Freedom Caucus wins control of Wyoming House
Rep. John Bear, the then-chairman of the hard-line Wyoming Freedom Caucus, listens as Gov. Mark Gordon delivers his State of the State address to the Wyoming Legislature on Feb. 12, 2024 in Cheyenne. To his left and right are Freedom Caucus members and Reps. Tomi Strock, Jeannette Ward and Jeremy Haroldson. Seated behind him in the tan jacket is another Freedom Caucus member, Rep. Rachel Rodriguez-Williams. (WyoFile/Ashton J. Hacke)
FROM WYOFILE:
The hard-line group of Republicans racked up enough wins Tuesday to secure a majority in the House for the first time.
When the Wyoming Legislature convenes in January, a new group of Republicans will be in charge.
The hard-line Wyoming Freedom Caucus racked up enough wins in Tuesday’s general election to secure a simple majority in the House, wresting control from the traditionalist Republican Wyoming Caucus. In the Senate, conservative allies of the Freedom Caucus retained control of the upper chamber.
With a record-low number of Democrats running for the Legislature this year, the vast majority of statehouse races were decided in August’s primary election. While both Republican factions experienced primary-election upsets, the results largely signaled a shift in the balance of power to the right and a significant loss of institutional knowledge in the Legislature.
By 11:30 p.m. Tuesday, the Freedom Caucus appeared to have picked up at least six House seats, adding to its primary-election victories for a roster of roughly 34 members and allies in the lower chamber. That’s enough to wield a simple majority in the 62-member House.
The results are considered unofficial until they are certified by the state canvassing board.
How we got here
The fracturing of the House Republican bloc can be traced back to at least 2020, when the Freedom Caucus officially formed to negotiate with House Republican leadership.
In 2022, the group grew its ranks to form a roughly 26-member-and-ally voting bloc. While that wasn’t enough to control the lower chamber, it allowed the caucus to block bills on introduction during a budget session when two-thirds support is needed.
Plus, Freedom Caucus member Rep. Chip Neiman (R-Hulett) garnered enough support from other Republicans to secure the position of House Majority Floor Leader — the second-ranking position in the body with the power to effectively single-handedly kill or prioritize legislation.
Wielding those combined powers, the Freedom Caucus killed a number of committee bills in both the 2023 and 2024 session. Those actions broke from a long-held legislative tradition of ushering in committee bills since they cost the state extra resources and get extra attention and deliberation by lawmakers, state agencies, the public and other stakeholders.
It also worked to inspire the formation of the Wyoming Caucus — a group of Republicans ideologically aligned with traditional conservative values and with the existing majority of House members
Ahead of the 2024 election, both caucuses formed political action committees, which allow for higher fundraising and spending limits than individual candidates’ campaign committees. Spending between the two PACs was about even ahead of the primary, but both spent their dollars differently.
While the Wyoming Caucus focused on direct contributions to aligned candidates, the Freedom Caucus’s PAC mostly supported candidates via McShane LLC, a Las Vegas-based consulting firm known for its bare-knuckle tactics. In 2021, the business was reported to have an employee linked to the Proud Boys, a far-right, extremist group.
The Freedom Caucus PAC focused its campaigning on digital advertising and mailers, some of which spurred a defamation lawsuit.
General election results
The Freedom Caucus went into the general election with 28 members and allies from its primary-election victories, meaning it needed to pick up four more seats Tuesday for a simple majority in the House.
Ultimately, it was on track to collect at least six wins.
Rep. Jeremy Haroldson (R-Wheatland), who recently served as Freedom Caucus Vice Chair, fended off Democratic challenger Charles Randolph for a third term.
Newcomer Republican Marlene Brady beat out Democrat Carmen Whitehead for House District 60, which spans the southern section of Green River. Brady, who was endorsed by the Freedom Caucus, triumphed over Rep. Tony Niemiec in the primary election.
Rep. John Winter (R-Thermopolis), a founding member of the Freedom Caucus, will return for a fourth term after defeating Democrat Larry Alwin.
Freedom Caucus-backed Rep. Ken Pendergraft (R-Wheatland) enjoyed a commanding lead over Democrat Martha Wright in Sheridan at press time.
In Laramie County, two Republicans were poised to defeat Democrats in House Districts 11 and 41. While the Freedom Caucus did not endorse Jacob Wasserburger or Gary Brown, campaign finance records indicate that allies and at least one Freedom Caucus member backed them. That included outgoing lawmaker Rep. Allen Slagle (R-Newcastle) and the Crook County GOP.
Additionally, Wyoming State Director for the State Freedom Caucus Network Jessie Rubino endorsed Brown on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Wasserburger and Brown were set to defeat Democratic candidates Sara Burlingame and Jen Solis respectively at press time, according to results from the Laramie County Clerk’s Office.
The Freedom Caucus did suffer an upset in Fremont County, where Democratic challenger Ivan Posey ousted Freedom Caucus member Rep. Sarah Penn (R-Lander) in House District 33, securing Indigenous representation in the statehouse.
Meanwhile, three Republican challengers in Albany County with financial ties to Freedom Caucus members and allies failed to conquer Democratic incumbents Reps. Ken Chestek, Karlee Provenza and Trey Sherwood.
WyoFile is an independent nonprofit news organization focused on Wyoming people, places and policy.
This story was posted on November 6, 2024.