By Associated Press - Thursday, July 16, 2020

CASPER, Wyo. (AP) - Wyoming U.S. Senate candidate Cynthia Lummis remains far ahead of her rivals in fundraising leading up to next month’s primary election.

The former four-term Republican congresswoman raised about $360,000 from April through June and had almost $1 million available headed into July, according to U.S. Federal Elections Commission records.

Lummis had five times more cash on hand than all other candidates, Republican and Democratic, combined, the Casper Star-Tribune reported.

Republican U.S. Sen. Mike Enzi is retiring after serving four terms. The Republican and Democratic primaries will be Aug. 18.

Lummis’ major donors included Koch Industries, the National Association of Realtors and political action committees representing big oil, including Marathon Petroleum, Exxon, Halliburton and Chevron. She also received thousands from a number of national conservative organizations.

“The industries that power Wyoming’s economy, now and into the future, support Cynthia,” Lummis campaign spokeswoman Kristin Walker said in a statement.

The only other candidate to come close to Lummis over the three-month period was Republican Robert Short, whose $187,000 raised included $155,000 in loans to himself. Short is a Converse County commissioner and owner of Glenrock-based Short Powerline Services.

Raising money during the coronavirus pandemic and economic downturn has been difficult, Short spokesman Bill Novotny said in a statement.

“We’ve avoided the incessant emails and hyper-partisan fundraising letters like the other campaign,” Novotny said. “Robert realizes people across Wyoming are struggling. He has been willing to invest in his campaign, with money he earned as a small business owner, to share his vision and message.

Lummis was a two-term state treasurer and a state legislator before her election to congress.

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