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Wyoming, Governor

Wyoming held an election for governor on November 6, 2018. The candidate filing deadline was June 1, 2018.

State Treasurer Mark Gordon (R) defeated Mary Throne (D), Rex Rammell (Constitution), and Lawrence Gerard Struempf (L), receiving 67.4 percent of the vote to Throne's 27.7 percent, Rammell's 3.3 percent, and Struempf's 1.5 percent. Gordon's 67.4 percent share of the vote was greater than any Republican candidate for governor in state history, surpassing the 65.68 percent record set by Matt Mead (R) in 2010.

SETTING THE STAGE
  • Heading into the 2018 election, the sitting governor was Matt Mead (R), who was first elected in 2010 and was re-elected in 2014. Mead was prevented from seeking a third term in 2018 by term limits.
  • Heading into the election, Wyoming was a Republican trifecta. It had held this status since Mead took office in 2011. Wyoming was also a Republican triplex.
  • Wyoming was won by the Republican candidate in each of the five previous presidential elections. The widest margin of victory was Donald Trump's 46 percent margin in 2016, while the narrowest was John McCain's 32 percent margin in 2008.
  • Wyoming was one of 36 states that held an election for governor in 2018. Democrats gained seven previously Republican-held seats, and Republicans gained one previously independent-held seat. Heading into the 2018 elections, there were 16 Democratic governors, 33 Republican governors, and one independent governor. In 2018, 26 of the 33 states with a Republican governor held a gubernatorial election, while nine out of the 16 states with a Democratic governor held a gubernatorial election. Seventeen of the 36 seats up for election were open seats (four Democratic, 12 Republican, and one independent), meaning that the sitting governor was not seeking re-election.


    Race rating

    Race ratings: Wyoming gubernatorial election, 2018

    Race trackerRace ratings
    November 5, 2018October 30, 2018October 23, 2018October 16, 2018
    The Cook Political ReportSolid RepublicanSolid RepublicanSolid RepublicanSolid Republican
    Inside Elections with Nathan L. GonzalesSolid RepublicanSolid RepublicanSolid RepublicanSolid Republican
    Larry J. Sabato's Crystal BallSafe RepublicanSafe RepublicanSafe RepublicanSafe Republican

    State election history

    This section provides an overview of federal and state elections in Wyoming from 2000 to 2016. All data comes from the Wyoming Secretary of State.

    Historical elections

    Presidential elections, 2000-2016

    Election results (President of the United States), Wyoming 2000-2016

    Year First-place candidate First-place candidate votes (%) Second-place candidate Second-place candidate votes (%) Margin of victory (%)
    2016 Republican Party Donald Trump 68.2% Democratic Party Hillary Clinton 21.9% 46.3%
    2012 Republican Party Mitt Romney 68.6% Democratic Party Barack Obama 27.8% 40.8%
    2008 Republican Party John McCain 64.8% Democratic Party Barack Obama 32.5% 32.3%
    2004 Republican Party George W. Bush 68.9% Democratic Party John Kerry 29.1% 39.8%
    2000 Republican Party George W. Bush 67.8% Democratic Party Al Gore 27.7% 40.1%

    U.S. Senate elections, 2000-2016

    This chart shows the results of U.S. Senate races in Wyoming from 2000 to 2016. Every state has two Senate seats, and each seat goes up for election every six years. The terms of the seats are staggered so that roughly one-third of the seats are up every two years.

    Election results (U.S. Senator), Wyoming 2000-2016

    Year First-place candidate First-place candidate votes (%) Second-place candidate Second-place candidate votes (%) Margin of victory (%)
    2014 Republican Party Mike Enzi 72.2% Democratic Party Charlie Hardy 17.5% 54.7%
    2012 Republican Party John Barasso 75.9% Democratic Party Tim Chesnut 21.6% 54.3%
    2008 Republican Party Mike Enzi 75.6% Democratic Party Chris Rothfuss 24.3% 51.3%
    2008 (special election) Republican Party John Barasso 73.4% Democratic Party Nick Carter 26.5% 46.9%
    2006 Republican Party Craig Thomas 70.0% Democratic Party Dale Groutage 29.9% 40.1%
    2002 Republican Party Mike Enzi 73.0% Democratic Party Joyce Corcoran 27.0% 46.0%
    2000 Republican Party Craig Thomas 73.8% Democratic Party Mel Logan 22.0% 51.8%

    Gubernatorial elections, 2000-2016

    This chart shows the results of the four gubernatorial elections held between 2000 and 2016. Gubernatorial elections are held every four years in Wyoming.

    Election results (U.S. Senator), Wyoming 2000-2016

    Year First-place candidate First-place candidate votes (%) Second-place candidate Second-place candidate votes (%) Margin of victory (%)
    2014 Republican Party Matt Mead 58.3% Democratic Party Pete Gosar 26.7% 31.6%
    2010 Republican Party Matt Mead 65.7% Democratic Party Leslie Petersen 22.9% 42.8%
    2006 Democratic Party Dave Freudenthal 70.0% Republican Party Ray Hunkins 30.0% 40.0%
    2002 Democratic Party Dave Freudenthal 47.9% Republican Party Eli Bebout 47.9% 2.1%

    Congressional delegation, 2000-2016

    This chart shows the number of Democrats and Republicans who were elected to represent Wyoming in the U.S. House from 2000 to 2016. Elections for U.S. House seats are held every two years.

    Congressional delegation, Wyoming 2000-2016

    Year Republicans Republicans (%) Democrats Democrats (%) Balance of power
    2016 Republican Party 1 100% Democratic Party 0 0.0% R+1
    2014 Republican Party 1 100% Democratic Party 0 0.0% R+1
    2012 Republican Party 1 100% Democratic Party 0 0.0% R+1
    2010 Republican Party 1 100% Democratic Party 0 0.0% R+1
    2008 Republican Party 1 100% Democratic Party 0 0.0% R+1
    2006 Republican Party 1 100% Democratic Party 0 0.0% R+1
    2004 Republican Party 1 100% Democratic Party 0 0.0% R+1
    2002 Republican Party 1 100% Democratic Party 0 0.0% R+1
    2000 Republican Party 1 100% Democratic Party 0 0.0% R+1

    Trifectas, 1992-2017

    A state government trifecta occurs when one party controls both chambers of the state legislature and the governor's office.

    Wyoming Party Control: 1992-2019
    No Democratic trifectas • 17 years of Republican trifectas

    Year 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19
    Governor D D D R R R R R R R R D D D D D D D D R R R R R R R R R
    Senate R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R
    House R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R


    Demographics

    Demographic data for Wyoming

    WyomingU.S.
    Total population:586,555316,515,021
    Land area (sq mi):97,0933,531,905
    Gender
    Female:49%50.8%
    Race and ethnicity**
    White:91%73.6%
    Black/African American:1.1%12.6%
    Asian:0.9%5.1%
    Native American:2.2%0.8%
    Pacific Islander:0.1%0.2%
    Two or more:2.7%3%
    Hispanic/Latino:9.6%17.1%
    Education
    High school graduation rate:92.3%86.7%
    College graduation rate:25.7%29.8%
    Income
    Median household income:$58,840$53,889
    Persons below poverty level:12.7%11.3%
    Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015)
    for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Wyoming.

    As of July 2017, Wyoming's three largest cities were Cheyenne (pop. est. 64,000), Casper (pop. est. 58,000), and Laramie (pop. est. 32,000).