Israeli Ben-David fails in Wyoming Senate bid

Republican Cynthia Lummis, a former congresswoman, has won an open Senate seat in Wyoming, beating out Israel-born Merav Ben-David, the AP projects.

Ben-David, a University of Wyoming ecology professor and climate activist, had been the first Israeli to win a major party nomination for a Senate seat, albeit in deeply red Wyoming.

Merav Ben-David poses for a photo in Cheyenne, Wyoming, August 10, 2020. (AP Photo/Mead Gruver)

Lummis will claim the seat held by Republican Sen. Mike Enzi, who’s retiring after four terms.

Lummis was heavily favored to win in the GOP-dominated state after raising and spending far more money than her Democratic opponent.

A former state treasurer and state legislator, Lummis comes from a prominent Cheyenne ranching family and has been well-known in Wyoming politics for over 30 years. She was Wyoming’s lone congresswoman from 2009-2017, when she stepped down to attend to family business matters following her husband’s death.