Biteman is GOP nominee for Senate president, Neiman for House speaker

CHEYENNE — Republican lawmakers elected Sens. Bo Biteman, Tim Salazar and Tara Nethercott as their nominees for the roles of Senate president, vice president and majority floor leader, respectively, Saturday morning.

The trio was up against Sens. Larry Hicks, R-Baggs; Cheri Steinmetz, R-Lingle; and Brian Boner, R-Douglas, who publicly announced their run for Senate president, vice president and majority floor leader, respectively, earlier this fall.

In the House of Representatives, Rep. Chip Neiman, R-Hulett, was elected as House Speaker, with Rep. Scott Heiner, R-Green River, elected as majority floor leader; Rep. Jeremy Haroldson, R-Wheatland, as speaker pro tempore; and Ocean Andrew, R-Laramie, as majority whip.

All Republican nominees for House leadership ran campaigns in the 2024 election season that were endorsed by the Wyoming Freedom Caucus, a group of hard-line Republicans. Coming out of the general election, Wyoming Freedom Caucus representatives took control of the lower chamber.

Legislative leadership is elected with every new Legislature, and Republican lawmakers, who make up the majority of the governing body, elected their nominees during a Republican caucus in Casper. The nominations will become official the first day of the 2025 general session, when it goes before the governing body. With a Republican-majority Legislature, it is expected that these nominations will be secured during the formal vote.

Neiman will replace Rep. Albert Sommers, R-Pinedale, as House speaker. He’s served in the Legislature since 2021, and worked on various committees including Education, Management Council and Rules.

Neiman has supported several bills that aimed to restrict abortion access, prohibit gender affirming care of minors and repeal gun-free zones.

Biteman, R-Ranchester, is headed to replace Sen. Ogden Driskill, R-Devils Tower, who is retiring from the Legislature next year, as Senate president. Biteman has been in the Legislature since 2017 and has served on several committees, including Education and School Facilities, and he currently chairs the Senate Revenue Committee.

In a Saturday morning news release, Biteman said he was “humbled” and “honored” to be elected by his fellow Republicans in the Senate.

“As President, my mission is to empower every member to rise to their full potential, fostering collaboration and mutual respect,” Biteman said in the release. “Together, we will restore regular order, champion civility, and uphold the integrity of this institution so it serves as a model of principled leadership for the people we represent, benefiting all the citizens of our great state.”

With President-elect Donald Trump headed back to the White House in January, Biteman said in the release, “Wyoming has enormous opportunities to benefit from his agenda.”

The Senate president nominee promised to protect the Equality State’s energy industries and promote businesses “by eliminating excessive and costly regulations.”

“Wyoming voters have been clear they want a strong, conservative agenda, and we plan to deliver that,” Biteman said.

Salazar, R-Riverton, the nominee for Senate vice president, has served as a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee since he was first elected to the Legislature in 2017. By 2021, he served on other committees, including Education, Tribal Relations and the Redistricting and Elections Task Force.

He successfully sponsored the Wyoming PRIME Act in the 2024 budget session; it is designed to allow residents to buy homegrown meat without government interference. The news release described Salazar as a champion of pro-life and pro-Second Amendment issues in the Senate.

During his time on the Senate Appropriations Committee, the Fremont County senator has focused on “eliminating wasteful spending” and providing property tax relief.

“I thank my colleagues for their vote and their confidence in my leadership,” Salazar said in the news release.

Nethercott, R-Cheyenne, has chaired powerful committees in the Legislature since she was first elected in 2017. She chaired the Senate Judiciary Committee from 2019 to 2022 and the Senate Appropriations Committee in 2023.

Now, Nethercott will be the first woman to serve as Senate Majority Floor Leader, the number two position in the chamber, since 2016.

She’s authored several “critical pieces of legislation” during her time in the Senate, including protecting national security by restricting foreign ownership of land by hostile states, property tax relief, enhanced anti-trust laws that protect farmers and ranchers, and punishing bad actors trying to defraud government programs, according to the release.

“I am honored to be elected by my peers to serve as Majority Floor Leader,” Nethercott said in the release. “I am committed to a strong and effective Senate to advance our conservative values for a better and stronger Wyoming.”

This story was published on November 26, 2024.