Crum outspends Selmer 5-to-1 in race for Senate District 10

Campaign finance reports show Republican Gary Crum raised more than $56,000 between his primary campaign against Keith Kennedy and his general campaign against Mike Selmer.

In the race for the open Senate District 10 seat, Republican Gary Crum outraised and outspent his Democratic opponent, Mike Selmer, by a margin of roughly five to one.

Between the primary and general elections, Crum amassed nearly $56,500 in campaign funds while Selmer raised less than $12,000.

Crum’s war chest consisted of more than $22,000 in loans, nearly $18,000 from individual contributions, and almost $11,000 from political action committees based in Wyoming, including $7,000 from Gov. Mark Gordon’s Prosperity and Commerce PAC.

Crum started raising cash during the Primary Election, as he ran against and ultimately defeated Keith Kennedy, an ag lobbyist to the right of Crum.

“We had to fund our campaign to offset all these out-of-state PAC monies,” Crum told the Laramie Reporter following his August victory. “There was a tremendous amount of out-of-state PAC money supporting my opponent.”

Kennedy received just one donation of $500 from an out-of-state political action committee.

Between primary and general, Crum received a total of $2,000 from out-of-state PACs on top of the $10,600 he earned from PACs within the state such as Prosperity and Commerce.

Crum spent more than $31,000 on campaign yard signs and nearly $9,300 on radio ads.

Selmer raised a majority of his total funds during the primary, in anticipation of the general. All together, the Democrat raised about $12,000, more than half of it coming from individual donations. Those donations included at least $3,000 from out-of-state individuals donating the maximum allowable amount. Roughly $2,400 came from Selmer himself or his family members.

Factoring in Kennedy’s primary fundraising, the total cost of the 2024 Senate District 10 race came to almost $88,000.

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Gary Crum (Republican)

• Raised: $56,491

• Spent: $55,890

Contribution breakdown:

• $2,500 — Immediate family/personal 

• $17,670 — Individual

• $1,171 — Candidate committee

• $10,600 — Wyoming PAC

• $2,000 — Federal/Out-Of-State PAC

• $350 — Anonymous

• $22,200 — Loans

Top donors:

• $7,000 — Prosperity and Commerce PAC

• $1,500 — Common Values PAC

• $1,500 — S. Carl & Pamela Nicolaysen, Idaho residents

• $1,000 — Wyoming Public Employees Association PAC

• $1,000 — Thomas & Elizabeth Hembree, Laramie residents

• $1,000 — Brad Tilden, Washington resident

• $1,000 — Waldo Roth, Laramie resident

• $1,000 — Joe Ahrenholtz, Laramie resident

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Mike Selmer (Democrat)

• Raised: $11,986

• Spent: $10,350

Contribution breakdown:

• $2,350 — Immediate family/personal

• $6,515 — Individual

• $600 — Wyoming PAC

• $1,000 — Political Party

• $1,521 — Loans

Top donors:

• $1,500 — Linda Jane Black, Maryland resident

• $1,500 — Peter John Dockendorf, California resident

• $1,000 — Albany County Democratic Party

• $750 — Donal O’Toole, Laramie resident

• $600 — Wyoming Right to Choose PAC

• $250 — Pete Gosar, Albany County Commissioner

• $250 — Brett Kvenild, Laramie resident

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Editor’s note: Dollar amounts are rounded to the nearest dollar.

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