Neiman elected — Representative will be speaker, by unanimous GOP vote

One of Weston County’s representatives in the state legislature will hold the highest seat in the Wyoming House after Rep. Chip Neiman, R-Hulett, was elected unanimously by House Republicans, at the Republican caucus, to
be speaker of the House. Neiman will assume the position on Jan. 14 when the Legislature convenes for the 2025 General Session.

“I ran for the position and actually, nobody challenged me for that run. I was voted in by unanimous consent by the 56 Republican members of the House,” Neiman told the News Letter Journal. “That was a real honor, to be considered and have unanimous support. I would like to see us work together to get some things done.”

Neiman was first elected to the House in 2021 and was elected to be majority floor leader in 2024. He admitted that there are legislators who hope the Wyoming Freedom Caucus will fail miserably, and he explained that the dynamic shift in the makeup of the House has exacerbated tensions between strict conservative members, members of the Wyoming Freedom Caucus and other Republicans.

“I have talked to legislators who are counting on us failing. We are not going to do that. We are going to do what the people want, and if that is failure, then that is the kind of failure we want,” Neiman said.

To help direct the Wyoming Freedom Caucus in the upcoming session, he explained that the group completed a poll in Wyoming, asking the people what is most important to them. The results of the poll indicate some very specific topics that Neiman plans to address.

The first on that list, he said, is election integrity. Neiman said that even before the ballot error in Weston County this year, election integrity was at the forefront of the Wyoming Freedom Caucus’ radar.

“I look forward to us doing major improvement on how they operate,” Neiman said.

He noted that this includes everything from audits to having additional checks in the election process.

“We need to make sure people feel confident,” Neiman said.

Another issue the group hopes to address is property taxes. According to Neiman, the issue needs to be addressed to help people stay in their homes.

“Property tax reform matters to people in Wyoming, it matters to people across the state,” he said.

Other areas Neiman plans to focus his energy on during the session include supporting Wyoming’s legacy industries, school choice and protecting women’s rights. He noted that protecting women’s rights includes protecting women’s sports and bathrooms across the state.

Another area of focus is environmental, social, and governance (ESG) — which he said is shorthand for an investing principle that prioritizes environmental issues, social issues and corporate governance, and Neiman indicated he plans to push back against institutions investing dollars that are undermining Wyoming industries.

“There is a large increase in the need for energy,” he said. “We have to be ready and willing and able to participate in that.”

Another strong conservative, Sen. Cheri Steinmetz, R-Lingle, is excited to work with Neiman through his leadership role.

“I am looking forward to working with Speaker Neiman in the incoming 68th legislative session,” she said. “Representative Neiman has always been a strong advocate for life, private property rights, individual liberty and freedom. He has a proven track record of working hard on conservative issues important to the citizens of Wyoming.”