Gary S. Trauner (born December 15, 1958) is an American businessman and politician from

Wyoming Wyoming () is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the southwest, and Colorado to the s ...

. He was nominated by the

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in the state's

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

elections in 2006 and

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, as well as in its 2018 U.S. Senate election. He previously chaired the

Teton County School District Number 1 Teton County School District No. 1 is a public school district based in Jackson, Wyoming, United States. Geography Teton County School District No. 1 serves all of Teton County (excluding the Yellowstone National Park portion, which isn't part of ...

Board of Trustees (2006–2008).

Background

Trauner was born and raised in

Scarsdale, New York Scarsdale is a town and village in Westchester County, New York, United States. The Town of Scarsdale is coextensive with the Village of Scarsdale, but the community has opted to operate solely with a village government, one of several village ...

and was raised in a

Reform Jewish Reform Judaism, also known as Liberal Judaism or Progressive Judaism, is a major Jewish denomination that emphasizes the evolving nature of Judaism, the superiority of its ethical aspects to its ceremonial ones, and belief in a continuous sear ...

family. He received a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

from Colgate University in

Hamilton, New York Hamilton is a town in Madison County, New York, United States. The population was 6,690 at the 2010 census. The town is named after American Founding Father Alexander Hamilton. The Town of Hamilton contains a village also named Hamilton, the s ...

, and an

MBA A Master of Business Administration (MBA; also Master's in Business Administration) is a postgraduate degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration such as accounti ...

from the Stern School of Business at

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then- Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, th ...

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. He first visited Wyoming when he was 13 and permanently moved to the state in 1990. He co-founded and served as Chief Financial Officer of OneWest.net, a regional internet service provider, and later served as the Chief Operating Officer for St. John’s Medical Center in

Jackson Jackson may refer to: People and fictional characters * Jackson (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the surname or given name Places Australia * Jackson, Queensland, a town in the Maranoa Region * Jackson North, Qu ...

and as Executive Director of

Jackson Hole Jackson Hole (originally called Jackson's Hole by mountain men) is a valley between the Gros Ventre and Teton mountain ranges in the U.S. state of Wyoming, near the border with Idaho, in Teton County, one of the richest counties in the Unit ...

Lacrosse. He previously served as Vice President of the Teton Trust money management company and founded a dog food company. His dog food company, Mulligan Stew Pet Food, received an honorable mention from

Fortune Small Business ''Fortune Small Business'' (''FSB'') was an American magazine published 10 times per year from 1991 to 2009. It was a joint venture by The Fortune Group at Time Inc. and the American Express Small Business Services. It was delivered to 1 million ...

's business plan competition in 2007. Trauner lives in

Wilson, Wyoming Wilson is a census-designated place (CDP) in Teton County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 1,567 at the 2020 census, up from 1,482 in 2010. It is part of the Jackson, WY– ID Micropolitan Statistical Area. Wilson was pioneered ...

with his wife Terry, who is Catholic. He is the father of two sons.

Politics

Trauner served on the

Board of Trustees from 2002 to 2006, eventually rising to Chair of the Board. Trauner was credited with replacing the district's unpopular Superintendent with Pam Shea under whose leadership saw student test scores rise and teacher salaries go up. Trauner was the Chair of the Aspens Pines Water and Sewer District and his term ended in November 2018. In 2017, Aspens Pines Water and Sewer District won the Gold Award from the 18th Annual Great American Water Taste Test for best-tasting water in the nation. In 2013, Trauner received the Silver Award for Best Politician That Does Not Hold an Office in Planet Jackson Hole Newspaper's annual awards as voted by the local community. Additionally, Trauner also serves as Chair of the Charture Institute, a Jackson-based conservation

think-tank A think tank, or policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. Most think tanks are non-governmental ...

founded in 2002. He is the former Vice Chair of the Teton County Pathways Task Force, a nine-member citizen advisory committee appointed by the Town and County, and is a member of the Jackson Hole Land Trust.

House elections

Trauner ran as the Democratic nominee in the 2006 United States House of Representatives election in Wyoming, and raised nearly as much money in the first quarter of 2006 as the incumbent Representative

Barbara Cubin Barbara Lynn Cubin (born November 30, 1946) is an American politician who was a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives, Wyoming’s sole member of that body. She was the first woman elected to Congress from Wyoming. Earl ...

. In the second quarter he raised more money than Cubin and had more cash on hand at the time. By May 2006, a poll had put Trauner within the margin of error. In mid-August, ''

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'' changed their rating of this race from "Republican Favored" to the more competitive "Leans Republican". Trauner narrowly lost 47.8% to Barbara Cubin's 48.3%. Trauner ran for the seat again during the

2008 United States House of Representatives election in Wyoming The 2008 congressional elections in Wyoming was held on November 4, 2008. The election coincided with the 2008 U.S. presidential election, as well as with two United States Senate races. Wyoming has one seat in the House, apportioned accordin ...

and was endorsed by Wyoming Governor

Dave Freudenthal David Duane Freudenthal (born October 12, 1950) is an American attorney, economist, and politician who served as the 31st Governor of Wyoming from 2003 to 2011. Freudenthal previously was the United States Attorney for the District of Wyoming ...

. He lost in 2008 with 43% of the vote to

Cynthia Lummis Cynthia Marie Lummis Wiederspahn ( ; born September 10, 1954) is an American attorney and politician serving as the junior United States senator from Wyoming since 2021. A member of the Republican Party, Lummis served as the U.S representative ...

' 53%.

2018 U.S. Senate election

Trauner won the Democratic primary unopposed to run against incumbent United States Senator

John Barrasso John Anthony Barrasso III ( ; born July 21, 1952) is an American physician and politician serving as the senior United States senator from Wyoming, a seat he has held since 2007. A member of the Republican Party, he served in the Wyoming State ...

in the 2018 election. His goals included "getting big money out of politics," and had pledged not to accept corporate campaign funding from any political action committee. For this reason he was endorsed by

End Citizens United End Citizens United (ECU) is a political action committee in the United States. The organization is working to reverse the U.S. Supreme Court 2010 decision in '' Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission'', which deregulated limits on indep ...

. He also criticized Senator Barrasso for his vote to repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to "take health care away from 20 million people." He considers "opportunity and inequality" to be the biggest issues facing the nation, and has advocated for the diversification of Wyoming's economy. In the November election, he lost in a landslide, 67-30.1.

References

External links

Gary Trauner for Senate
official campaign website *
Financial information (U.S. House in 2006, 2008)
at the

Federal Election Commission The Federal Election Commission (FEC) is an independent regulatory agency of the United States whose purpose is to enforce campaign finance law in United States federal elections. Created in 1974 through amendments to the Federal Election Cam ...

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Trauner, Gary 1958 births American businesspeople Colgate University alumni Jewish American people in Wyoming politics Living people Politicians from Scarsdale, New York Businesspeople from Scarsdale, New York Scarsdale High School alumni School board members in Wyoming New York University Stern School of Business alumni Wyoming Democrats People from Wilson, Wyoming Candidates in the 2018 United States Senate elections 21st-century American Jews