Democrats have selected former state representative James Byrd as their nominee for Wyoming's open US Senate seat, setting up an uphill battle in one of America's most reliably Republican states. The seat became available after incumbent Republican Senator Cynthia Lummis announced in December that she would not seek re-election.

Byrd defeated former golf club greenskeeper Billy Benavidez in Tuesday's Democratic primary. He now faces a steep challenge to flip the seat given Wyoming's deep-red political leaning, though the race will be closely watched as part of a broader wave of primary contests taking place across the country this cycle.