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Wyoming State Senate elections, 2018
- General election: Nov. 6
- Voter registration deadline: Oct. 22
- Early voting: Sept. 27 - Nov. 5
- Absentee voting deadline: Nov. 6
- Online registration: No
- Same-day registration: Yes
- Voter ID: No
- Poll times: 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
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| 2018 Wyoming Senate elections | |
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| General | November 6, 2018 |
| Primary | August 21, 2018 |
| Past election results |
| 2016・2014・2012・2010・2008 2006・2004・2002・2000 |
| 2018 elections | |
|---|---|
| Choose a chamber below: | |
Republicans held their supermajority in the 2018 elections for Wyoming State Senate, since, after the election, they controlled 27 seats to Democrats' three. Fifteen Senate seats out of the chamber's 30 seats were up for election. At the time of the election, Republicans held 27 seats to Democrats' three.
The Republican Party maintained its trifecta in Wyoming in 2018 by holding its majorities in the state Senate and House and by retaining the governorship.
Because state senators in Wyoming serve four-year terms, winning candidates in this election served through 2022 and played a role in Wyoming's redistricting process. State legislative district boundaries are drawn by the state legislature. Wyoming is one of seven states that have only one congressional district, so congressional redistricting is not necessary. Read more below.
The Wyoming State Senate was one of 87 state legislative chambers with elections in 2018. Half of the chamber's seats are up for election every two years. There are 99 chambers throughout the country.
For more information about the Democratic primary, click here.
For more information about the Republican primary, click here.
Post-election analysis
- See also: State legislative elections, 2018
The Republican Party maintained supermajority status in both chambers of the Wyoming State Legislature in the 2018 election. In the state Senate, 15 out of 30 seats were up for election. Republicans maintained their supermajority in the Wyoming State Senate at 27-3. Three Republican incumbents were defeated in the primary and one Democratic incumbent was defeated in the general election.
The Wyoming House of Representatives held elections for all 60 seats. The Republican supermajority in the House of Representatives was reduced. Before the election, Republicans held 51 seats and Democrats held nine seats. Following the election, Republicans held 50 seats, Democrats held nine seats, and an independent held one seat. One Democratic incumbent and two Republican incumbents were defeated in the general election.
National background
On November 6, 2018, 87 of the nation's 99 state legislative chambers held regularly scheduled elections for 6,073 of 7,383 total seats, meaning that nearly 82 percent of all state legislative seats were up for election.
- Entering the 2018 election, Democrats held 42.6 percent, Republicans held 56.8 percent, and independents and other parties held 0.6 percent of the seats up for regular election.
- Following the 2018 election, Democrats held 47.3 percent, Republicans held 52.3 percent, and independents and other parties held 0.4 percent of the seats up for regular election.
- A total of 469 incumbents were defeated over the course of the election cycle, with roughly one-third of them defeated in the primary.
Want more information?
- Incumbents defeated in 2018's state legislative elections
- 2018 election analysis: Partisan balance of state legislative chambers
- 2018 election analysis: Number of state legislators by party
- 2018 election analysis: State legislative supermajorities
Candidates
General election candidates
Wyoming State Senate General Election 2018 |
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| District 13 |
John Hastert (i) |
Ted Barney (Independent) |
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= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection
Primary candidates
The candidate list below is based on a list provided by the Wyoming Secretary of State website on June 1, 2018. The filing deadline for the August primary was on June 1, 2018.[1]
Wyoming State Senate Primary Election 2018 |
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| District 15 |
Paul Barnard (i) |
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Margins of victory
A margin of victory (MOV) analysis for the 2018 Wyoming State Senate races is presented in this section. MOV represents the percentage of total votes that separated the winner and the second-place finisher. For example, if the winner of a race received 47 percent of the vote and the second-place finisher received 45 percent of the vote, the MOV is 2 percent.
The table below presents the following figures for each party:
- Elections won
- Elections won by less than 10 percentage points
- Elections won without opposition
- Average margin of victory[2]
| Wyoming State Senate: 2018 Margin of Victory Analysis | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Elections won | Elections won by less than 10% | Unopposed elections | Average margin of victory[2] |
| Democratic |
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| Republican |
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 Other |
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| Total | ||||
The margin of victory in each race is presented below. The list is sorted from the closest MOV to the largest (including unopposed races).
Seats flipped
The below map displays each seat in the Wyoming State Senate which changed partisan hands as a result of the 2018 elections, shaded according to the partisan affiliation of the winner in 2018. Hover over a shaded district for more information.
| State legislative seats flipped in 2018, Wyoming State Senate | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| District | Incumbent | 2018 winner | Direction of flip |
| Wyoming State Senate District 13 | John Hastert |
Tom James |
D to R |
| Wyoming State Senate District 17 | Leland Christensen |
Mike Gierau |
R to D |
Incumbents retiring
Two incumbents did not run for re-election in 2018. Those incumbents were:
| Name | Party | Office |
|---|---|---|
| Curt Meier |  Republican |
Senate District 3 |
| Leland Christensen | Republican |
Senate District 17 |
Process to become a candidate
See statutes: Title 22-5 of the Wyoming Election Code
Major party candidates
A candidate seeking the nomination of a major party for state or federal office must be registered with the party whose nomination he or she seeks. The candidate must submit an application for nomination form to the Wyoming Secretary of State. If running for state legislative office, the candidate must be a resident of the district in which he or she seeks election for at least 12 months preceding the election. If running for governor, the candidate must be a resident of the state for at least five years prior to the election. If running for another statewide office, the candidate must be a registered elector in the state.[3][4][5][6]
The application must be accompanied by a filing fee. No application will be considered valid without a filing fee. The candidate must file the application and filing fee no later than 81 days before the primary election.[7]
| Filing fees by office[8] | |
|---|---|
| Office | Filing fee |
| Governor United States Senator Secretary of state State auditor State treasurer |
$300 |
| Wyoming House of Representatives Wyoming State Senate |
$100 |
Minor and provisional party candidates
A candidate seeking the nomination of a minor or provisional party is nominated by party convention. To be certified as the nominee of a minor or provisional party at a party's state convention, the candidate must submit an application for nomination to the Wyoming Secretary of State, along with the required filing fee (the filing fees are the same as those required of major party candidates). The candidate must file the requisite paperwork no later than 81 days prior the primary election.[9]
Independent candidates
An independent candidate for partisan office must be nominated by filing a signed petition. The petition must be approved by the Wyoming Secretary of State prior to circulation. The petition must be accompanied by the same fee required of party candidates. Petitions must be filed with the Wyoming Secretary of State no later than 70 days before a general election.[10][11][12]
For a statewide office, the petition must be signed by registered electors, which are defined as residents of the state eligible to vote for the petitioner, numbering at least 2 percent of the total number of votes cast for United States Representative in the last general election for the entire state.[13]
For a state legislative office, the petition must be signed by registered electors equaling at least 2 percent of the total number of votes cast for the office in that particular district in the last general election.[13]
Write-in candidates
Each person who requests to have all votes cast for him or her as a write-in candidate counted must file an application for candidacy together with the appropriate filing fee with Wyoming Secretary of State no later than two days after the election in which the person desires to have the write-in votes counted.[14]
Qualifications
Section 2 of Article 3 of the Wyoming Constitution states, "Senators shall be elected for the term of four (4) years and representatives for the term of two (2) years. The senators elected at the first election shall be divided by lot into two classes as nearly equal as may be. The seats of senators of the first class shall be vacated at the expiration of the first two years, and of the second class at the expiration of four years. No person shall be a senator who has not attained the age of twenty-five years, or a representative who has not attained the age of twenty-one years, and who is not a citizen of the United States and of this state and who has not, for at least twelve months next preceding his election resided within the county or district in which he was elected."
Salaries and per diem
- See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
| State legislative salaries, 2024[15] | |
|---|---|
| Salary | Per diem |
| $150/day | $109/day |
When sworn in
Wyoming legislators assume office the first Monday in January in odd-numbered years.[16]
Wyoming political history
Party control
2018
In the 2018 elections, there was no change to the partisan balance of the Wyoming State Senate.
| Wyoming State Senate | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 6, 2018 | After November 7, 2018 | |
| Democratic Party | 3 | 3 | |
| Republican Party | 27 | 27 | |
| Total | 30 | 30 | |
2016
In the 2016 elections, Republicans increased their majority in the Wyoming State Senate from 26-4 to 27-3.
| Wyoming State Senate | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 7, 2016 | After November 8, 2016 | |
| Democratic Party | 4 | 3 | |
| Republican Party | 26 | 27 | |
| Total | 30 | 30 | |
Trifectas
A state government trifecta is a term that describes single-party government, when one political party holds the governor's office and has majorities in both chambers of the legislature in a state government. Republicans in Wyoming gained a state government trifecta in the 2010 elections. They previously had a trifecta in the state from 1995 to 2002.
Wyoming Party Control: 1992-2024
No Democratic trifectas • Twenty-two years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.
| 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 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | 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 | 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 | R | R | R | R | R |
Wave election analysis
- See also: Wave elections (1918-2016)
The term wave election is frequently used to describe an election cycle in which one party makes significant electoral gains. How many seats would Republicans have had to lose for the 2018 midterm election to be considered a wave election?
Ballotpedia examined the results of the 50 election cycles that occurred between 1918 and 2016—spanning from President Woodrow Wilson's (D) second midterm in 1918 to Donald Trump's (R) first presidential election in 2016. We define wave elections as the 20 percent of elections in that period resulting in the greatest seat swings against the president's party.
Applying this definition to state legislative elections, we found that Republicans needed to lose 494 seats for 2018 to qualify as a wave election.
The chart below shows the number of seats the president's party lost in the 10 state legislative waves from 1918 to 2016. Click here to read the full report.
| State legislative wave elections | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | President | Party | Election type | State legislative seats change | Elections analyzed[17] | |
| 1932 | Hoover | R | Presidential | -1,022 | 7,365 | |
| 1922 | Harding | R | First midterm | -907 | 6,907 | |
| 1966 | Johnson | D | First midterm[18] | -782 | 7,561 | |
| 1938 | Roosevelt | D | Second midterm | -769 | 7,179 | |
| 1958 | Eisenhower | R | Second midterm | -702 | 7,627 | |
| 2010 | Obama | D | First midterm | -702 | 7,306 | |
| 1974 | Ford | R | Second midterm[19] | -695 | 7,481 | |
| 1920 | Wilson | D | Presidential | -654 | 6,835 | |
| 1930 | Hoover | R | Presidential | -640 | 7,361 | |
| 1954 | Eisenhower | R | First midterm | -494 | 7,513 | |
Competitiveness
Every year, Ballotpedia uses official candidate lists from each state to examine the competitiveness of every state legislative race in the country. Nationally, there has been a steady decline in electoral competitiveness since 2010. Most notable is that the number of districts with general election competition has dropped by more than 10 percent.
Results from 2016
Click here to read the full study »
Historical context
Uncontested elections: In 2014, 32.8 percent of Americans lived in states with an uncontested state senate election. Similarly, 40.4 percent of Americans lived in states with uncontested house elections. Primary elections were uncontested even more frequently, with 61 percent of people living in states with no contested primaries. Uncontested elections often occur in locations that are so politically one-sided that the result of an election would be a foregone conclusion regardless of whether it was contested or not.
Open seats: In most cases, an incumbent will run for re-election, which decreases the number of open seats available. In 2014, 83 percent of the 6,057 seats up for election saw the incumbent running for re-election. The states that impose term limits on their legislatures typically see a higher percentage of open seats in a given year because a portion of incumbents in each election are forced to leave office. Overall, the number of open seats decreased from 2012 to 2014, dropping from 21.2 percent in 2012 to 17.0 percent in 2014.
Incumbent win rates: Ballotpedia's competitiveness analysis of elections between 1972 and 2014 documented the high propensity for incumbents to win re-election in state legislative elections. In fact, since 1972, the win rate for incumbents had not dropped below 90 percent—with the exception of 1974, when 88 percent of incumbents were re-elected to their seats. Perhaps most importantly, the win rate for incumbents generally increased over time. In 2014, 96.5 percent of incumbents were able to retain their seats. Common convention holds that incumbents are able to leverage their office to maintain their seat. However, the high incumbent win rate may actually be a result of incumbents being more likely to hold seats in districts that are considered safe for their party.
Marginal primaries: Often, competitiveness is measured by examining the rate of elections that have been won by amounts that are considered marginal (5 percent or less). During the 2014 election, 90.1 percent of primary and general election races were won by margins higher than 5 percent. Interestingly, it is usually the case that only one of the two races—primary or general—will be competitive at a time. This means that if a district's general election is competitive, typically one or more of the district's primaries were won by more than 5 percent. The reverse is also true: If a district sees a competitive primary, it is unlikely that the general election for that district will be won by less than 5 percent. Primaries often see very low voter turnout in comparison to general elections. In 2014, there were only 27 million voters for state legislative primaries, but approximately 107 million voters for the state legislative general elections.
Redistricting in Wyoming
- See also: Redistricting in Wyoming
Because state senators in Wyoming serve four-year terms, winning candidates in this election served through 2022 and played a role in Wyoming's redistricting process. State legislative district boundaries are drawn by the state legislature. Wyoming is one of seven states that have only one congressional district, so congressional redistricting is not necessary.
Redistricting after the 2010 census
Following the 2010 United States Census, Wyoming did not add to its single congressional seat, making congressional redistricting unnecessary. At the time of redistricting, Republicans held majorities in both chambers of the state legislature. On March 1, 2012, the legislature approved a state legislative redistricting plan, which was signed into law on March 6, 2012.[20]
On April 5, 2012, a suit was filed in state court challenging the newly-approved state legislative district lines. The plaintiffs alleged "violations of the state and federal constitution, including allegedly insufficient attention to county representation." On August 6, 2014, the state filed a motion for summary judgment. The case was filed as Hunzie v. Maxfield.[20]
Pivot Counties
- See also: Pivot Counties by state
There are no Pivot Counties in Wyoming. Pivot Counties are counties that voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012 and for Donald Trump (R) in 2016. Altogether, the nation had 206 Pivot Counties, with most being concentrated in upper midwestern and northeastern states.
In the 2016 presidential election, Donald Trump (R) won Wyoming with 68.2 percent of the vote. Hillary Clinton (D) received 21.9 percent. In presidential elections between 1900 and 2016, Wyoming cast votes for the winning presidential candidate 76.7 percent of the time. In that same time frame, Wyoming supported Republican candidates more often than Democratic candidates, 76.7 to 23.3 percent. The state favored Republicans in every presidential election between 2000 and 2016.
Presidential results by legislative district
The following table details results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections by state Senate districts in Wyoming. Click [show] to expand the table. The "Obama," "Romney," "Clinton," and "Trump" columns describe the percent of the vote each presidential candidate received in the district. The "2012 Margin" and "2016 Margin" columns describe the margin of victory between the two presidential candidates in those years. The "Party Control" column notes which party held that seat heading into the 2018 general election. Data on the results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections broken down by state legislative districts was compiled by Daily Kos.[21][22]
| In 2012, Barack Obama (D) won two out of 30 state Senate districts in Wyoming with an average margin of victory of 10.9 points. In 2016, Hillary Clinton (D) won two out of 30 state Senate districts in Wyoming with an average margin of victory of 17.6 points. Clinton won one district controlled by a Republican heading into the 2018 elections. |
| In 2012, Mitt Romney (R) won 28 out of 30 state Senate districts in Wyoming with an average margin of victory of 44.2 points. In 2016, Donald Trump (R) won 28 out of 30 state Senate districts in Wyoming with an average margin of victory of 52.2 points. Trump won two districts controlled by Democrats heading into the 2018 elections. |
| 2016 presidential results by state Senate District | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| District | Obama | Romney | 2012 Margin | Clinton | Trump | 2016 Margin | Party Control |
| 1 | 10.98% | 86.25% | R+75.3 | 6.74% | 89.35% | R+82.6 | R |
| 2 | 21.48% | 75.68% | R+54.2 | 12.63% | 81.29% | R+68.7 | R |
| 3 | 21.96% | 75.62% | R+53.7 | 13.76% | 80.19% | R+66.4 | R |
| 4 | 33.68% | 64.13% | R+30.4 | 27.66% | 64.08% | R+36.4 | R |
| 5 | 35.78% | 61.86% | R+26.1 | 32.01% | 59.90% | R+27.9 | R |
| 6 | 29.29% | 68.43% | R+39.1 | 22.03% | 69.53% | R+47.5 | R |
| 7 | 41.14% | 55.24% | R+14.1 | 31.62% | 58.35% | R+26.7 | R |
| 8 | 46.12% | 50.60% | R+4.5 | 33.72% | 56.22% | R+22.5 | R |
| 9 | 52.10% | 42.49% | D+9.6 | 46.37% | 40.25% | D+6.1 | D |
| 10 | 41.81% | 54.04% | R+12.2 | 38.81% | 50.64% | R+11.8 | R |
| 11 | 30.35% | 66.66% | R+36.3 | 18.88% | 73.36% | R+54.5 | R |
| 12 | 31.89% | 64.56% | R+32.7 | 21.53% | 70.73% | R+49.2 | D |
| 13 | 29.29% | 67.29% | R+38 | 20.42% | 71.17% | R+50.8 | D |
| 14 | 18.56% | 79.18% | R+60.6 | 13.74% | 80.25% | R+66.5 | R |
| 15 | 19.60% | 77.83% | R+58.2 | 15.08% | 76.22% | R+61.1 | R |
| 16 | 22.18% | 76.08% | R+53.9 | 23.45% | 70.25% | R+46.8 | R |
| 17 | 54.87% | 42.65% | D+12.2 | 60.59% | 31.56% | D+29 | R |
| 18 | 19.80% | 78.19% | R+58.4 | 17.18% | 76.35% | R+59.2 | R |
| 19 | 19.54% | 77.90% | R+58.4 | 15.53% | 76.49% | R+61 | R |
| 20 | 19.04% | 78.18% | R+59.1 | 13.70% | 79.15% | R+65.5 | R |
| 21 | 26.16% | 71.57% | R+45.4 | 21.54% | 71.28% | R+49.7 | R |
| 22 | 20.99% | 76.43% | R+55.4 | 16.74% | 77.22% | R+60.5 | R |
| 23 | 11.60% | 86.44% | R+74.8 | 6.39% | 88.96% | R+82.6 | R |
| 24 | 15.53% | 82.42% | R+66.9 | 10.00% | 84.89% | R+74.9 | R |
| 25 | 44.26% | 53.32% | R+9.1 | 37.44% | 54.12% | R+16.7 | R |
| 26 | 20.50% | 76.99% | R+56.5 | 15.07% | 78.93% | R+63.9 | R |
| 27 | 26.55% | 70.68% | R+44.1 | 19.54% | 73.63% | R+54.1 | R |
| 28 | 33.40% | 62.87% | R+29.5 | 25.78% | 65.22% | R+39.4 | R |
| 29 | 29.11% | 67.91% | R+38.8 | 21.20% | 71.34% | R+50.1 | R |
| 30 | 22.80% | 74.54% | R+51.7 | 14.45% | 79.20% | R+64.8 | R |
| Total | 28.05% | 69.21% | R+41.2 | 22.48% | 70.06% | R+47.6 | - |
| Source: Daily Kos | |||||||
See also
- Wyoming State Senate
- Wyoming State Legislature
- State legislative elections, 2018
- Wyoming state legislative Democratic primaries, 2018
- Wyoming state legislative Republican primaries, 2018
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Wyoming Secretary of State, "2018 Primary Election Candidate Roster," accessed June 14, 2018
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Excludes unopposed elections
- ↑ Wyoming Election Code, "Title 22-5-204," accessed March 13, 2025
- ↑ Wyoming Election Code, "Title 22-5-102(a)," accessed March 13, 2025
- ↑ Wyoming Secretary of State, "Federal Offices," accessed March 13, 2025
- ↑ Wyoming Secretary of State, "State Offices," accessed March 13, 2025
- ↑ Wyoming Election Code, "Title 22-5-209," accessed March 13, 2025
- ↑ Wyoming Secretary of State, "Election Division Fees," accessed March 13, 2025
- ↑ Wyoming Election Code, "Title 22-5-304," accessed March 13, 2025
- ↑ Wyoming Election Code, "Title 22-5-301," accessed March 13, 2025
- ↑ Wyoming Election Code, "Title 22-5-306," accessed March 13, 2025
- ↑ Wyoming Election Code, "Title 22-5-307," accessed March 13, 2025
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Wyoming Election Code, "Title 22-5-304," accessed March 13, 2025
- ↑ Wyoming Election Code, "Title 22-5-501," accessed March 13, 2025
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "2024 Legislator Compensation," August 21, 2024
- ↑ Justia, "2020 Wyoming Statutes Title 22 - Elections Chapter 2 - General Provisions Section 22-2-107 - When Elected State and County Officers Assume Offices.," accessed November 4, 2021
- ↑ The number of state legislative seats available for analysis varied, with as many as 7,795 and as few as 6,835.
- ↑ Lyndon Johnson's (D) first term began in November 1963 after the death of President John F. Kennedy (D), who was first elected in 1960. Before Johnson had his first midterm in 1966, he was re-elected president in 1964.
- ↑ Gerald Ford's (R) first term began in August 1974 following the resignation of President Richard Nixon (R), who was first elected in 1968 and was re-elected in 1972. Because Ford only served for two full months before facing the electorate, this election is classified as Nixon's second midterm.
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 All About Redistricting, "Wyoming," accessed April 28, 2015
- ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' statewide election results by congressional and legislative districts," July 9, 2013
- ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' 2016 presidential results for congressional and legislative districts," February 6, 2017
