Former Delawarean Friess falls short in bid for Wyoming governor, despite last-minute

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The surprise bid for Wyoming governor by former Delaware resident and Republican  Foster Friess fell short Tuesday, despite an endorsement from President Donald Trump.

Freiss lost out  to Wyoming State Treasurer Mark Gordon. The primary  is viewed as akin to a general election, since the state is a Republican stronghold. 

Trump tweeted out the endorsement as voters went to the polls in the lightly populated state.

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1031917972099612673

Friess, who is in his late 70s,  was a surprise candidate for the post after not being active in Wyoming’s  political scene. He is a major Republican donor and philanthropist who was best known for supporting former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania.

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Sporting a cowboy hat, he has been traveling the state citing his background as a non-politician who would run for one term.

 One report indicated he spent  $2 million  of his own funds in the race, which was said to be the most expensive governor’s contest in his story.

Friess, who grew up in Wisconsin and came to Delaware to manage a wealthy family’s holdings,  has long been active in Republican and conservative donor circles.

He reportedly helped to bankroll the Daily Caller conservative website, which covered his candidacy and saw the race for governor as a dead heat. 

 He has also been a philanthropist in Delaware, although his donations and areas of interest  spanned the nation. 

Friess moved from Delaware to the scenic Jackson Hole winter sports area of  Wyoming a couple of decades ago after making a fortune as a founder of Friess  Associates. Freiss Associates manages Brandywine and other mutual funds that gained billions of dollars in assets.

Friess Associates became well known for an ability to identify investment opportunities in overlooked  stocks.

Freiss Associates continues to operate an office in Delaware.

For Trump, endorsing Friess only to see him lose the race, was viewed by critics as yet another loss on a day when former campaign manager Paul Manafort, was found guilty of eight of 18 charges by a federal jury. Also, his former  lawyer Michael Cohen pleaded guilty in federal court in New York. 

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