Election integrity divides U.S. House GOP primary candidates
Election integrity divides U.S. House GOP primary candidates
By Jasmine Hall
Wyoming Tribune Eagle
Via Wyoming News Exchange
CHEYENNE — Views on election integrity in the 2020 presidential election and the actions taken at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, divided the Republican primary candidates for the state’s sole seat in the U.S. House of Representatives during a debate Thursday night.
The event was held by WyomingPBS in Sheridan and was co-hosted by journalists Steve Peck, Bob Beck and Stephen Dow.
This was the first time all five candidates had been in the same room together to discuss the issues. Aug. 16 is the primary election.
All four Republicans who filed to challenge Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., the incumbent seeking reelection after nearly six years in office, participated, along with Cheney. Contenders are Harriet Hageman, Robyn Belinskey, Denton Knapp and state Sen. Anthony Bouchard, R-Cheyenne.
They each addressed the divisions within the GOP, rising inflation, bipartisanship in Congress, federal funding and education.
A pivotal issue was the circumstances under which President Joe Biden was elected. It led to discourse around the Jan. 6 riot, the future of election integrity and the dynamics within the state Republican Party.
“I think that, in Wyoming, we have tremendously secure elections. I also know that the truth matters,” Cheney said. “And the claims that Mrs. Hageman is making about the 2020 election are the same claims for which the president’s lead lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, was disbarred. They’re the same claims for which Sidney Powell has had her law license suspended. They are simply not true.”
She said it was a tragedy that politicians such as former President Donald Trump were lying to the American people, and they were being betrayed. She said courts determined the outcome; it was not a fraudulent election, she said, but she was the only candidate who stood fast in her argument that it was not stolen.
Cheney said she believes the Jan. 6 attack was an attempt to delay the count of the electoral votes in direct opposition to upholding the Constitution.
Although each challenger spoke of their positions on the election process at a national level, Cheney placed an emphasis on the stance of Hageman.
“She knows it wasn’t stolen,” Cheney said. “I think that she can’t say that it wasn’t stolen because she is completely beholden to Donald Trump. And if she says it wasn’t stolen, he will not support her.”
Hageman defended her position, and she also questioned the topics chosen for the debate.
Candidates were asked about divisions within the party and the investigation into Jan. 6, and she said it was a distraction. The Cheyenne attorney said she was the only candidate who was campaigning across the state and listening to the concerns of voters. She said when she discusses these issues with residents it was related to the lack of due process, because there is no ability to confront or cross-examine witnesses during the congressional hearings into Jan. 6.
“I think that the press and the people associated with that – the Democrats who want to deflect attention from the failures of the Biden administration, the people who want to deflect attention from all the troubles in this country – they talk about Jan. 6,” Hageman said. “But that’s not what the people in Wyoming are talking about.”
She said they are focused on gas, food and travel prices. But she reiterated they still want answers about the 2020 election, and she was not alone.
Bouchard said he doubted the results because he said they were impacted by the pandemic, absentee ballot drop-off boxes, the use of social media to steer voters and the possible financial influence of Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg. While Bouchard said he believes there is fraud taking place that needs to be fixed, he set Wyoming apart.
“Wyoming is on a good track,” he said. “We have a gold standard here.”
He nonetheless warned residents to still be concerned.
The state senator was joined in questioning the transparency of the election by Knapp, who said there has been a lack of accountability. He said it is important that the election system be ready in 2024, and for the upcoming election in November.
Healso said he was unhappy with the handling of the results in the 2020 presidential election.
“We should have a peaceful transition of power, and it has been that way for over 250 years of our nation being able to do that,” said Knapp, an Army veteran. “I had time in Iraq, where I actually had to help support their elections, and I’m sorry to say, theirs went a lot smoother than this last one here.”
He did not clarify whether the comment applied to the Jan. 6 riot at Capitol.
Belinskey voiced her own perspective on the events of that day. She said it was protesters’ First Amendment right to express their disdain for what occurred during the election. She said their rights were stifled, and it is a waste of time and resources to go after the individuals who participated on Jan. 6.
Belinskey said she believes there is other lawlessness to address.
“I’ve watched several hours of video, from every angle possible, and have done my own due diligence on this,” she said. “I believe this is a distraction from what is going on in our country right now.”
While not every candidate agreed it was an unnecessary investigation, they did stand together on the importance of rolling back federal regulations, cutting back funding, creating a competitive market for health care, providing school choice and empowering parents, and setting the stage for Wyoming to become an international energy powerhouse.
“When you look at the policies this administration has put in place, whether it’s their environmental policies, whether it’s their energy policies, whether it’s their spending, whether it’s tax policies – they’re bad for the country, and they’re bad for Wyoming,” Cheney said. “We’ve got to be in a position where we can get people to support Republicans and conservatives who are going to put in the right policies.”
This story was posted on July 1, 2022.
