The 2026 Election, 22nd Edition. The Stupid on Stilts Edition.

From Greed, 1925.

We're making a fortune. So if the Republicans win, you win with us and you get $5,000. It will be called the Trump Dividend. Congratulations.

Donald Trump at the GOP Midterm Convention.

A person would have to be stupid on stilts to believe that promise, and a similar one has been extended before.

Seriously, what kind of a dumbass believes anything Trump promises at this point?

The fact that the GOP is having a "Midterm" convention is itself an example of outright desperation and hubris on the part of Trump.  Trump loves Trump and you must love Trump, so he's reminding you of Trump Love so that you love him and vote for the GOP candidates to show your mindless cult like love.

The fact of the matter is that everything associated with Trump is going badly and his approval ranking is sinking like a rock.  In Wyoming it's down to 54% and the impact of the tariffs on Canada haven't even hit yet, much.  The war hasn't ended, inflation is about to ramp back up, and Trump's own weirdness is now too weird for anyone to ignore. The result is that Democrats, who were slated to take back the House, now appear likely to take back the Senate as well.  Even in Wyoming there's some hint that the Senate may be in play and it's clear that a large number of people really aren't keen on Chuck Gray, who has been pretty quiet since the primary.

Indeed, I've seen a little lashing out at John Barrasso, who isn't running for anything.  Now days we mostly see Dr. John looking at Donald Trump as if he, Barrasso, is suffering from a severe case of constipation.  He may be, as he's kept his true views on everything, none of which we know, bottled up inside of himself for so long.  Anyhow, if people are mad at Barrasso, who seems to have forgotten which state he's from, it doesn't bode well for Hageman and Gray, although they are both clearly the favorites.

This does bring us to some questions that should be asked in the next two months, however.  Those being:

1.  Do you support the undeclared war against Iran, and if yes, how do you justify no declaration of war existing?

2.  On data centers, a big deal here in Wyoming, are you against them like seemingly the majority of Wyomingites are, or for them, like Donald Trump is?

3.  What is your position on public lands?

4. For people who go outside, there are clearly environmental matters to be concerned about. Do you have any concerns, and if no, just don't tell us "it's a big fib", as that's just telling us that you'll lie for votes.  What is your justification?

5.  Epstein files. Why aren't they being released.

6.  What is your real plan for balancing the budget and addressing the debt and show us that it works.

7.  Do you support ending the trade war with Canada?

A note, prior endorsements on running candidates are below in a separate thread as an Appendix, which is also linked in below..  I'm doing that in this edition so as to not clog up the first part of it too much.

September 11, 2026

Two events occured yesterday which should; 1) cause a sane nation to invoke the 25th Amendment and 2) cause every Republican running for office to have to answer where they stand or never be voted on again.

The first.

Trump sworn his acolytes in so that they will be able to be called up as Long Knives to attack the upcoming Republican defeat in November.

It's not the pledge to go out and vote.  Frankly, most MAGA isn't paying any attention this anyway.  

It's the pledge to cheat.

Things Trump says cannot any longer be dismissed.  People who think that one liner means nothing are ignoring recent history.  He intends to steal the election.  If he pulls that off, if he's still living and semi coherent, he intends to serve a third term.

The second was a truly bizarre video based on the Paul Harvey "God made farmers" video of years ago with a "God gave us Trump" theme.

This latches on to the extreme Evangelical leg of the MAGA stool.  It would make most Christians of any branch absolutely cringe, and to claim a Divine mission like this may be very well blasphemous.

The questions that should be asked, and of any Republican candidate?

1.  Will you support the results of the November election no matter what they are.  If there's any hedging at all, tell the person they don't have your support for anything whatsoever.

2. Do you believe that Trump has a Divine mission?  Any answer than an unqualified no should disqualify the candidate.

I can guarantee you that almost any GOP candidate, particularly if they don't know your view going into the question, will waffle and not give a straight answer.

Carrying on a bit, the religiosity of this midterm Republican convention is really something else.  Protestant ministers showed up to speak at it and Tim Scott sounded like an Evangelist.  At some point Protestants who are members of these communities really have to ask their pastors how they can reconcile their faith with a man who so clearly ignores Christianity. 

Closer to home, Harriet Hageman is ignoring calls for a debate with James Byrd and Byrd is calling her out on it.  His post from Facebook:

James Byrd for United States Senate

IF YOU WON'T FIGHT FOR WYOMING ON A DEBATE STAGE, WHO ARE YOU FIGHTING FOR?

Harriet Hageman won't stand on a stage. She won't return calls. She won't even respond. And now her silence is about to cancel the one chance Wyoming voters had to see both Senate candidates side by side.

You don't get to represent this state if you won't show up and defend what you believe in front of it. Silence isn't leadership. It's a candidate deciding Wyoming doesn't deserve a real conversation at all.

Tell Wyoming PBS: don't let her refusal to stand for what she believes in decide this for the rest of us.

Stand and fight.

That really is a chicken move by Hageman, but it seems to me she's taken that approach in the past as well.

In the past it struck me as arrogance.  She stopped debating as a wave of the hand type of move, although Grey Bull pulled down 25% of the vote in 2022 and Cameron 23% in 2024.  Here, it strikes me as fear.  Gray Bull was a good debater and still drew 25% in a year that heavily favored Hageman.  Now, with four years in, Hageman has an extremely exposed record.  She poked Wyoming voters in the eye on public lands and basically called them dumb.  In the category of dumb, her family's homestead burned to the ground but she still is a climate change denier.  She was endorsed by Trump and has yet to explain how Wyoming farmer and ranchers should view South American beef.  It's unfortunate that she lost to Mead, who was such a better candidate.

It's pretty questionable how she'd do in a debate against Byrd.  Byrd would likely best her, and what's more, he knows that.  So he's making her chicken move an issue.

Hageman ought to be held to account for hiding.

AN OPEN LETTER TO WYOMING PBS

August 11, 2026

To the Leadership of Wyoming PBS,

On August 10, our campaign was notified that Wyoming PBS would not be holding a primary debate for U.S. Senate, because our opponent declined the invitation to participate. A similar notice was given to Lisa Kinney, one of the Democratic candidates for Wyoming's U.S. House seat, whose opponent also declined. As a result, neither of Wyoming's federal Democratic primary races will be represented in a debate on Wyoming PBS this cycle.

I want the public to know directly: I did not refuse this invitation. I remain ready and willing to speak to Wyoming voters in this format, and if Wyoming PBS were to offer me the opportunity, I would be there.

We understand the position Wyoming PBS is in. Federal equal-time provisions limit what a broadcaster can do when only one candidate is willing to appear, so PBS can't simply offer a solo forum in place of a debate, and balancing that against the responsibility to keep voters informed is a hard job. We don't take issue with that constraint itself.

But we do take issue with the precedent this sets.

If one candidate declining is all it takes to cancel a debate outright, then any candidate who wants to dodge scrutiny now has a guaranteed way to do it. That's not a neutral policy. It rewards avoidance and punishes the candidate who actually showed up. It hands one side the power to decide, unilaterally, whether Wyoming voters get to see a debate at all. That is not how this is supposed to work.

When journalism requires the participation of good faith actors, rather than holding all individuals to account regardless of whether they participate, it will ultimately fail at its own goal of accountability. It is always easier to hide than to be held to account.

We've also noticed a related pattern: nominees who clear a primary and then simply skip general election debates too. Put these trends together, and debate participation stops being something candidates owe their constituents. It becomes optional for anyone who calculates they have more to lose than gain by showing up. That should worry Wyoming PBS as much as it worries us.

We are asking Wyoming PBS to make a public commitment that the U.S. House and Senate debates ahead of the Nov. 3, 2026 general election will occur, period. That commitment should hold true regardless of the participation of our opponents.

If a candidate refuses to show up, hold the debate anyway and leave their podium empty. Stations across the country already do this when a candidate declines. It lets voters still hear from the candidates who did show up, and it makes the absent candidate's choice visible instead of erasing the event altogether. Voters deserve to hear from all candidates in each race. Short of that, they deserve to see plainly which candidates showed up to answer for their records and which ones didn't. No candidate should get to use their own absence as a weapon to keep another candidate off the stage.

We'd also push Wyoming PBS to rethink its approach for future primary cycles. One candidate's refusal shouldn't be enough to cancel a debate outright, and that shouldn't hinge on how many candidates happen to be on a given party's ballot. A party fielding one or two contested candidates deserves the same debate access as a party fielding a dozen. Anything less penalizes voters for the size of their party's field, not for anything they did.

We appreciate the work Wyoming PBS does for this state, and we expect a response.

Sincerely,

James Byrd

Byrd for Wyoming See less

 

September 12, 2026

Opponents Blast Hageman, Gray For Skipping PBS Debates Ahead Of General Election

It turns out that neither Gray nor Hageman are willing to debate.

I'd have much less faith in Kinney being able to really do well in a debate against Gray, although she was a practicing lawyer and has been a legislator.  Additionally, Gray's default setting when he gets stressed is asshole.

Both Hageman and Gray's campaigns are defending their position to be chickens.  So are their diehard supporters.  But it isn't a good look.

September 16, 2026

Rod Miller: Proposition 1 And Rolling The Dice For Lives

Rod Miller voices his opinion about Proposition 1.

What the text of Prop 1 states is:

(xliii) A portion of property used as a primary residence as a homeowner’s exemption. The following shall apply to the homeowner's exemption:

(A) For property used as a primary residence, fifty percent (50%) of the assessed value of the primary property is exempt from property taxation as a homeowner's exemption. Not more than one (1) homeowner’s exemption shall apply to the same property in any year and no owner shall claim more than one (1) homeowner’s exemption in any year including property that is improved by a residence that houses more than one (1) family. To claim a homeowner’s exemption the person shall have been a resident of this state for not less than one (1) year prior to claiming an exemption under this paragraph and shall have resided in the applicable primary residence for at least six (6) months of the immediately preceding tax year. To claim a homeowner’s exemption, the owner of the property shall submit a sworn claim to the county assessor not later than the fourth Monday in May on forms provided by the department of revenue demonstrating that the person is the owner of the property, and that the property is the person's primary residence. False claims are punishable as provided by W.S. 6-5-303.

Basically this proposition was a Wyoming Freedom Caucus "I just moved here with lots of money from California, bought a McMansion or a 40 acre dirt farm, drove up everyone's property taxes, and I don't like it".  The proposition would gut local communities income like a fish, which most of these people don't care about as they truly hate the government and don't care about educating children, for instance, as they prefer ignorance.

We're voting no on Prop 1.

Indeed, this is the one thing we've actually answered a poll on. The poll was clearly supposed to be in favor prop 1 and the pollster, pretty clearly calling from some place in the South, didn't really know how to react to my answers to the questions.

Speaking of speaking, where's Harriet and Chuck on doing a debate?

Speaking of those two, there are questions as we proceed along that they should be made to answer.

Harriet, now that her home county is on fire again, should be forced to answer if she's willing to basically burn everything down to support the lie that climate warming isn't real.  We all know it's real. She no doubt knows it's real.  Why the fib?

Both should be made to answer if they support the illegal war against Iran and why?

And what about those diesel prices, eh?

On other matters, there's some rumors going around that Bill Allemand, the far right wing Freedom Caucus candidate who barely survived a primary challenge, may bail out of office.  Apparently he may run through the election, according to one version of it, and then bail out some time after that.  Without the Freedom Caucus crew in Cheyenne there's nobody to tell him what to do, and it would appear, generally, he needs somebody to tell him what to do and he knows that.  He's not going to have any friends any longer in Cheyenne either.

If he bails out now, he probably throws that race to the Libertarian running in the district, although there is a Democrat running as well.  He likely won't do that now and I'm not exactly sure what happens if he does.  The logical thing would be that the other GOP candidate from the primary would replace him through a party process.  If he drops out after the fall election, and if he wins it, the party would pick three names and send them to the County Commissioners who would pick the new legislator.

That, in fact, is how Chuck Gray first took office.

September 17, 2026

The propeller hat Dixiecrats in the GOP are at war with their own party.  Unfortunately for that party, they are also in control of a lot of county, and the state, committees.

Hence some of those organizations basically backing the losing campaign of carpetbagger Rebecca Bextel.

Sheridan County GOP Posts, Then Removes, Statement Backing Bextel Over Barlow

Tom Lubnau: The Wyoming GOP Aims A Gun At Its Own Foot

The party is really hypocritical.  This past year it endorsed candidates in the primary for the first time and basically told GOP voters who they had to vote for.  It endorsed Hageman, Gray, and Bien.   Bien came in third in the Governor's race and they've been pouting ever since.

Barlow, who won the Governor's race, swamped his opponents, taking 45% of the vote, but sad Dixiecrats note that 45% is not 50%, and therefore, they argue, he's not the legitimate candidate.  That logic is pretty flawed as he certainly is under Wyoming's law, and his only real rival in the campaign was Trump endorsed Degenfelder, who took 30%.  Dixiecrat darling Bien took 24% and sad Confederates note that if you add Degenfelder and Bien together, that's more than 50%.

It is, but it assumes that Degenfelder voters would have voted for Bien if she hadn't been running. The opposite is probably true.  The 1/3 bottom of the bell curve probably would have voted for Trump knighted Degenfelder if Bien hadn't been running, but Degenfelder voters in large part would likely have gone for Barlow if Bien hadn't thrown his gray kepi into the ring.  If anyone had an argument here, therefore, it would be Degenfelder.

Neither Bien or Degenfelder, who hope to dig out of their holes rather than convert them into political graves have said anything about the results being illegitimate but upset WFC members have a bit, for Bien.  They tried to get a write in campaign going for him and at least locally one badly defeated WFC  member still is.  Others, including some committee members, are backing Bextel, who will lose massively in November.

The Constitution Party itself, which support a strict reading of a double secret constitution only they know about, is open enough itself to admit that it's hoping that Bextel can pull down 10% of the vote so that it can be a "major" party.  Under Wyoming's law on primaries, which I believe to be unconstitutional, that would make the party the very model of a modern major party.

That result might occur and it might actually be a good thing, although anyone voting for Bextel, as noted, fits into the bottom end of the bell curve.  What it would do, however, is give propeller hat wearing Dixiecrats a place to actually go, and they should go there. They are not Republicans.

Lubnau notes that upset Dixiecrats in GOP committees positions oddly don't make the same argument about Freedom Caucus darling Chuck Gray, who only pulled down 25% of the vote.  While Barlow isn't threatened by Bextel, Gray actually may be by Libertarian Johnson and Democrat Kinney.  I wouldn't have given Kinney any chance at all, but Gray's refusing to debate her is actually elevating her status.

On Sheridan County, while some on its GOP committee may be crying in their Bomber Mountain Amber Ale, the results were the same as they were statewide.  Barlow swamped his competition and while Bien did come in second there, he only barely beat out Degenfelder.  Again, those Degenfelder votes would have most likely gone to Barlow.  And Gray only barely beat out Biteman and Christensen there.

One final thing to note. Teton County, where Bextel has hung her kepi, and Sheridan County, are the homes to a lot of rich carpetbaggers.  These people tend to vote their own economic interests, and not paying taxes and telling the peasants to go **** *** are in that category.  Like the rank and file in Confederate Gray in the 1860s, a lot of that rank and file (which here includes a lot of carpetbaggers) tend to be dim enough to follow the dictates of their oligarchic masters.  We're seeing that, and frankly just a lot of real bottom of the bell curve ignorance, at work on these topics.

On other topics, Postmaster General David Steiner wants to quit his job, according to insiders.

He should as he's serving a madman.

The Post Office has been in the news recently as Trump keeps ordering it to impose impossible regulations on mail in voting, which Trump himself uses, as part of Trump's effort to interfere with and steal the November election. The Supreme Court won't let him so he's having a major tantrum.

cont:

Holy smokes. . Rebecca Bextel has released a campaign video.  Buckhorn Bar t-shirt aside (after a certain age, no matter how doe eyed you may be, you can't pull that off), she sounds like the biggest Alabama hick ever.  Her accent is so thick it's really impressive.  Trying to use the tag line "you don't have to be smart to be governor", she unintentionally sounds to native Westerners as Southern hick, which is admittedly a stereotype, given that's how Westerners tend to view Southerners.  Southerners probably are unaware of that.  

Bextel has lived in Wyoming for 20 years, which  means that she's hardly lived here any time at all.  And she lives in Teton County, which Deep Wyoming regards as California.

Anyhow, in terms of actual intelligence, Barlow is a veterinarian, one of the most difficult degrees to obtain.  Bextel has a degree from the University of Alabama, although I don't know in what.

Becky also tried to sound tough in a recent Chamber of Commerce appearance by claiming she had "bigger balls" than her opponent.

Pretty insightful, really.  She had to demean her status as a woman in order to have merit in her own eyes.

The Dixiecrats.  Just go home.

September 18, 2026

Harriet Hageman wrote a guest column in the Cowboy State Daily regarding birth right citizenship.

Guest Column: Birth Tourism Is Diluting American Citizenship. Here’s What Trump Should Do

Hageman won't debate her opponents and probably for good reason.  She's arrogantly supported a bill that would have set public lands up to be privatized and essentially called Wyomingites' opposing it stupid.  She claimed to be a "Constitutional Conservative" but has done nothing about Trump running roughshod over the Constitution, including waging an illegal war that's driving up prices for everyone in the state.  She has nothing to campaign on and American's short attention span doesn't allow for a "I'm not Liz Cheney" as a platform.  With Trump down to a 54% approval rating in Wyoming, "I love Trump" is starting not to sell so well either.  So she's taking a page out of the Desperate GOP Playbook, that being hordes of foreigners are coming here to have babies, or in this particular case, hordes of Chinese are coming to have babies.

Well, in reality, for the first time in fifty years the US had negative migration last year. That is, more people are leaving the US than entering it.  The US has been teetering on the edge of rapid decline for years, but Trump has floored the accelerator on that, with the help of Republicans in Congress, and the country looks like a joke.  China, the nation which Harriet maintains is trying to plant vast hordes of babies into our country, is the clearly up and coming nation.

The truth of the matter is that this problem, if there was one, has pretty much jumped the shark.  While I'm really skeptical of it being a crisis, right wing demographers right now are arguing the opposite problem, that being that the US population is actually starting to decline, that decline accelerated by the country having become unwelcoming to foreigners.  The solution is supposed to be for (white) Americans to get busy, so to speak.

That interestingly cuts in an opposite direction for a person like Hageman, and it really stands in contrast to Cheney.  Cheney, now 60 years of age, is a Gen Xer and the mother of five children.  Hageman (age 63) is technically a Baby Boomer (perhaps more accurately a Gen. Jonser) with no children whatsoever.  Both are lawyers, but Hageman looks a lot more like a feminist in every fashion.  Indeed, as I slightly knew here, and knew her friends better, I was quite surprised early on when she emerged as a Conservative.

I'm well aware, of course, that these sorts of questions aren't even supposed to be raised in polite society, but we no longer live in a polite society and people like Hageman are part of the reason why we do not. So the questions are fair game.

Anyhow, Hageman may have some accomplishments but I don't know what they are, and whatever they are, they to not appear to be large enough to justify voting for her.  Mostly she's been a Trump loyalist right up until recently, and an opponent of public lands.  She's complicit in the failures of the Trump Administration by doing nothing, or actively supporting them, and she's detrimental to the interest of Wyoming.

Time, therefore, to drag out the Hordes Of Chinese Babies Have Landed on Our Shores line.

Prior related recent threads:

Something is going on, and I'm not the only one sensing it.

Labels: 2020s, 2026, Adam Kinzinger, Canada, Donald Trump, Evangelical, Food, Immigration, inflation, Taxes, The Second Trump Administration, The Trump Trade War with Canada, Trump Trade Wars, United States

Appendices:

The 2026 Election, 22nd Edition. The Stupid on Stilts Edition. Appendix 1.

Last edition:

The 2026 Election, 21st Edition. The Contest in the General Election.

Labels: Bill Allemand, Constitution Party, Democratic Party, Economics, Industry, Joe Porambo, Karlee Provenza, Keenan Morgan, Libertarian, Ogden Driskill, Republican Party, Rod Miller, Tamara Trujillo, Wyoming (Natrona County)2026 Election, Ana Cordova, Brent Bien, Bryan McCarty, Chuck Gray, Eric Barlow, Harriet Hageman, James Byrd, Kenneth Casner, Kevin Christensen, Rebecca Bextel, Robert Short, Shaun Johnson, Steve Harshman, Wyoming

The 2026 Election, 22nd Edition. The Stupid on Stilts Edition. More Labels.

CliffsNotes of the Zeitgeist, 136th Edition.Wyoming Republicans, not realizing they're Democrats, are criticizing Democrats, who are moderate Republicans, crossing over.

I saw an old friend getting hot and bothered by this today.  The small Democratic Party is having an  internal debate about its members switching their registration over to Republican so that the Wyoming Freedom Caucus candidates stand a bitter chance of losing.   Truth be known, almost all moderate Democrats in the state did that decades ago, some later running as fairly successful Republicans.  Cowboy State Daily Carpetbagger Dave Simpson has written an op ed about checking the "label" of Republican candidates.

Indeed, check it.  Most of the WFC candidates don't belong in the GOP at all. They aren't Republicans.

My old friend is supporting Brent Bien, who spent 28 years sucking on the government tit before taking a retirement (more sucking on the government tit) and is upset with Degenfelder and Barlow.  I'm not keen on Barlow either, but if you spend almost 30 years working in an institution that's funded by the taxpayers and then come out with a no taxes policy, you are some kind of hypocrite.  

And yes I'm speaking of a military career. Yes, there's a lot that's honorable about a military career, but I'm pretty familiar with it and you never have to 1) send out a bill, 2) worry about the competition, 3) worry your employer isn't going to have money to pay you, 3) work for fifty years before you retire, if you can ever retire, 4) worry that you line of work is just going to cease to exist.  Sure, you do have to worry about violent death, that's very true.  Like the Potts character says in Major Dundee; "that goes with the pretty girls and the pension", but the chances of that, while very real, are much less than they're made out to be for most career military people, although they are real, and the risk of violent death goes with a host of other professions too for which such worries do exist and you aren't going to get a "thank you for your service!" accolade and aren't going to be regarded as a hero.

Being a logger is actually the most dangerous job in the U.S., followed by being a commercial fisherman.  In a location specific sense, being a taxi driver was, and may still be, the most dangerous job in the U.S.

Anyhow, the criticism is that Barlow and Degenfelder might not adhere to, well:

Meine Ehre heißt Treue

Oh my, think for yourself, can't have that.

Anyhow, my friend is no doubt part of the Wyoming Freedom Caucus which is demanding loyalty oaths from Republicans.

But they aren't Republicans.

They're Dixiecrats through and through.

You'd be really hard pressed to find a Dixiecrat issue that the WFC didn't adhere to, somehow.

And you'd be hard pressed to find a Republican here who was part of the party in the Nixon or Reagan era who wouldn't look at the current party with utter disdain.

Ironically, being in the state GOP at the present time must be real torture for people who hold a no foreign wars, American First, white people only, sort of view, when their "Republican" President holds a war of the week, himself first, let's annex Venezuela and make it a state, sort of view.

Last edition:

CliffsNotes of the Zeitgeist, 135th Edition. Extra Ecclesiam nulla salus

Labels: Catholic, Extra Ecclesiam nulla salus, Ignorance, Islam, It was because of the Civil War, Judaism, Mormon, Orthodox, Protestant, religion, Sunday Morning Scene, The Law of Unintended Consequences, Zeitgeist

The 2026 Wyoming Legislature, Part 6. The headed off at the pass edition.

Week four, and we have a budget:

Governor Gordon Statement on Passage of the Budget by Both Chambers

“The budget passed today restored almost all budget recommendations for the people of Wyoming.”

CHEYENNE, Wyo. - March 2, 2026 - Governor Mark Gordon (R-WY) issued the following statement today regarding the passage in both chambers of The Essentials Budget.

“What a win for Wyoming! And what a win for the citizens across the state who got involved with their government, after the Freedom Caucus-controlled Joint Appropriations Committee members made sweeping cuts to an already lean budget,  and came forward letting their voices be heard to their representatives.   

I extend my gratitude to the members of the House who courageously opposed the proposed cuts and insisted on asking the tough questions, even late into the night. Questions that focused on transparency as well as, critically, the underlying reasons for making those cuts. These questions struck a chord statewide and were powerfully voiced right here in Cheyenne by citizens from across Wyoming. 

I want to also thank the Senate, whose stalwart leadership paved the way to this amazing victory.

The budget passed today restored almost all budget recommendations for the people of Wyoming and, as one Senator said, is only $53M below my overall recommendation. By my back-of-the-napkin calculations, that’s close to 99%. 

Wyoming's future is indeed bright. We must continue to invest in our potential, grow our industries, preserve our small-town identity, and stand firm against the hysteria of national groups seeking to undermine our state.”

The Governor would like to personally thank the members of the House who stood for Employee Compensation on third reading: Representatives Brown, L, Byron, Campbell, E., Chestek, Clouston, Connolly, Davis, Erickson, Filer, Fornstrom, Geringer, Harshman, Jarvis, Larsen, L., Larson, JT, Lawley, Lien, Nicholas, Posey, Provenza, Riggins, Sherwood, Singh, Storer, Styvar, Tarver, Thayer, Washut, Williams, Wylie and Yin. 

As well, the Governor would like to personally thank the members of the Senate who stood for restoring the Governor’s budget recommendations on second reading: Senators Anderson, Barlow, Brennan, Case, Cooper, Crago, Crum, Dockstader, Driskill, Gierau, Jones, Kolb, Landen, Love, Nethercott, Olsen, Pappas, Rothfuss, Schuler, Scott

For more information: 

Amy Edmonds, Communications Director, amy.edmonds@wyo.gov 

Janelle Collins, Strategic Communications Director, janelle.collins@wyo.gov 

The Freedom Caucus really didn't get its way on this.  They seem to have just conceded.  Probably the plan is to complain about the left wing RINO, DINO, WINO, radical press monarchist communist libertarians.

Cont:

Governor Gordon Signs First Bills of the 2026 Budget Session

February 27, 2026

---

Governor Mark Gordon (R-WY) signed his first bill of the 2026 Budget Session into law today, signifying his strong support of life by signing HEA0001 HB0004, Birthing centers - Medicaid coverage into law.  

Amidst growing maternity deserts across rural Wyoming, this bill allows critically needed birthing centers to serve more pregnant mothers. By allowing medicaid coverage at these centers, Wyoming has provided another financial tool to keep these centers open and mothers have another option for their maternity care. 

“I am pleased to sign my first bill today.  HEA0001 helps our expectant mothers.  And supporting life does not end with words, it requires action,” Governor Gordon said. “There are rural areas in Wyoming where accessing maternity care is a real challenge.  This bill allows Medicaid coverage at birthing centers and is a common-sense step that strengthens access for mothers across our state. Healthy beginnings matter. When we invest in mothers and babies, we invest in Wyoming’s future.”

The Governor also signed the following enrolled acts into law. 

HEA0002 HB0005 Oil and gas bonding pool-investment and earnings

HEA0003 HB0034 Firefighters-retirement plans

HEA0004 HB0035 Firefighters - paid leave and hazard pay

SEA0002 SF0018 Attendance of students in K-12 schools

SEA0003 SF0031 Uniform mortgage modification act.

SEA0004 SF0047 Increase of Hathaway scholarship awards.

SEA0005 SF0030 Elections-voter registration revisions.

SEA0006 SF0024 Lottery tickets-acceptance of debit card payments.

SEA0007 SF0011 Burials of indigent veterans-amendments.

SEA0008 SF0008 Absconding for criminal purposes-criminal offense.

SEA0009 SF0007 Theft amendments.

SEA0010 SF0005 Hospital bankruptcy proceedings.

SEA0012 SF0006 Eligibility for Medicaid-criteria.

SEA0013 SF0009 Fentanyl to minors-enhanced penalty. 

SEA0014 SF0017 Good neighbor authority-amendments.

SEA0015 SF0032 911 funding.

SEA0016 SF0052 2026 large project funding.

SEA0017 SF0068 Water districts-funds for maintenance projects.

SEA0018 SF0079 Sales and use tax reorganization.

SEA0019 SF0080 Department of revenue-electronic communication.

SEJR0001 SJ0001 State management-federal mineral leases.

Governor Gordon Continues Bill Signing for the 2026 Budget Session

CHEYENNE, Wyo. - March 2, 2026 -  The Governor signed the following enrolled acts into law. 

SEA0011 SF0161 Subleasing of state lands-exemptions.

HEJR001  HJ0002 Federal mineral royalties - state share.

March 3, 2026

Governor Gordon Signed the Following Bills  

CHEYENNE, Wyo. - March 3, 2026 -  The Governor signed the following enrolled acts into law: 

SEA0001 SF0002 Legislative Budget

SEA0020 SF0019 Epinephrine delivery methods.

SEA0021 SF0022 Unincorporated nonprofit associations-amendments.

SEA0023 SF0071 Wyoming department of homeland security.

SEA0024 SF0053 Keeping amateurism in high school athletics.

SEA0025 SF0012 Wyoming national guard reenlistment bonus program.

SEA0026 SF0013 Wyoming national guard member referral-amendments.

March 5, 2026

An early legislative post mortem.

Wyoming Freedom Caucus picked the wrong fight

Drake posts the thesis that the University of Wyoming proved to be a sleeping beloved bear that the out of state hillbilly freedom caucus poked when they didn't know what they were doing.  I agree.

On WFC pet issues, this one bit the dust:

Measure to ban ‘explicit’ books from libraries falters as clock runs out in Wyoming Senate

Wyoming Senate Refuses To Rescue Bill Purging Sex Books From Children's Library

Speaking of the Freedom Caucus:

Wyoming State Rep Says He Was Unlawfully Interrogated In Drunk Driving Arrest

Being a Republican now days means never having to say you are sorry.  We see this nationally and locally.  Anyhow:

Allemand had admitted to consuming two beers, court documents allege. Johnson County Deputy Attorney Joshua Stensaas told the court Jan. 28 that a blood test an hour and a half after Allemand’s arrest showed a 0.24% blood-alcohol content, three times the legal limit.

Allemand ought to resign.

And the legislature demonstrated that socialism by another name is okay if its for things you like:

Wyoming House advances $105M Energy Dominance Fund

The committee investigating Check Gate determined that there were no bribes.

This is not a surprise, and it is what we predicated.  It'd be our further prediction that the Laramie County Sheriff's Office will determine the same thing.

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of this story, other than the sheer stupidity of it, is that just as with Rep. Allemand drinking and driving, the populist far right had a pity party here as well, perhaps most particular the check tosser, Bextel, who tried to blame things on Democrats posing as Republicans in the legislature, not realizing that most of the Freedom Caucus is just that, being a bunch of Dixiecrats.  The level to which the GOP just refused to be adult is really amazing.

March 6, 2026

Usually they just adjourn and risk it:

Wyoming lawmakers to recess until Wednesday, when they’ll have a chance to override vetoes

But they know that, even though the Confederate Caucus was laragely sidelined, that htey let some dumb ones get by.

Controversial changes to Wyoming gun law clear Legislature, head to governor’s desk

"Hands On Everything": Clerk Warns Of Tampering Risk As Voting Machine Bill Passes

Governor Gordon Thanks Legislature for Good Work, Issues Concise Line-Item Vetoes to Protect Constitutional Balance of Powers  

March 05, 2026  

Governor Mark Gordon (R-WY) today presented a series of concise line-item technical vetoes to The Essentials biennial budget, (SEA0027 SF0001) emphasizing the need to preserve Wyoming’s constitutional separation of powers and prevent the state budget from becoming a vehicle for legislative overreach that micromanages executive branch functions. 

The Governor first thanked lawmakers in his veto message for producing a budget aligned with his priorities supporting key investments in Wyoming's future – including her families and communities – despite Joint Appropriations Committee actions in December and January cutting areas of value to the citizens of the Cowboy State.

In the letter to House and Senate leadership, Governor Gordon explained areas in the budget that crossed a constitutional boundary by attempting to direct how the executive branch manages its personnel and administers programs. Many of the vetoes in the 2027-2028 bill were similar to ones he had exercised in past budgets.

“In its simplest form, the Legislature passes legislation and the Executive branch enforces that legislation. Likewise the Legislature appropriates funds for the running of state government,” Governor Gordon said. “The Executive Branch sees that those funds are used expeditiously and efficiently. It is not the role (though it may be an understandable temptation) of the Legislature to attempt to assume the extent of executive functions such as deciding how many positions, the level of individual pay, or the classification of specific employees of the executive branch.”

The Governor noted that creeping legislative overreach language (beginning in 1971) has gradually been appearing in Wyoming budgets over the past few decades, often bypassing the constitutional limits of the Legislature and embedding micromanaging overreach inside appropriations bills. Gordon said his vetoes are intended to reaffirm constitutional boundaries while still respecting the Legislature’s authority over state spending.

“It is my intent that the executive agencies, subject to my approval, will be able to determine the number and duties of their employees within the confines of the amount of funds appropriated by the Legislature,” Governor Gordon said. “The Legislature’s categorical appropriations into series 100 provides sufficient restriction to ensure that the expenditures are limited to personnel costs and that there is no increase in cost to the State.”

Governor Gordon also vetoed provisions affecting programs such as economic development, the University of Wyoming, and reporting requirements that could hinder the ability of agencies to respond quickly to emerging needs.

Despite their differences, the Governor praised the Legislature for supporting key priorities that strengthen Wyoming’s workforce and communities.

“It has been a difficult session at times, and Wyoming should appreciate your hard work this budget session,” Governor Gordon said. “Still, you have kept on task to provide Wyoming with a true biennial, constitutionally sound budget.”

The Governor ended his message with this, “Our founders wisely established well-reasoned separate branches of government so that each could perform its responsibilities effectively while maintaining the proper balance of power. Our Constitutions do not give us rights. Those are given by God. The Constitution keeps government in check so that it does not usurp our rights. Preserving that balance of power ensures Wyoming’s government remains accountable, efficient, and faithful to the Constitution we are sworn to uphold.”

The Governor’s veto message has been transmitted to legislative leadership for consideration.

The Governor also signed the following enrolled acts into law today:  

HEA0005 HB0112 Riverton state office task force-sunset.

HEA0006 HB0106 Smokebuster module leaders.

HEA0007 HB0032 English proficiency-commercial motor vehicle drivers. 

HEA0008 HB0008 Stalking of minors.

HEA0009 HB0026 Vehicle registration fees-tribal governments.

HEA0010 HB0105 K-12 school facilities appropriations-2.

HEA0011 HB0107 Local government distributions.

HEA0012 HB0009 Grooming of children-offenses and amendments.

HEA0013 HB0028 Sexual exploitation of children-amendments.

HEA0014 HB0025 Wyoming's tomorrow scholarship program amendments.

HEA0015 HB0024 Review of charter school applications.

HEA0016 HB0002 Fast Track Permits Act. 

HEA0020 HB0087 Omnibus water bill-planning.

SEA0022 SF0027 Leashed dogs for tracking-black bear. 

March 8, 2026

Gordon Says Second Amendment Protection Act Is Fundraising Disguised As Legislation

March 6, 2026

Governor Gordon Signs Bills, Vetoes SF 119, Citing Constitutional Concerns and Budget Restrictions

March 06, 2026

Governor Mark Gordon (R-WY) today vetoed Senate Enrolled Act No. 29 / Senate File 119 – Strategic investments and projects account – repeal, citing concerns in his veto letter that the legislation unnecessarily restricts the Executive Branch’s constitutional role in recommending and balancing the state budget. 

The bill repeals the statutory mechanism allowing a portion of earnings from the Permanent Mineral Trust Fund (PMTF) to flow into the Strategic Investments and Projects Account (SIPA) and redirects those funds to reserve accounts instead of the General Fund.

“Upon review of each section of this Act, something less innocuous may also be afoot: limiting the Chief Executive’s ability to make budget recommendations by reducing access to revenue, thereby establishing an unreasonable one-sidedness between the Executive and Legislative branches,” Governor Gordon said.

According to the January 2026 Consensus Revenue Estimating Group (CREG) forecast, the legislation would prevent the Governor from utilizing approximately $496.7 million that was available for his recommended budget.

Governor Gordon noted that while transparency in the budget process is an important goal, the bill does not accomplish that objective and instead creates new limitations on the Governor’s ability to responsibly propose and balance Wyoming’s budget.

“If the intent is to simplify the budget process, this is not a forthright avenue,” Governor Gordon said. “I cannot agree with an approach by the Legislature which attempts to restrict the Executive Branch’s ability to propose a responsible budget within the limits set by our Wyoming Constitution.”

A copy of the Governor’s veto letter has been transmitted to the Legislature and is available upon request.

The Governor signed the following enrolled acts into law: 

HEA0017 HB0023 Participation in school activities.

HEA0018 HB0128 Enhanced oil recovery-severance tax exemption.

HEA0019 HB0075 Virtual currency kiosks.

HEA0021 HB0122 Wyoming rural health transformation program.

HEA0022 HB0003 Wyoming pregnancy centers-autonomy and rights.

SEA0028 SF0067 Wyoming state guard-amendments.

SEA0030 SF0041 Portable benefit accounts.

SEA0031 SF0048 Stem Cell Freedom Act.

SEA0032 SF0020 Data privacy-government entities.

SEA0033 SF0010 Contracts for holding and treating mentally ill detainees.

SEA0034 SF0004 Medicaid rate increase-EMS services.

SEA0035 SF0026 Game and fish property tax exemption-amendments.

SEA0036 SF0090 School facilities-use fees.

SEA0037 SF0105 Real estate brokers-duties and disclosure amendments.

SEA0038 SF0044 Gambling amendments.

SEA0039 SF0046 Skill based amusement games-licensed liquor establishments.

SEA0040 SF0014 Literacy position for K-3 reading program. 

SEA0041 SF0107 Motor vehicle registration and plate issuance system.

SEA0042 SF0070 Omnibus water bill-construction.

SEA0043 SF0059 K-12 language and literacy program.

SEA0044 SF0056 Kratom product regulation.

SEA0045 SF0021 Wyoming stable token-amendments.

SEA0046 SF0035 School district-cell phone and smart watch policies.

SEA0047 SF0050 State engineer-surface and ground water study.

SEA0048 SF0058 Wyoming Indian Child Welfare Act sunset repeal.

SEA0049 SF0095 Driver's and motor vehicle services-third party providers.

SEA0050 SF0102 Wyoming energy transmission study.

SEA0051 SF0045 Local approval for simulcasting.

SEA0052 SF0088 Sex offenders-residence near child care facilities.

SEJR0002 SJ0006 Shared parenting day. 

SEJR0004 SJ0009 Keeping public lands protected and decisions local.

March 12, 2026

Governor Gordon Signs Human Heartbeat Act into Law

March 09, 2026

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Governor Mark Gordon (R-WY) today signed Enrolled Act No. 29 / House Bill 126, the Human Heartbeat Act, into law, reaffirming his commitment to protecting unborn life while raising concerns about the law’s durability under Wyoming’s current constitutional framework since State v. Johnson, the recent Wyoming Supreme Court decision that removed abortion restrictions.

In a signing letter to Speaker Chip Neiman, the Governor acknowledged the deeply held moral convictions, convictions he himself shares, that motivated the legislation, but cautioned that Wyoming continues to face significant legal uncertainty surrounding abortion policy. 

“Life is sacred,” Governor Gordon said. “Despite the upright, moral intentions behind HEA 29, I believe this Act very likely puts us back in the all too familiar and unfortunate territory of pro-life litigation. It does not offer the durable solution I had hoped for, and it does not put the issue before the people of Wyoming from whom, according to Article 1 of our Wyoming Constitution, all governmental power derives.”

Governor Gordon has repeatedly emphasized the need for a long-lasting policy solution that will likely require either a constitutional amendment or a narrowly crafted legislative approach that addresses the Supreme Court’s interpretation. Governor Gordon has previously called on the Legislature to find solutions that both protect life and withstand constitutional scrutiny so that Wyoming can move beyond repeated cycles of litigation on the issue. While this Act did not achieve that solution, the Governor wished to reaffirm his strong defense of the unborn. 

“I resoundingly share the determination to defend the lives of unborn children and support the intentions behind the Human Heartbeat Act,” Governor Gordon said. “Regrettably, this Act represents another well-intentioned but likely fragile legal effort with significant risk of ending in the courts rather than in lasting, durable policy. Rather than finding a remedy that saves the unborn, I fear we have only added another chapter to the sad saga of repeatedly trying to force a specific solution.”

It looks like this will be challenged in court, making such a challenge openly an effort in support of infanticide.

Governor Gordon Vetoes HB 178, Cites Disparity Between Groups as Chief Concern

March 10, 2026

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Governor Mark Gordon (R-WY) today vetoed House Enrolled Act No. 35 / House Bill 178 Public unions-transparency and dues withdrawal limitations. In his veto letter, the Governor cited several concerning elements of the legislation, including the non-uniform treatment of types of public employees.

The legislation would prohibit certain public employees from voluntarily deducting labor organization dues from their paychecks and potentially criminalize public employers and employees who take part in the practice. Wyoming is a “Right to Work” state, meaning workers cannot be compelled to join labor organizations. Currently, public employees must opt in to having union dues deducted from their compensation–at a negligible cost to public employers.

Governor Gordon raised concerns about the state deciding how employees can and cannot spend their duly-earned compensation, the non-uniform treatment of public employees, the exposure to criminal liability, and the lack of deliberation on unintended consequences should the bill become law.

When considering the issue of non-uniformity, the Governor prescribed his chief concern: “The notion that we should carve out automatic payroll deductions based upon the type of employment should alarm anyone who values freedom. Our public safety personnel, public health workers, teachers, and other public servants all work rigorously to ensure the ongoing operations of our state, counties, and towns. Creating disparity between those employees by allowing the simple convenience of an opt-in automatic deduction from earned compensation for some but not others is unnecessarily punitive at best and subject to legal challenge at worst.”

Governor Gordon also expressed frustration with the increasing trend of out-of-state interests influencing legislation.

“With alarming regularity, these think-tanks-for-hire use our legislative process to enact solutions to problems we do not have,” Governor Gordon said. “Chalking up a win in Wyoming to augment their scoresheet across the nation does very little for our state, but it allows them to continue to raise funds for the fat cats who support these efforts.”

The Governor also signed the following enrolled acts into law.  

HEA0023 HB0045 Long-term homeowner tax exemption-revisions.

HEA0024 HB0111 State funded capital construction.

HEA0025 HB0036 Forestry division wildland fire modules.

HEA0026 HB0041 WHP, DCI and warden retirement benefits-amendments.

HEA0027 HB0096 Carrying of concealed weapons-age requirement.

HEA0028 HB0098 Prohibit Red Flag Gun Seizure Act-penalty amendments.

HEA0030 HB0043 Anti-money laundering.

HEA0031 HB0080 Identification cards-renewal for care facility residents.

HEA0032 HB0102 Protecting kids from deepfakes and exploitative images.

HEA0033 HB0145 Removing triple taxation for resident EV drivers.

HEA0034 HB0120 Energy product reclassification and sovereignty act.

HEA0036 HB0016 Secretary of state-expedited filings.

HEA0037 HB0092 Registered sex offenders prohibited from public office.

HEA0038 HB0039 Firearms rights-restoration amendments.

HEA0039 HB0069 Department of health-land transfers.

HEA0040 HB0044 Revisor's bill.

HEA0041 HB0078 Forest health grant program.

SEA0061 SF0113 2026 election hand count comparison.

SEA0062 SF0084 Voluntary water conservation program.

SEA0063 SF0099 Prescriptive easements for electricity delivery.

SEA0065 SF0121 Wyoming Pharmacy Act amendments.

SEA0066 SF0028 Elections-voting machine and voting system tests.

SEA0067 SF0069 Waste and storm water infrastructure study.

SEA0068 SF0106 Welfare Fraud Prevention Act Amendments.

SEA0069 SF0123 Wyoming energy dominance fund.

Trump Administration Supports Governor Gordon’s Veto of Anti-Law Enforcement Bill

March 10, 2026

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Governor Mark Gordon (R-WY) today vetoed Senate File 101 / Senate Enrolled Act No. 64, citing serious concerns raised by Wyoming Sheriffs and Chiefs of Police.  Those concerns were echoed by the Trump Administration federal law enforcement officials, who warned the legislation could weaken critical cooperation between Wyoming law enforcement and federal agencies combating violent crime, firearms trafficking, and cartel activity.

In a letter to the Governor, Acting Director Todd Lyons of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) cautioned that the bill, while framed as a Second Amendment protection measure, could instead undermine law enforcement efforts.

“The legislation undermines law enforcement by threatening Wyoming police officers with criminal charges, civil lawsuits, and steep financial penalties for their employers simply for cooperating with federal law enforcement on firearm investigations, even when those investigations target violent offenders, traffickers, or organized criminal networks,” Lyons wrote.

The ICE letter further warned that restricting cooperation between federal and local law enforcement could make it harder to dismantle criminal networks responsible for firearms trafficking and cross-border smuggling.

“Many of the most serious gun crimes today—international firearms trafficking, cross-border smuggling, terrorist cartel-linked straw purchasing, airport security violations, and financial crimes tied to arms trafficking—are primarily federal offenses. In many of these cases, Wyoming law has no parallel statute at all. Without federal cooperation, these serious crimes may never be prosecuted,” Lyons wrote.

Governor Gordon noted in his veto letter that the concerns raised by federal law enforcement reinforce warnings raised throughout the legislative session by Wyoming’s own law enforcement leaders.

“Please note that every single one of Wyoming’s twenty-three duly elected sheriffs, numerous community police chiefs, and state law enforcement officials spoke out to list their concerns throughout the legislative session to no avail,” Governor Gordon wrote in his veto message.

The Governor emphasized that Wyoming strongly supports the Second Amendment but warned the legislation could create serious unintended consequences for law enforcement and public safety.

“This legislation is an ambulance chasing activist litigator’s meal ticket wrapped in a politically sacred wrapper of ‘Second Amendment Protection,’” Governor Gordon said. “Illegal immigration, drug smuggling, human trafficking – major enforcement initiatives of President Trump’s – will all be hindered as a consequence of this bill.”

Governor Gordon reiterated that Wyoming law already protects against federal overreach under the U.S. Supreme Court’s anti-commandeering doctrine established in Printz v. United States.

“If an order is given on the federal level to seize law-abiding Wyoming citizens’ firearms, state and local law enforcement cannot be forced to administer or enforce any of their regulations,” the Governor wrote.

This veto was a 

good one, although support by the increasingly authoritarian Trump interregnum is disturbing.

And this:

Complaints dismissed against Wyoming lawmakers who revealed ‘Checkgate’

Those who filed the complaints should have been removed from office, and the voters shouldn't return them to office.  In Natrona County, Locke, who is now now worthy of his office, was one who filed one. What a child.

And the session adjourned yesterday.

I haven't kept up on all the passed bills, so this may receive a few updates if additional legislation is signed, goes into law, or is vetoed. 

A post session analysis shall, of course, be done.

Last edition:

The 2026 Wyoming Legislature, Part 5. The Ignorant don't realize how ignorant they really are edition.

Labels: 2020s, 2026, 2026 Wyoming Legislature, Abortion, Check Gate, Dixiecrats, Education, Ignorance, Populism, Republican Party, University of Wyoming, Wyoming Freedom Caucus