Republicans host dinner

Hannah Gross
NLJ Correspondent 
 
Republicans from Weston County and across the state of Wyoming gathered on Sept. 13 at 6 p.m. to share a night of food and fellowship at the Newcastle Lodge to raise money for the Weston County Republican party and discuss the vision of the Wyoming Republican party. Kicking the night off with a prime rib meal at $50 a plate, the attendees participated in door prizes, submitted bids to a silent auction and heard from three speakers who serve in leadership roles for the state Republican party.  
The speakers stressed the importance of getting involved politically at the grassroots level, especially with the “high stakes” of this year’s presidential election. Vice Chairman David Holland opened the first speech by reminding the audience of the importance of the Republican Party and voting for Donald Trump. 
“This party is the party of the people,” Holland said. “This party has a tremendous future if we remember who we are.” 
Holland said the fight between Joe Biden and Donald Trump wasn’t over, and national committeewoman Harriet Hageman said they are working hard to make sure Trump is still in office in January because she believes “there is no way” Biden could have beaten Trump in any election. 
“We know that the Democrats are trying to steal this,” Hageman said. “It’s going to be exposed that they cheated in this election.” 
National committeeman Corey Steinmetz, husband of Sen. Cheri Steinmetz, agreed and asked the audience how many of them thought the election was legitimate, to which no one raised their hands. He followed up by asking how many thought the 2012 election was legitimate, and the audience gave the same response. Steinmetz continued to say that he believes the Democrats were perfecting how to cheat in 2012 for the 2020 election.
“2020 has just been an absolute mess,” Steinmetz said. 
Hageman said the future of Wyoming depends on the results of this election because Wyoming will be negatively affected more than any other state under the Biden administration because of the state’s large dependence on oil and coal production. 
She said that if an administration gets in that the people don’t want, that’s only the beginning of the battle and they will do everything they can to fight for freedom in Washington, D.C, adding that leaders who won’t step up and protect their citizens “need to get out of the way.” It’s important that Trump remains strong, according to Hageman, because he stands between “us and tyranny.” 
“We need to make sure he knows we support him,” Hageman said. 
To do just that, the guests of the dinner signed posters and offered words of encouragement to Trump that will be sent to the White House. Steinmetz told the attendees that they could help by calling “battleground states” like Georgia and donating money to the Senate races. He said that many people are unaware and uneducated, so talking to them makes a difference because most of them are “fairly open-minded.” 
“We have got to be incredibly vigilant,” Steinmetz said. “We have to get involved and save the nation.”
He said he believes that everything is going in the right direction and the outlook of the future is hopeful. 
“Have heart — Donald Trump is going to get reelected,” Steinmetz said. 
Hageman encouraged the Republican patrons to check out the Federalist Society website, if they wanted to watch other inspiring speeches that offer hope. 
Although unable to attend due to a last-minute emergency, Chairman Frank Eathorne sent a letter that Weston County precinct committeewoman Kari Drost read out loud, reiterating what the other speakers had discussed. 
“I commend the grassroots for helping keep Wyoming great,” Eathorne said in the letter. 
Drost thanked Weston County for being so involved and filling every precinct committee position this year. She also thanked the Newcastle Lodge for its hospitality and everyone who donated door prizes and auction items.