Wyoming Republicans Snub Trump-Endorsed Candidate for Governor.

'Republicans in Wyoming on Tuesday brushed off President Trump’s 11th-hour endorsement in their governor’s race and rejected his preferred candidate, Foster Friess, one of the country’s biggest donors to conservative causes and a financial supporter of the president’s.

Voters also renominated Senator John Barrasso, a 15-year Republican veteran of Wyoming politics, who easily survived after adapting his low-key style of politics to fit with the Trump era.

Mr. Friess had leaned on political connections and vowed to spend “whatever it takes” from his personal fortune, but he was bested by Mark Gordon, the state treasurer who ran on his local roots, financial acumen and government experience, according to The Associated Press.

It was a relatively rare loss for Mr. Trump, who has taken great pride in endorsing candidates who have gone on to win. Though Wyoming delivered his largest margin of victory in 2016 — 46 points — the president was clearly not the only factor on voters’ minds, despite efforts by some candidates to make him a focal point. Not only did voters look past the president’s plea to support Mr. Friess — whom he insisted would be a “fantastic Governor!” — they also snubbed Mr. Barrasso’s opponent, David Dodson, an entrepreneur who ran on a populist-inspired platform to put “Wyoming First,” an echo of Mr. Trump’s “America First” agenda.'>>>

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/21/us/politics/wyoming-alaska-primaries.html?