gordon, who owns the Merlin Ranch near Buffalo, was appointed Treasurer in Oct. 2012 and elected to the position in 2014.  He ran for the Republican nomination for Congress in 2008, losing to Cynthia Lummis.  Throne, an attorney in Cheyenne, served five terms in the Legislature before narrowly losing in Nov. 2016. 
Also on the ballot were veterinarian Rex Rammell (Const.) and Libertarian Lawrence Struempf.  

Throne faced little opposition in the Aug. 21 Democratic primary.  The Republican primary was another matter due to the outsize presence of wealthy investor and philanthropist Foster Friess.  Before entering the governor's race, Friess looked at a challenge to Sen. John Barrasso.  He came to national attention as a key backer of former Sen. Rick Santorum's 2012 presidential campaign.  In his campaign for governor Friess invested a considerable sum in advertising and paid staff and was seen by critics as "trying to buy the election."  President tweeted his support for Friess in a tweet on the morning of the primary.


Gordon nonetheless won the Aug. 21 Republican primary with 33.38% of the vote defeating Friess (25.58%), attorney Harriet Hageman (21.47%), tech executive Sam Galeotos (12.47%) and several others. 


There were five general election debates.  Gordon, Throne and Rammell debated on KGWN CBS5 in Cheyenne on Oct. 6 (>).  All four candidates debated on Wyoming PBS from Casper College in Casper on Oct. 18 (>).  Gordon, Throne and Rammell debated on the campus of Central Wyoming College in Riverton on Oct. 24 (>).  All four candidates debated at the University of Wyoming at Laramie on Oct. 25 (>).  Gordon and Throne participated in a final debate organized by K2TV in Casper on Oct. 28 (>).



Campaign Managers:
Mark Gordon:  Gale Geringer
(Jan. 2018)  Owner of Gale Geringer LLC in Cheyenne since Jan. 1993.  Director of the Craig and Susan Thomas Foundation from Jan. 2008.  Lobbyist for CenturyLink from Feb. 2011.  Campaign manager on Matt Mead for Governor, Mar.-Nov. 2014.  Campaign manager for U.S. Sen. Craig Thomas, Jan. 1990-June 2007.  Campaign manager on Jim Geringer for Governor, Feb.-Nov. 1998.  Campaign manager on Mike Enzi for U.S. Senate, 1996.  Chief of staff  (May 1990-Jan. 1993) and state director (May 1989-May 1990) to U.S. Rep. Craig Thomas.  Government relations manager for Wyoming Rural Electric Assn., Aug. 1981-May 1989.  Studied journalism at Casper College.

Mary Throne:  Matt Herdman
(Feb. 2018)  Research director at Brass Tactics, April-Dec. 2017.  Field director on Kuster for Congress re-election in NH-2, Mar.-Nov. 2016.  Regional field director for the League of Conservation Voters in Manchester,,NH, June 2014-Feb. 2016.  Canvass manager in San Antonio for Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Jan.-April 2014.  Canvass director in DC for Grassroots Campaigns, 2012-13.  B.A. in history and government from The College of William and Mary, 2012.
 


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