Congress has too many lawyers and businesspeople who ignore science and stick to precedent, says Merav Ben-David. But the University of Wyoming wildlife ecologist and Democrat says she would offer a “totally different” perspective if elected to the U.S. Senate.

“I think bringing science to government is what we need, given the challenges, both in-state and in general, for our country,” Ben-David said during a recent campaign stop in Powell. “The challenges are going to be too great to rely on precedent. We need to think forward and come up with solutions in creative ways.”

Right at the top of her list of challenges is ending Wyoming’s reliance on fossil fuels — not only to mitigate climate change but to avoid being left behind as the country moves on to alternative energy sources, she said.

“Why are we sticking to a rut that will lead us off a cliff instead of pivoting away and leading the world like we can …?” she asked rhetorically.

A native of Israel and naturalized U.S. citizen, Ben-David says her experience as a scientist — part of a background that includes service in the Israeli Air Force and a PhD in wildlife management — can bring people to the table to solve problems. She admires how former President Franklin D. Roosevelt put America back to work through the Public Works Administration following the Great Depression. She thinks a similar program is needed amid the current economic slump, to identify problems and find solutions on a state-by-state basis.

“We need to change the course that we are taking in Wyoming, and we need a lot of help from the federal government in changing major laws to make sure that happens,” she said. Given the innovation and intelligence in the state, “we can bring everything back,” she said.

Beyond oil, gas and coal, Wyoming is home to a vast amount of rare earth minerals that are used in a variety of new technologies. Ben-David questioned why the state is not taking advantage of those natural resources instead of suing the State of Washington over “a stupid coal port that nobody will ever use.” Even if Wyoming prevails in the legal battle, by the time the port is built, alternatives will be in place and “nobody will buy coal anymore,” she said.

In contrast, Ben-David’s Republican opponent and clear favorite in the race, former U.S. Rep. Cynthia Lummis, says on her website that she’ll work to enable the export of Powder River Basin coal through Western ports; she also pledges to be a dedicated champion for Wyoming’s mineral and energy resources.

Ben-David has criticized Lummis as a “science denier,” but the Cheyenne Republican has generally not engaged with the Laramie Democrat on the campaign trail. As Ben-David has attended candidate events around the state, she’s generally faced off against someone reading a letter from Lummis.

A member of Ben-David’s campaign team remarked that, when the candidate can just get in front of Wyoming voters, her message of change gets people excited and brings hope. But getting in front of an audience can be a challenge, particularly amid a pandemic. After a breakdown in communication between Ben-David’s camp and the Park County Democratic Party, there was little advance notice of her Sept. 29 visit to Powell’s Washington Park and only three people showed up.

The money also tells the story of the Democrat’s uphill battle: Lummis had amassed a $2.76 million war chest through mid-October — more than six times the $428,000 that Ben-David reported raising.

However, Ben-David has drawn national attention, receiving thousands of small donations, assistance and endorsements from across the country. One of her campaign videos — highlighting her bona fides as a scientist and her promise to stick to the facts, evidence and truth — has garnered a whopping 191,000 views on Twitter (performing roughly 15 times better than Lummis’ top video on the platform). She also has the backing of former Vice President Joe Biden, U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and U.S. Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., along with The Sierra Club and Friends of the Earth.

“Nobody looked at Wyoming, not the House race, and not the Senate until we created the buzz,” Ben-David said, “So really, regardless of what outcome [there is] ... suddenly Wyoming is on the map, national political map. We’re not just relegated [to], ‘Oh, they’re red, we don’t care about them.’”