Local legislative candidates raise nearly $300K ahead of primary election
GILLETTE — Northeast Wyoming legislative candidates have raised more than $280,000 just before the Aug. 18 primary election.
The Aug. 11 state campaign contribution filing deadline has painted a more clear picture about the money shaping northeast Wyoming’s politics. Some candidates have been seeing PAC money flow in, while others, such as Rep. John Bear, R-Gillette, have a lot of money coming in from Teton County.
To look up contributions and expenditures by candidates, PACs and more, visit wycampaignfinance.gov.
The Gillette race between Bear, former chair of the Wyoming Freedom Caucus, and political newcomer Doug Moore is an expensive one, with the two candidates raising more than $68,000 combined.
Moore has raised about $37,000, while Bear has raised more than $31,000, including the $1,500 check from conservative donor Don Grasso during the “Checkgate" controversy.
Wyoming State law prohibits contributions from individuals that exceed $1,500.
Prominent donors to Moore include former legislator Tom Lubnau ($1,000), congressional candidate Reid Rasner ($500), the Wyoming Mining Association PAC ($2,500) and the Wyoming Education Association PAC ($2,000).
Outside of Gillette, the matchup between longtime incumbent Sen. Ogden Driskill, R-Devils Tower, and House Speaker Rep. Chip Neiman, R-Hulett, for Senate District 1 has been bringing in the dollars.
Driskill and Neiman have raised more than $82,000 between the two of them, according to the Secretary of State’s Office.
But that funding is lopsided in Driskill’s favor. He has raised about $65,000 while Neiman has only raised about $16,000.
More than half of contributions to Driskill come from individuals, totaling $37,000, while Neiman has not received any PAC money.
The other approximately $28,000 has come from political action committees, including Exxon Mobile PAC, Wyoming Realtors PAC, Wyoming Public Employees Association PAC, a Wyoming Lawyers PAC and even the Clean Powers PAC from Washington, D.C.
Neiman has raised more than $16,000, all from individual contributions, including the $1,500 check from Grasso in the “Checkgate” scandal.
Fellow conservative candidates Abby Angelos and Earl Collier did not report any PAC money this election cycle.
Jackson donors spend big in Gillette
Donors from Teton County have been sending thousands of dollars to candidates in Campbell County.
More than half of Bear’s campaign contributions — about $16,000 — comes from the Jackson area, while about $3,300 have come from Gillette donors.
Contrast that figure to Moore’s campaign, Bear’s challenger for his House District 31 seat, has not reported a single donor from Jackson or outside Wyoming while accepting money.
Bear has also accepted the most money from outside Wyoming than any other candidate in Northeast Wyoming.
Out-of-state donors to Bear include South Carolina conservative Bettis Rainsford and Joan and Werner Minshal from Maryland. All contributed at least $1,000.
However, Jackson donors bankroll most of Bear’s campaign with exactly $16,000 coming from donors based in Jackson, more than any other candidate running in Northeast Wyoming by $10,000.
Most of the money to Moore’s campaign — more than $19,000 — comes from donors in Gillette.
Jackson donors contribute more to candidates who tout themselves as staunch conservatives combating a swarm of RINO’s (Republicans in name only) that have infiltrated Cheyenne, including Rep. Abby Angelos, R-Gillette, and Earl Collier.
Both Angelos and Collier have received $6,000 from Jackson donors. Neiman has only received the $1,500 check from Grasso.
Angelos often votes in line with the Freedom Caucus but is not an official caucus member. Collier is a newcomer to politics but has campaigned on his conservative values.
Individual donors also follow Bear, Angelos and Collier, including four Jackon donors Nancy Donovan, Daniel and Carleen Brophy and Teton County GOP committee person Lisa Meaney.
All four of the Jackson conservatives contributed $1,500 each to Bear, Angelos and Collier.
Ohio donor David Spencer, who is the president of a political consulting business according to LinkedIn, also donated $1,500 to each of the three candidates.
Driskill has also received money from former Jackson town manager Bob McLaurin for $125.
Gillette spends big on Moore and Dillinger
Dwayne Dillinger, who is running against Angelos in Senate District 23, and Moore have gotten the bulk of their campaign donations from Gillette across individuals and PACs.
More than $19,000 of Moore’s $37,000 in contributions have come from Gillette donors. And Dillinger has raised $42,000, about $20,000 of which is from Gillette.
Only $3,000 of the $31,000 raised by Bear has come from Gillette, while Angelos has raised $10,000 locally and $13,000 elsewhere, for a total of $23,000 campaign.
Most of Dillinger’s campaign contributions come from PACs, including the Wyoming Education Association, Wyoming Mining Association, Active Lawyers in Wyoming and the Wyoming Realtors PAC.
Gubernatorial candidate Eric Barlow has also donated to a couple of campaigns, including $1,500 to House District 3 candidate Anne Ziegenhorn, who is running against Collier. He and his wife have also contributed an additional $1,500 each to Dillinger.
Virginia PAC gets involved
Make Liberty Win, which is listed on the FEC website as a Hybrid PAC out of Fairfax, Virginia, has spent $549,000 on Wyoming races.
While most of their money has been in support of conservative candidates, they also have spent money on literature opposing what they deem to be less conservative candidates.
Make Liberty Win has spent $24,678 in literature in support of Abby Angelos, $18,644 for Chris Knapp, $13,608 for John Bear, $11,071 for Earl Collier, $3,338 for Chip Neiman and $943 for Bill Fortner. The PAC also has spent hundreds of dollars on calls and texts in support of these candidates.
Total raised for 2026
Senate District 1
- Sen. Ogden Driskill: $65,626
- Rep. Chip Neiman: $16,767.76
Senate District 23
- Rep. Abby Angelos: $23,025
- Dwayne Dillinger: $42,707
House District 3
- Earl Collier: $17,242
- Anne Ziegenhorn: $12,284
House District 31
- John Bear: $31,670
- Doug Moore: $37,168
House District 32
- Ken Clouston: $13,231
House District 52
- Ronda Boller: $12,348.94
- Bill Fortner: $1,000
House District 53
- Rep. Chris Knapp: $500
- Greg Schreurs: $6,600
This story was published on August 14, 2026
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