A 77-year-old Republican magadonor who's been asked to run for the seat currently occupied by Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., said he is considering the idea as he embarks on a "listening tour" to weigh his options.
A month after it was reported that Foster Friess was urged to run by former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon, Friess told BuzzFeed News he is seriously thinking about the thought of running for public office.
"The question is, can I be more effective if I'm the U.S. senator to promote healthcare reform, or if I'm just a guy out on top of a fence post yelling at myself?" said Friess, who according to BuzzFeed has contributed at least $3.4 million to Republican candidates since 2012.
"So that's one of the evaluations. But there's also a number of instances that have occurred in the last three to four weeks which also have nudged me toward the decision to run."
Those other factors, BuzzFeed reported, include news that the Iraqi government has taken control of land once held by the Kurds. The website cited someone close to Bannon who said Bannon discussed that issue with Friess on a phone call.
"We have betrayed the Kurds like you can't believe," Friess said. "How is it possible that these people stuck by us, they help us fight ISIS, they lost thousands and many more wounded, and then we say we're not going to chose sides?"
Estimates from 2012 said Friess was worth somewhere around $530 million. He's been called a billionaire but he's insisted, at least five years ago, that he is not that wealthy.
Barrasso, 65, served in the Wyoming State Senate from 2003-2007 before moving to Washington to serve in the U.S. Senate starting in 2007.
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