Wyoming U.S. Senate- Race of the Day

23 Days Until Election Day

Wyoming U.S. Senate

Status: Republican Incumbent
2016 Presidential Result: Red State (West)

Outlook: Safe Republican

The last race to be talked about will not be the most suspenseful. Wyoming is about as Republican as it gets on the federal level and incumbent GOP Senator John Barrasso is heavily favored to win a third full term. In 2007, he was appointed to the Senate to fill a Republican vacancy by the state's then Democrat Governor. Before he won office to the state legislature, Barrasso, a physician and media figure in the state, had run unsuccessfully for the party's Senate nomination in 1996, when he was considered a fairly moderate Republican.

Now, while Barrasso's voting record is solidly conservative, some in the party have still wanted to replace him. Former White House aide Steve Bannon seemed to want to oust the incumbent, with the assumption of course that the general election in Wyoming would be decided in the primary itself. Wealthy businessman and political donor Foster Freiss ran for Governor unsuccessfully instead and businessman Erik Prince, the former Navy SEAL who once ran the controversial para-military company Blackwater declined to run as well.

In the August primary, Barrasso faced several opponents and won, albeit with just 63 percent. His strongest challenge came from businessman Dave Dodson, who finished with 28 percent. Dodson was well-financed and ran as an outsider, calling for term-limits and criticizing the incumbent for refusing to debate.

The sole Democrat in the race was businessman and one-time local school board member Gary Trauner. He was known within the party for being the nominee for the statewide Congressional district in 2006 and 2008. He ran reasonably competitive races those years, especially the former

This cycle though, there does not seem to be any evidence that Barrasso is vulnerable.

U.S. Senate races predicted:
24 D (12 Safe, 6 Likely, 3 Leans, 3 Tossup)
11 R (4 Safe, 1 Likely, 1 Leans, 5 Tossup)

Total with predictions thus far, updates to come this week:
47 D (23 holdovers, 12 Safe, 6 Likely, 3 Leans, 3 Tossup)
53 R (42 holdovers, 4 Safe, 1 Likely, 1 Leans, 5 Tossup)