A recent poll incumbent shows Matt Mead leading by 22 points in voter support over Democratic candidate Pete Gosar, according Real Clear Politics online. A Casper Star- Tribune poll indicates a gap of 25 points in favor of Mead. Both polls have a four point margin of error.
Democratic gubernatorial candidates do not necessarily always face obstacles in their attempts to appeal to the majority of Wyoming voters. In the past several decades, there has been a mix of governors identifying with either the Democratic or Republican parties.
Soon after Gosar announced his intention to enter the governor’s race, a WyPols article, published under the name “Publius”, notes that this election year, the disadvantage the Democratic candidate faces is immense.
Publius said that with an incumbent Republican candidate already garnering massive amounts of name recognition, coupled with his ability to raise money quickly, makes this race little more than a chance for Gosar to bring certain issues to the public forum.
Gosar has predicated a large portion of his campaign platform off bringing attention to issues such as lagging education standards in the state and Mead’s refusal to expand Medicaid policy.
Ana Cuprill, Chair of the Wyoming Democrats, said Gosar’s campaign has done a good job of bringing to light issues of importance and mobilizing his voter base.
“Pete having the ability to go out and speak publicly on these issues is incredibly important,” said Cuprill. “He’s doing a great job of pushing the leadership of the state to address these problems, whether he wins or loses.”
Cuprill also questions the accuracy of political support polls, particularly in Wyoming.
“With these polls, you see a lot of people being reached by landline in their homes to answer these questions,” Cuprill said. “The majority of these people are older generation and Conservative.”
Even with the obstacles facing Gosar in the current race, Cuprill said that what is most important is how Gosar’s outreach will affect future democratic campaigns.
“I think he’s been really effective at building up an infrastructure of Democratic citizens who are more readily mobilized,” said Cuprill. “One of the biggest concerns that Democratic candidates face in this state is that oftentimes Democratic voters register as Republicans so they can vote in the primary election.”
