Foster Friess

Jackson financier Foster Friess announced Monday that he will not run for the U.S. Senate.

After a statewide listening tour — which included a Feb. 20 stop in Cody — Friess said he came to believe that enlarging the efforts of his political advocacy group, “Foster’s Outriders,” would be “my most significant opportunity to serve the people of Wyoming.”

“A U.S. Senate run would alter our focus,” Friess said in a Monday message to supporters.

Foster’s Outriders aims to “keep the government on the right path,” pushing for transparency in healthcare pricing, more school choice, increased school safety and defending free markets.

Friess’ exit from the pool of contenders leaves former U.S. Rep. Cynthia Lummis as the presumed frontrunner in the race to replace retiring U.S. Sen. Mike Enzi, R-Wyo. Enzi and U.S. Sen. John Barrasso have both announced that they’re backing Lummis, a Republican from Cheyenne. Friess has described himself as a “fan” of Lummis, saying they share many of the same values.

Other Republicans running for the seat include Converse County Commissioner Robert Short, Wyoming Army National Guard veteran Joshua Wheeler of Casper and geologist Mark Armstrong of Albany County.

On the Democratic side, activist and community organizer Yana Ludwig of Laramie and University of Wyoming zoology and physiology professor Merav Ben David of Laramie have thrown their hats in the ring, along with longshot candidate Chuck Jagoda of California.

Friess announced his listening tour immediately after U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., decided not to seek Enzi’s Senate seat. Cheney is instead running for re-election to the House, where she is the chamber’s third-ranking Republican.

As for his future plans, Friess said he and his Outriders group plan to commit $100,000 for a student civic education contest; create $250,000 worth of scholarships to help young people receive training in trades; create a federal law requiring healthcare providers to post their prices online; and push to bring Rachel’s Challenge to all Wyoming schools — a program that encourages students to replace bullying and violence with acts of kindness and respect.

Friess said he hopes those who backed his 2018 gubernatorial campaign and who encouraged him to run for the Senate get behind the Outriders’ efforts, calling them “unifying endeavors” that “appeal to Wyomingites of every political persuasion.”