Wyoming House District 46 Republican Ocean Andrew of Laramie should keep his seat, according to election results reported by the Albany County Clerk’s office late Tuesday.
With 10 of 16 precincts reporting, Andrew had a commanding lead with more than triple the votes of Democratic challenger Merav Ben-David. Absentee ballots are among those that hadn’t been county as of late Tuesday. The reporting precincts include nearly all of the city of Laramie, which represents most of the county’s population.
Andrew represents South Laramie, an area that has traditionally leaned Republican. One of the most conservative legislators and the youngest in the state, Andrew easily beat Republican challenger RJ Lennox, a much more moderate candidate, in the August primary election.
Ben-David, a University of Wyoming professor, ran against U.S. Sen. Cynthia Lummis in the 2020 election, earning more than 72,000 votes. Ben-David is active in both the Wyoming and Albany County Democratic Party.
Neither candidate responded to requests for comment late Tuesday.