The 2026 Election, 18th Edition. Primary Voting Commences Edition. Vote like your future and that of your state depends on it, because it does, part two.

 

August 2, 2026

I wasn't going to do this, but the last thread just became too darned long and was creating havoc in the blog accordingly.

So, here we have our 18th edition for this season.  We'll abstain on predicting this one will run all the way until the primary, but the primary is only a little over two weeks away.

Here we note a very interesting item:

Joan Barron: Is A GOP Sea Change On The Way?

Phil Roberts, the legally trained University of Wyoming professor predicts that Harriet Hageman will lose.  That amounts to a prediction, without him saying so, that Sam Mead will win.

I sure hope he's right.

Hageman has been characterized by being nasty in public, while in the background she behaves more like a conventional Congressman.  Be that as it may, up until just a week ago or so she was a diehard Trump fan and in the category of enemies of public lands. When concerned Wyomingites wrote to her about their concerns on public land she basically called the stupid.

She needs to go.

A prediction if she does.  Wyoming "ranch girl" or no, she'll never come back. She owned a house in D.C. before she was even elected.

The author here notes that he voted last week.  And, we voted for:

Governor:  Barlow.

Senate:  Mead

House of Representatives:  Christensen.

Secretary of State:  Short.

Superintendent of Public Instruction: Harshman

On people needing to go, Chuck Gray needs to depart politics, and preferably the state, as well.  Based on early rumors, that might well happen, but if it does, it looks like it may be Steve Friess who gains the state's seat in Congress.  Friess is seemingly really cutting into Gray's numbers.  

At the same time, it's pretty clear that Kevin Christensen is also rising.  Christensen is gaining the support of moderate Republicans and those concerned about public lands. Early on it was assumed these votes would go to Balow but Balow has really disappointed in this race to date, including making statements that would cut towards Trump when, as Barron has noted in her article, people even in Wyoming may be moving in the opposite direction.  I expected Balow to lead this race early on and hoped for her to replace Gray, but now I'm in the camp that has gone to Christensen.

August 4, 2026

A variety of odds and ends.

First, the real Republicans placed an add with Real Republican candidates in the CST:

I don't know much about some of these candidates, but do about others, or their opponents.  

Elissa Campbell is a one term incumbent who is being challenged by Pete Fox, a far right wing candidate who claims not be aligned with the Freedom Caucus but whom everyone pretty much is sure he is.  Julie Jarvis is also a one term incumbent who is being challenged by Jeanette Ward, a Chicago carpetbagger who is one of the original, and most extreme, WFC members who held the same seat for one term.

Engbretson is seeking to unseat extreme WFC landlord Bob Ide.  Ide obtained this seat several years ago by somehow unseating Drew Perkins.  Ide has been a disaster in terms of his extreme views.

Rob Hendry is a long time Wyoming local politician who lost his seat and is now seeking to take Lien's.  Hendry was a Natrona County Commissioner for several years before losing his seat.  Lien defeated long time legislator Tom Walters to obtain her seat in the last election, which was one in which the WFC did relatively well.

The CST also ran a copy of the ballot.

In other election news, Reid Rasner, who has released a flood of gadfly video shorts, hit on the Gabe Saint story.

This story was actually broken two years ago by The Laramie Reporter, who deserves credit for bringing it to light.

A rising figure within Wyoming’s far right engages regularly with white supremacist and antisemitic content

Somehow Rasner must have stumbled onto the story, but it's been out there all along and really should have been news as the underlying story is reprehensible  Whether Saint holds racist views or not I don't know, but he was flirting with websites that raise the question.  Some of the sites, moreover, are Francoist, which says a lot about the views the young man flirts with.

So does the fact that he recovered from being canned and brought Charlie Kirk to the University of Wyoming.  I've never been able to make up my mind about Kirk and of course Kirk's assassination means the final variant of Kirk is unknown to the world. But Kirk had entered the public sphere as an adherent of the Seven Mountains movement which has a distinct weltanschauung that most Americans would not share.  It's safe to assume, accordingly, that Saint is some sort of Christian Nationalist.

The fact that Saint survived being fired and went on to be Gray's campaign manager, while being a law student, says plenty about his drive, but it also says a lot about how a tiny independent news outlet really can't break a story nationwide.  If the story had been broken by WyoFile or the CST, Saint would be done for, and he should be, or at least he should be on a long hiatus.

The fact that Saint ended up as Gray's campaign manager says something about Gray.  Either he isn't paying attention to things at all, or he doesn't mind the association Saint has with movements that he's dabbled at looking at.  Or he's satisfied that Saint doesn't really hold such views.

I'll note that I've heard Saint talk in an informal occasion where his guard was really down on one occasion.  Given that, my impression is really unfair, but he came across as an arrogant asshole.  On that occasion he was dissing the professors of the University of Wyoming as being wholly liberal and seemed to literally despise the education he was receiving.  At the same time, however, I'll note that he was under the impression, inaccurately, of being the only one in the group, a rural crowd, to have ever attended university and arrogance amongst the young is pretty common.

One of Gray's competitors is Steve Friess, whom Republican insider Susan Stubson has an article about:

(OPINION) Plenty of Jack

Stubson is correct, Friess is basically flooding the zone with money and this is a test of whether, basically, a candidate in Wyoming can buy a seat in Congress.  That well trod road is the same one that Gray managed to trod to his current position as Secretary of State, albeit barely.  

Friess flyers who up in my mailbox constantly and the last one was really telling.  It promised to pass the SAVE Act. 

Any candidate promising to pass the SAVE Act shouldn't be voted on for anything ever as its wholly anti democratic.  It also promises to "Buck mail-in voter fraud" which it claims will help prevent liberals from stealing the election.

There's no threat liberals are going to steal an election, but the MAGA GOP is trying to steal the 2026 election right now.

Freiss was the target of a black money mailer by some group styling itself the Hometown Action Network.  It's shows Friess being bucked off a horse and notes he's not local.  It doesn't come out for anyone, however. We'd have to presume it's pro Gray, who nobody has ever seen with a horse.  

Indeed, of those running for this position who are the top contenders, Gray, Friess, Christensen, Rasner, and Balow, we know by far the least about Gray.  Indeed, hardly anything at all is known about him personally.

Neither Gray nor Friess deserve a vote.

Rasner, of course, will receive very few.  His candidacy is doomed and he's sort of faded from view.  I did see one large Rasner sign the other day, but it's safe to say at this point his political career in Wyoming is over.  What he's serving to do right now is to carve votes away from Gray, and that is a public service.  The question is whether those votes carved away end up going to Friess or a better candidate.

Going back to Albany County, a former Democratic candidate for the US House is running for a seat as an Albany County Commissioner.

Ben-David promises a scientific approach in bid for Albany County Commission seat

A climate change activist and former researcher, Merav Ben-David said water security is her top priority. She is one of four Democrats competing to be one of the party’s two nominees.

August 5, 2026

This notes an interesting feature of this election, that being politicians taking more credit for something than their entitled to, or backing something that isn't controversial at all.

First the backing:

It Seems Like Everyone Is Running On Wendy Schuler’s Trans Sports Ban

This is the flipside of the false accusation:

Barlow Says Attack Ads On Sex Changes And Illegal Immigrants Aren't True

And then there's the bold position on a non issue.  Every single candidate claims to support the 2nd Amendment.  From Wyoming?  D'uh.

The campaign propaganda is therefore really not helpful.  Some PAC is pointing out that Friess is a rich carpetbagger. Well, so is Gray. So was Chapman.

Still, some things are revealing. Friess notes he'd back the SAVE Act.  That means he's in favor of reducing democracy.  Friess, Gray and Degenfelder would all propose marriage to Trump.  

People are looking beyond these.  Yesterday a really conservative Republican I know, and a thoughtful one, told me he was supporting Giralt  I'm not, I'm going for Christensen, as are two other people I personally know.  

August 6, 2026

Rep. Jayme Lien called WYDOT to complain about the placement of Rob Hendry sign.  Rob noted it with bemusement and posted a photo of a questionable Lien sign in terms of placement.

Chuck Gray was apparently his recently spastic self in a debate for the House.  He posted thereafter a peppy owning the libs post, but he's coming across as an ass, as he is one.  His interview by a Cowboy State Daily female reporter, which is on video, is really a prime example.  That alone would preclude his election in a decent society.

All indications are that Christensen is really moving up.

Bob Ide called Lisa Engebretsen's supporters "Camo Clad Leftists"

Ide runs around dressing like a cowboy, and apparently has some ranching background and some cattle, but he's landlord.  The Camo Clad Engebretsen supporters are local outdoorsmen who are awake to Ide's grab the Federal land stand.

Ide needs to leave the legislature.  Better yet, he can give up on being a landlord and head out into the sticks and punch cows full time.  He already has the clothes and everything.

This is the first time, by the way, I've seen a politician accuse sportsmen of being "leftists".  

Last edition:

The 2026 Election, 17th Edition. Primary Voting Commences Edition. Vote like your future and that of your state depends on it, because it does.*

2026 Election, Carpetbaggers, Cynthia Lummis, Donald Trump, Enemies of Public Lands, Liz Cheney, Politics, Public Land, Republican Party, Richard Dodson, Wyoming, Wyoming Freedom Caucus, Doug Burgum, Elon Musk, Frank Chapman, J. R. Riggins, Jim Geringer, Kevin Christensen, National Conservatism, Neil Jeske, Reid Rasner, Tom Lubnau,Bo Biteman, Brent BienChuck Gray, Eric Barlow, Francoism, Harriet Hageman, James Byrd, Jillian Balow, Megan Degenfelder, Predictions, Samuel Mead, Steve Friess, Steve Harshman, Yeoman's Thirty-first law of behavior