The 25th Amendment Watch List, Sixteenth Edition: The Addled.

May 12, 2026

Drugs coming by sea, by ocean, by water. A lot of people say, What do you mean by sea? Is it see? Like vision? No, it’s sea. SEA.

Donald Trump on the maritime transportation of illegal drugs.  Absolutely nobody was confused on this topic, maybe other than Trump.

We have a man who is doing a great job. I knew it! Because he kept me out of jail for years. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. He kept me out of jail.

Ummm. . . 

We're building a beautiful ballroom. I'm very good at ballrooms.

The ballroom, which will either never be built or will be ripped down, is a Trump obsession.

A new name I came up  -- dumbocrat. I think that could be a good one. I've come up with some extraordinary names. But I was talking about Hakeem Jeffries. He's a low IQ person. He's a dumb guy.

Trump has an obsession on intelligence like only a man who isn't intelligent can have.

Without you, we have Somalia. A fine place where we have a congresswoman who brilliantly came over to the country by marrying her brother. That was the first law she broke. She comes from a country where they have nothing but crime, bedlam, filth. Elan Omar.

Ilhan Omar  has been married three times, and none of her husbands were her brother.

This accusation taps into the deeply racist nature of a lot of MAGA in particular and the American far right in general. This has laid under the surface following the 1960s for years, but it resurfaced with the rise of Barack Obama which caused this demographic to flip out.  Trump tapped into it early with his clams that Obama, who was born in Hawaii, was born in Kenya.

Funny thing here is that Obama and Trump share a common item here in that both of them were born to a couple in which one of them was an immigrant.  In Trump's case, however, the immigrant was a white Christian, as opposed to Obama's. This item here really shows something that's deeply ingrained in the MAGA movement.  It really doesn't like anyone who isn't white and it really doesn't like anyone who isn't culturally Christian.

Otherwise, it's perfectly okay with people like Trump, who marry foreign women of a certain appearance and then divorce them later on, and whose Christianity is a variant of it that doesn't really require any actual effort or adherence to the Gospel.

The people that did it -- these people did not work for me. They said they work for me. They come from a different part of the country. But they were good. The people that worked for me recommended it and they recommend we do it this way. But I recommended it to them because I'm very good at construction.

Tide D Bowl.

No Republican has ever spoken to me about Cuba, which is a failed country and only heading in one direction - down! Cuba is asking for help, and we are going to talk!!! In the meantime, I’m off to China! President DJT

Donald Trump.

We'll address the super creepy "Trump babies" in another thread.

A note here.  Trump's 18 month mark will be July 20, 2026.  If I'm right, we're now in the final phases of his administration as he'll be removed by the 25th Amendment by then.

May 13, 2026

Trump, who came to office principally because he promised to deport the 10M to 12M illegal aliens in the US, most of whom are Hispanic, now wants to annex Venezuela, with a population of 31M, and make it a state.

Let's not pretend he's joking, he isn't.

The population of the US is currently 20% Hispanic.  Annexation of Venezuela and making its citizens US citizens would convert the country to being a 30% Hispanic country overnight.  MAGA has a strongly nativist anti Hispanic bias.  It'll amusing how they bend that to supporting this, but they will.

The entire thing is amusing about King Donny.  He's so dim that all he ever thinks about is the cash value of something, and Venezuela has oil.  He apparently doesn't realize that Venezuela, which is a large country which would probably come in as more than one state if it did, is also a Socialist one.  The Republican Party would be effectively dead, and the US would be far more left wing than it currently is.

This won't happen, as it would require the cooperation of Congress.  At least I don't think it would.  But the fact that MAGA will support this just shows how dim that movement is.

MAGA politicians, including Harriet Hageman and John Sycophant Barrasso, should be quizzed on this, and don't let them weasel out of answering or tell you its a joke.  It isn't.

On issues closer to home:

Wyoming Cattle Ranchers Worried Over Trump Proposal To Lower Tariffs On Beef Imports

Farmers and ranches who supported Trump were reading something into him that just isn't there and will regret it.

May 14, 2026

This item raises some really good and interesting points.

Bare minimum, as the wheels come off the Trump administration he's getting increasingly erratic.  Richardson proposes some darker motives, but even if there not there, there appears to be a dedicated effort to say things now to distract as things get worse and worse.

Last edition:

Ballroom Batshit. A demented president goes full bonkers. The 25th Amendment Watch List Fifteenth Edition and Court Watch Part VI.

Labels: 2025 White House Vandalization, 25th Amendment Watch List, Ascendant Ignorance in the Age of Donald Trump, Court Watch, Ignorance, The Madness of King Donald

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 2027 Legislature, super early edition. The make them stop edition.

Ugh, just when the first corn fed, cornfederate legislature was safely in the history books, the Management Council met.  Of course, the same dumb ideas that get rejected repeatedly are back up for reconsideration, at least in part.

I hear we want to do the election review again and redo the same bills that just died three weeks ago ... in exchange for 911 funding.

Tara Nethercott.

The corner crossing bill won't be back, which is too bad.

Vote the WFC out and send them back to pre 1964 Alabama where they'll be happy.

May 13, 2026

Woman Sued By House Candidate Reid Rasner Urges Ban On Frivolous Lawsuits

I was aware this legislation had been introduced.  Frankly, Anti SLAPP provisions are really tricky as they're based, basically, on pre judging a litigants intent.

CliffsNotes of the Zeitgeist, 134th Edition. Paying the cost of failed Reconstruction.

Henry Mosler's painting "The Lost Cause", depicting an uneducated Southern dupe returning to his destroyed home after having fought for rich Southerners who wanted to keep human beings in barbours slavery.

Two related items:

Tennessee's Redistricting Fight and the Long Shadow of the Civil War

and this one:

The Confederacy rises again

The biggest political mistake the US has ever made was not engage in radical reconstruction after the American Civil War.  To have served in an officer, or frankly even as a volunteer, in the Confederate Army should have been regarded as fully treasonous and never forgiven. Those who did should have been tried and given heavy sentences.  Men like Robert E. Lee should never have been allowed to walk the streets as free men again.  

Slave holders, no matter how small they were, should have had to compensate their former slaves or their decedents heavily.  On the principal that the land belongs to he who works it, a means of transferring agricultural land to the former slaves should have been devised.

This is, I'd note, the second time the country has gone through this Lost Cause crap.  The cause of the Southern States during the Civil War ranks right up with that of Nazi Germany as one of the worst causes people have every fought for.  The South should have been made to hang its head in shame, as the Germans were after World War Two.  And  yet, here we go again.

If there's any good thing about any of this is that the rise of the Lost Cause yielded to the Civil Rights Era.  Americans thought they'd finally one the promise of the country, although Liberals and Progressives certainly took that claimed victory beyond what it meant and should have mean in other ways.  Everyone has been reminded of that, now that the fulfillment of the result of Reagan's Southern Strategy has been afflicted upon the nation in form of the Trump Administration.

Last edition:

CliffsNotes of the Zeitgeist, 133d Edition. What happened to that Board of Peace?

Labels: children, Chuck Gray, Health, Jillian Balow, Lies, Music, Post Office, The Press, The Second Trump Administration, United Nations, United States and Israel v. Iran, Zeitgeist

Conservatism Could Save America. The Small-C Kind Too bad it's in a historic slump

 

Conservatism Could Save America. The Small-C Kind

Too bad it's in a historic slump

Saturday, May 6, 1911. One Colorado Senator.

Colorado's Senate adjourned after having failed to appoint a replacement for the late Senator Charles J. Hughes.  There would be only one Senator from Colorado until January 20, 1913.

It was a Saturday.

Last edition:

Friday, May 5, 1911. La Cruz Blanca Neutral.

Labels: 1910s, 1911, Mexican Revolution, Mexico, Red Cross

Saturday, May 4, 1901. The Caste War of Yucatán ends.

The Caste War of Yucatán came to an end with General Ignacio Bravo marching his troops into the Mayan capital at Noh Cah Balam (Chan Santa Cruz).

The war had been running since 1847.

Italy rejected a request from the Ottoman Empire to help prevent the settlement of foreign Jews in Palestine.

It was a Saturday.  Some interesting items.

A lot of people in the Middle East may be asking the same question Judge did, in light of the U.S. war on Iran which has been clothed in some circles with Protestant millenialism.

While there probably are some merits to not starting out too near the top, it seems an older generation is always willing to suggest the youngest one needs to start at the bottom.

Last edition:

Friday, May 3, 1901. The Panic of 1901.

Labels: 1900s, 1901, Disaster, Economics, Florida, Florida (Jacksonville), Panic of 1901

The 2026 Election, 9th Edition. The Sic Semper Tyrannus edition.*

Confederate prisoners at Five Forks.

April 23, 2026

Republicans are basically freaking out after Virginia's voters sent redistricting to the legislature, guaranteeing Democratic gains in the state's House of Representative representation.  Donald Trump declared that the vote was stolen, which is utter nonsense, but which was predictable.  

He will claim the same about November's election as well, which is going to go very badly for the Republicans, and he will pull out no stops to try to steal that election.

That scary predication aside, the fall's election is getting pretty predictable right now . Republican's have committed political suicide by reelecting a demented not too sharp octogenarian real estate developer to the office of Presidency, one he is not actually legally qualified to hold.

They deserve no pity, even if the country does.

One group of people who are tiresomely not worth of pity are the far right MAGA crew that likes to predict a civil war, as if they're going to storm out of their suburban homes and fight somebody.  That's complete baloney. This is not going to result in a war of any kind.  It might end in violence however as MAGA has already tried to subvert the last election and probably will try to do so again.

On this, there's been a substantial increase in firearms ownership by liberals, a trend that hasn't received much notice.  It falls into two categories, one being political liberals who are just exercising their Second Amendment Rights. One columnist the other day noted that where there are large groups of right wing armed figures the police almost never act badly during demonstrations and is urging that left wing people do the same.  It makes sense, frankly.  This is a tactic that was taken by black activist groups during the 1960s and 1970s.  Liberals, in my view, should do this in part because it makes sense but also in part due to the fact that right wing Second Amendment groups have  rolled over like a pet dog for Trump.  Indeed, in the last issue of The American Rifleman some NRA member wrote a letter to the editor arguing, well, gosh, if there's a protest, best just to stay away, you know, . . . something completely contrary to the positions of the organization in the past.  

The other group are people who probably have real reason to seek self protection and tend to be in the political such as tranvestites and homosexuals.  That frankly makes real sense to me.  The late Charlie Kirk like to claim that tranvestites were inordinately responsible for mass shootings, which is not true, but that sort of rhetoric really does give a good reason for them to arm themselves.

The redistricting came about due to Trump insisting that it be done in Texas and Gov. Abbot agreeing to do it.  The fact that other states could do the same thing apparently never occurred to the dimwits running the GOP, or at least to the chief dimwit and his Texas minions.  Now the Democrats have done it twice and have gained ground in the effort, although a similar effort in Florida could change that. 

Or not.  Trump has lost such a following amongst Hispanics that the Texas redistricting may actually have the same effect, on a less dramatic scale, in that state.

Indeed, Texas is interesting in this regard as Republicans are howling about how a slim majority of voters can "deprive" the remainder of representation, which is an intellectually weak argument.  Nobody was deprived of representation, even though gerrymandering overall is bad.  Anyhow, it was the voters of Virginia who passed the redistricting plan, albeit only by a slim majority.  In Texas it was done by legislative fiat, even though Democrats, not Republicans, are the majority party in terms of registration in Texas.  Texas's districting outright suppresses Democratic votes, something that will come back to haunt the party in Texas.

At any rate, the GOP's actions are truly an example of the Forrest Gump observation, "stupid is as stupid does".  So much so that a person is really entitled to wonder at this point how dim those in charge right now really are.

Closer to home, where the GOP remains solidly in charge but there seems to be a real chance that the Freedom Caucus is going to really suffer in the fall, the following dates need to be kept in mind.

Party Changes

The state of Wyoming passed legislation affecting when a registered voter is allowed to change their party affiliation.

• You MUST appear in person in the Elections office on or before May 13, 2026 to declare or change your party affiliation.    
• NO party changes at the polls on Primary Election Day.
• Qualified voters who are not yet registered will still be able to register and choose their party on the day of the Primary Election.

Absentee Voting

The timeframe for voting absentee has shortened from 45 days to 28 days.

• Absentee ballot request may be made by phone, mail, email, online or in person.
• Your ID is required to vote in person or to pick up a ballot.

Absentee voting for the Primary Election:     July 21 - August 17, 2026
Absentee voting for the   General Election:     October 6 - November 2, 2026

Party Affiliation for Primary Election

• Registered Voter party affiliation change deadline for the Primary Election is May 13, 2026
• New voter registrations may declare a party affiliation when registering after this deadline.

Candidate Filing Dates

• State, County and City offices filing runs May 14, 2026 through May 29, 2026
• College and School Boards, Fire Districts and Soil Conservation Districts filing runs August 5, 2026 through August 24, 2026

Absentee Voting

• July 21, 2026 through August 17, 2026 for the Primary
• October 6, 2026 through November 2, 2026 for the General

Election Days

• Primary Election Day is Tuesday, August 18, 2026 
• General Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, 2026

Wyoming's Voter ID Law

Effective July 1, 2021, Wyoming voters will be required to show an acceptable form of identification when voting in person. There are many ID options for you to use to prove your identity.  Visit the Wyoming Secretary of State's Office website for more information.

A couple of observations.

One is that you used to be able to change party affiliation at the polls, but the state's GOP got that changed out of fear that all five of the state's remaining Democrats would change party at the poll and vote for Battling Bob LaFollette.

It's a stupid fear.  Any Democrats who were going to do that did it years ago.  The law actually just locks people into their current party, but the propaganda value of this lives on as the real Democrats, the Dixiecrats, like to continually complain that the GOP is backed with RINOs. It is, they are the RINOs.

Another observation is that you have to show "an acceptable" form of identification, so if you are going to vote, bring it.  The Secretary of State's office provides the following as "acceptable:

• WY Driver's License or ID Card
• Tribal ID Card
• Valid US Passport
• US Military Card
• DL or ID Card from Another State
• University of Wyoming Student ID
• Wyoming Community College Student ID
• Wyoming Public School Student ID
• Valid Medicare Insurance Card*
• Valid Medicaid Insurance Card*
• Valid Wyoming Concealed Firearm Permit

Mostly because this was the pet project of California Carpetbagger Chuck Gray, I'm going to bring my driver's license, my military ID, and my concealed firearm's permit.  I'm also going to ask everyone manning the polls to see their ID's.  If I have to prove I'm an American citizen, well they should have to do so as well.

The other thing is that the candidate registration date is also coming right up.  It actually runs through May 29, but this year, I'd get that done by May 13 if I was going to run, which I'm not going to (probably).

cont:

And now there's a new candidate for the Senate, Sam Mead from the well known Mead family.  That makes the candidates, on the GOP side (no Democrats have announced):

Harriet Hageman 

Jimmy Skovgard

Samuel Mead

Mead is probably a pretty serious contender.  His website, which is probably not the best way to judge things, shows him to be the best serious candidate to announce, if we disregard Skovgard, who isn't mounting much of a campaign so far.

The first flyer for Steve Freiss, running for House today, arrived in which he tries to maintain he's like Reagan and Trump, which is patently absurd in that Trump and Reagan are nothing like each other.

April 24, 2026

The State Republican Convention opened in Douglas and already has the appearance of the 7th Cavalry attempting to form a final defensive line at Little Big Horn.

Wyomingites are showing increasing signs that they're sick to death of the Freedom  Caucus, but the county delegations still heavily reflect that.  So, they're thinking of just violating the law and even pulling out of primaries.

Wyoming Republican Party Vows To Sue, Won’t Comply With State Laws

The dipshittery is already in evidence, as shown by this quote:

What we as a party are moving towards is what people have been asking for decades.

Wyoming Republican Party Chair Bryan Miller.

Miller spent his career in the Air Force sucking off the government tit and then came to Wyoming on the far right "I worked for the government but I hate the government so much I still collect government retirement and am now sucking on the other government tit" platform. Given that, like most of the WFC, what he imagines what people have wanted "for decades" is based on talking to a small group of like minded, small minded, feverish minds, many of whom spent their decades somewhere else.

Basically, the Freedom Caucus is worried that the voters are going to kick it in the ass in the primary and are trying to find a way that county WFC controlled bodies can declare who the candidates in the fall will be.

That's not going to fly.  Anyone can still register as a Republican and run as one if they declare themselves to be one.  The GOP can't change that.  What it can do, however, is break into open civil war before a general election and destroy itself.

Long-term, by attacking the primaries, it might just lead to a non partisan open primary, which would be a fantastic development.

Another proposal is that Republican candidates take a loyalty oath the GOP platform.  The state platform has a barely disguised "grab the public lands" plank in it that Wyomingites hate, but the Confederates love.  Showing more their loyalty to the Lost Cause, it also includes a plank that requires the state to ignore the decisions of Courts that don't go their way, something that actually is flat out illegal and which makes them into a traitorous body seeking the overthrow of the American government, although they seemingly can't grasp that.

The deluded WFC feels that they can secure their failing movement, basically, by expelling everyone else, which at the end of the day would result in a competing Republican body, which would be an outright good development, particularly now. The existing GOP is heading for a cliff this Fall and there's a strong chance it'll start to actually dissolve next year.

cont:

‘God Never Forced Anyone’: Wyoming GOP Rejects Declaring Wyoming A Christian State

April 25, 2026

Protect Wyoming is directly going after some of the bad state legislators, and Bob Ide pretty meg tops the list there:

I'vc never understood how his district elected him.  They had an experienced conservative, Drew Perkins, who now works for the Governor.  In his place they got a guy who was actually in D.C. at the time of the Insurrection and holds every single extreme right wing view.

On the GOP Convention, the platform fight goes on:

‘God Never Forced Anyone’: Wyoming GOP Rejects Declaring Wyoming A Christian State

While I personally am religious, Wyoming is the least religious state in the United States.  It's notable that this attempt to declare the state a Christian one failed pretty handily, but also notable that it came up at all.

Also notable is that the state of Wyoming's land board voted to fund housing projects in certain areas to the tune of $5M.  Carpetbagger Chuck Gray, hoping for the U.S. House, tried to keep resident aliens ineligible, and given the locations that this applies to, they'd clearly be part of the population in need.  Degenfelder, who is running for Governor on the "sure, I'm personally a Catholic but the blasphemous octogenarian Demented Don Trump endorsed me" voted for the proposal.

Seems like there's a poem about practicing to deceive.

Footnotes:

"Thus always to tyrants", the state motto of Virginia.

Related threads:

Pollice Verso. The 2026 Political Negative Endorsement. The Don't Vote For List.

2026 Election, Chuck Gray, Cynthia Lummis, Dixiecrats, Eric Barlow, Harriet Hageman, Ignorance, Megan Degenfelder, Populism, Public Land, Republican Party, Trailing thread, Wyoming Freedom Caucus

Last edition:

The 2026 Election, 7th Edition, Do not stand with those who promote the sins that cry out to Heaven.

Labels: 2026 Election, American Solidarity Party, Blog Mirror, Christian Democrats, Christianity, Chuck Gray, Donald Trump, Donald Trump Effect, J. D. Vance, Megan Degenfelder, Pope Leo XIII, Predictions, religion, Utah, War

Republicans. You have reached July 20, 1944. You can either act with the insurgents and save your party (maybe) or go down in the bunker and destroy it for a generation, or more.

Labels: 2020s, 2026, 2026 Election, 2027, 25th Amendment Watch List, Donald Trump, Health, July 20 Plot, Nazi Germany, Republican Party, The Madness of King Donald

Wyoming’s ‘radical left-wing media’

In my view, Chuck Gray broke the law by turning over Wyoming's voter information to the Federal Government.  

Not only did he do that, he did it so quickly that the US was the first state in the union to do it.

He should be ashamed.

Frankly, he should be ashamed, convicted, and removed from office.

Wyoming’s ‘radical left-wing media’

 

But of course, what he does is issue his usual go to screeds.  It's the "radical left".

To hear Chuck say, literally everything wrong, and everything that opposes him, is due to the radical left.

It's really getting tiresome.  One Trick Pony Chuck probably screams at his toaster if his toast is burnt that the toaster is part of the radical left.

Being a screamer got him into his current office. . . barely.  Since then, he's kept it up.  His act was wearing pretty thing before he was elected.  My guess is that it's worn too thin now and his having violated the law here may come back to haunt him.

Lex Anteinternet: The 2026 Election, 6th Edition, Campaigning before defeats.

 

March 20, 2026

The Oil City News has put up its updating election tracker, something we've done here as well, although theirs is an article that updates over time whereas we have to update blog entries, which is getting dicey due to some glitch on Blogger.

Anyhow, a good place to check on who is running, without, of course, our brilliant and amusing running commentary.

2026 Election Tracker: Who is running for office in Wyoming?

March 21, 2026

Former Casper Vice Mayor and City Councilor Shawn Johnson announced this wee that he is seeking the Libertarian Party of Wyoming’s nomination for the U.S. House of Representatives.

The House race has been very active, due to one term Representative Harriet Hageman taking aim at the Senate.  The current candidates are:

U.S. House of Representatives

GOP

Jillian Balow

Chuck Gray.  On our don't vote for list.

Reid Rasner. On our don't vote for list.

David Giralt

Bo Biteman   On our don't vote for list.

Kevin Christensen On our don't vote for list.

Independent

Daniel Workman.

Libertarian

Shawn Johnson

As an aside, we heard a public radio discussion of Christensen the other day, which was neutral, but which makes it plain he's sucked on the government tit pretty much his whole life and now comes in as a far right figure.  These sorts of campaigns, of which there seem to be a lot this year, are much like a new high school graduate being an expert on parenting as he's lived at home for 18 years.

We better list the Senate as well.

U.S. Senate

GOP

Harriet Hageman. On our don't vote for list.

Jimmy Skovgard.

Skovgard has so far failed to impress, unfortunately.  For awhile I subscribed to one of his two blogs which I gave up on as it might be kindly described as blather.  Hopefully some other Republican will announce for this position, as I will vote for him in the primary when I'd rather not, as Hageman is a no/go..

Democratic Party

James Byrd

And the Governor's race:

Governor

GOP

Eric Barlow:  At least so far, Barlow seems to be by far the best choice for this office.  I'm seeing some of his signs around.

Brent Bien. On our don't vote for list.

Meggan Degenfelder. On our don't vote for list.  Degenfelder is from the relatively hard right and has been tarred with the brush of a Trump endorsement, which she really doesn't seem fully comfortable with.  She may be aware that it's problematic.

Democratic Party

Gabriel Green:  Green is associated with the DINO movement, so while he's running as a Democrat, it's "in name only". Indeed, he founded the state's DINO movement, and he might be the only person to run under that banner.  He's aggressive in this strategy, and is nearly as hard on the Democrats as he is the Republicans.

Constitution Party

Joseph Kibler.  On our don't vote for list.

Kibler announced as a Republican, switched to being an independent and is now in the Constitution Party..

Kibler is a carpetbagger and has the typical carpetbagger "I just moved here from California for all your freedom and now I'm going to run things". 

Wyoming State Superintendent of Public Eduction

Tom Kelly

Wyoming Secretary of State

GOP

Robert Short

Rachel Williams.  Williams, formerly Rodriguez-Williams, is on the don't vote for list.  She's the chairperson of the Freedom Caucus.

A carpetbagger from California, she always used a hyphenated name up until filing for this office.  The WFC is packed with far right Evangelicals and generally MAGA has a strong New Apostolic Reformation element that is anti-Catholic as well as anti Hispanic.  She is Hispanic and Catholic and in the category of people that is abandoning MAGA like crazy.  She isn't, but she may instead have wanted to camouflage her Hispanic ethnicity a bit.  I don't know that, but it's pretty odd that she suddenly changed her name for the campaign.

As a politician, she's had all the WFC views.

Democratic Party

Bryan McCarty

Wyoming State Auditor

GOP

Kristi Racines

Apparently State Auditor is too boring to bring very many candidates out to run for it.

Some interesting State House races.

House District 37

GOP

Steve Harshaman

Ross Schriftman

Democratic Party

Betsy Erickson

HD 37 is an interesting race as Harshman is one of the best legislators in the House, and yet he's drawing opposition. 

Schriftman, who apparently attended Casper City Council meetings frequently, is running as a "constitutional conservative" which makes him a no/go, as that uniformly means that they don't grasp the constitution whatsoever.

Erickson is a young Democrat whose already adopted the seas of blood stance of the Democratic Party.

House District 57

GOP

Julie Jarvis 

Jeanette Ward  On our don't vote for list.

Jarvis took out Ward in the 2024 race and Ward, who is an extreme Freedom Caucuser, wants the seat back.

House District 58

GOP

Peter Boyer

Bill Allemand.  On our don't vote for list.

Allemand, who is facing legal trouble for drunk driving, is one of the worst members of the legislature in our view and needs to go.  Boyer is the Mayor of Bar Nunn.

March 24, 2026

Reid Rasner Sues A Fifth Person For Defamation

Reading the article, it's easy to see why Rasner is upset, but suing people during a campaign is a questionable tactic, although Rasner may figure he has no other vehicle to clear his name.

March 25, 2026

A special election was held in Florida for the Florida house district in which King Donny claims residency.

A steadfast opponent of voting by mail, Donald voted by mail.

The Democrat took the seat, flipping it from the GOP.

I'm sure MAGA has some explanation why their beloved gets to vote by mail even though he declares it to be hideous, and why the people of his state House District just said no to the GOP.  But it will be delusional.

A good essay on an election closer to home.

The case for deep Wyoming roots

Chad Auer, a senior policy advisor to Governor Mark Gordon, announced his bid for Superintendent of Public Instruction.  Legislator Tom Kelly announced earlier.  Neither candidate has very deep roots in the state, both being recent transplants.

Rasner and Gray's contest, and of course they're only two of the candidates in that race, has turned out to be surprisingly interesting recently as Rasner has been pointing out Gray's hypocrisy on wind projects he claims are "woke", but which he voted for.  Both candidates oppose wind power, because they love oil and global warming is a fib in their minds, but Gray is exposed on this.  Gray's struggling to respond and has resorted to blaming his votes on Governor Gordon.

March 26, 2026

Another carpetbagger, one Frank Chapman, a lawyer from out of state who moved to Moran about a decade agon and is now some sort of rancher and outfitter, has announced for the House race.

Like every other Republican, he's running on the government is mean to me ticket.  He's self declared MAGA.

In other news:

Hageman Endorses Degenfelder For Governor Of Wyoming

That's a pretty good reason not to vote for Degenfelder.

Must Be Campaign Season: Rasner, Gray Blast Each Other

March 27, 2026

An amusing story about the real Wyoming Frank Chapman and the Floridian carpetbagger:

And yet another Republican enters the race, this being former Cheyenne legislator John Romero-Martinez.  He's running as "100% America first", whatever that means.

He's not on our don't vote for yet list, but frankly, he may be headed there.

March 31, 2026

The Tribune has an article on Chuck Gray's offices avoidance of a Wyoming Public Records Act request on Chuck's blatantly illegal turning of Wyoming voting records over to the Trump illegitimate administration.

There's no doubt whatsoever that what Gray did is illegal.  He should be impeached.

Cont:

Trump interferes in the 2026 election. This will be struck down.

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (52 U.S.C. 20901 et seq.), the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (52 U.S.C. 20501 et seq.), and the Federal Government’s constitutional obligation to guarantee a republican form of Government to every State in the Union, U.S. Const. Art. IV, Sec. 4, it is hereby ordered:

Section 1.  Purpose and Policy.  The right to vote in Federal elections is reserved exclusively for citizens of the United States under the Constitution and Federal law.  Federal statutes explicitly prohibit non-citizens from registering to vote or voting in Federal elections and impose criminal penalties for violations.  (18 U.S.C. 241; 18 U.S.C. 611; 18 U.S.C. 1015; and 52 U.S.C. 20511).  The Social Security Administration (SSA) maintains records that, in conjunction with the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) program under 42 U.S.C. 1320b-7, can assist in verifying identity and Federal election voter eligibility.  

The Federal Government has an unavoidable duty under Article II of the Constitution of the United States to enforce Federal law, which includes preventing violations of Federal criminal law and maintaining public confidence in election outcomes.  To enhance election integrity via the United States Mail, additional measures are necessary.  Secure ballot envelope identifiers provide a reliable, auditable mechanism to enforce Federal law without unduly burdening or infringing on the rights of eligible voters.  Unique ballot envelope identifiers, such as bar codes, enable confirmation that only citizens receive and cast ballots, reducing the risk of fraud and protecting the integrity of Federal elections.  

Sec. 2.  Establishment and Transmission of State Citizenship Lists and Prioritization of Investigations and Prosecutions Related to Election Fraud.  (a)  To the extent feasible and consistent with applicable law, including but not limited to the Privacy Act of 1974 (5 U.S.C. 552a), the Secretary of Homeland Security, through the Director of United States Citizenship and Immigration Services and in coordination with the Commissioner of SSA, shall take appropriate action to compile and transmit to the chief election official of each State a list of individuals confirmed to be United States citizens who will be above the age of 18 at the time of an upcoming Federal election and who maintain a residence in the subject State (State Citizenship List).  The State Citizenship List shall be derived from Federal citizenship and naturalization records, SSA records, SAVE data, and other relevant Federal databases.  The State Citizenship List shall be updated and transmitted to State election officials no fewer than 60 days before each regularly scheduled Federal election, or promptly upon request by a State in connection with any special Federal election.  The Secretary of Homeland Security shall establish procedures to (i) allow individuals to access their individual records as well as to update or correct them in advance of elections; and (ii) enable States to routinely supplement and provide suggested modifications or amendments to the State Citizenship List transmitted thereto.  An individual’s identification on the State Citizenship List does not indicate that the individual has been properly registered to vote in the State.  State and Federal laws and State procedures must still be followed for an individual to be registered to vote.  There may be State laws, not reflected in the State Citizenship List, that preclude voter registration, or the individual may choose not to be registered.

(b)  For purposes of this order, an individual is “eligible to vote in a Federal election” if the individual is a citizen of the United States, 18 years of age or older by the date of the upcoming election, and otherwise qualified under the laws of his or her State.  The Attorney General shall prioritize the investigation and, as appropriate, the prosecution of State and local officials or any others involved in the administration of Federal elections who issue Federal ballots to individuals not eligible to vote in a Federal election, including under 18 U.S.C. 2(a), 18 U.S.C. 241, 18 U.S.C. 371, 18 U.S.C. 611(a), 18 U.S.C. 1001, 18 U.S.C. 1015, 52 U.S.C. 10307, and 52 U.S.C. 20511.  Similarly, the Attorney General shall prioritize the investigation and, as appropriate, the prosecution of individuals and public or private entities engaged in, or aiding and abetting, the printing, production, shipment, or distribution of ballots to individuals who are not eligible to vote in a Federal election. 

Sec. 3.  United States Postal Service Rulemaking on Mail-In and Absentee Ballots.  (a)  The unlawful use of the mail in connection with elections is prohibited by various Federal statutes, including 18 U.S.C. 1341, 18 U.S.C. 1708, 52 U.S.C. 10307, and 52 U.S.C. 20511.  

(b)  To ensure the faithful execution of Federal law, protect the integrity of the mail as a medium for transmitting Federal election ballots and establish uniform standards for mail-in or absentee ballot services implemented through the United States Postal Service (USPS), the Postmaster General is hereby directed to initiate a proposed rulemaking pursuant to 39 U.S.C. 401 and other applicable authority within 60 days of the date of this order.  The notice of proposed rulemaking shall include, at minimum, the following:

(i)    Proposed provisions specifying that all outbound ballot mail must be mailed in an envelope that:

(A)  is marked as Official Election Mail, including through designated markings provided by USPS for this purpose, such as the Official Election Mail logo, as necessary and appropriate;

(B)  is automation-compatible and bears a unique Intelligent Mail barcode, or successor USPS technology, that facilitates tracking and is consistent with the other requirements of this section; and

(C)  has undergone a mail envelope design review by the USPS to ensure compliance with USPS mailing standards, including barcode placement.

(ii)   Proposed provisions specifying that, no fewer than 90 days prior to a Federal election, any State may choose to notify the USPS if it intends to allow for mail-in or absentee ballots to be transmitted by the USPS.  As part of that notification, any notifying State should further indicate whether it intends to submit to the USPS, no fewer than 60 days before the election, a list of voters eligible to vote in a Federal election in such State to whom the State intends to provide a mail-in or absentee ballot to be transmitted via the USPS. 

(iii)  Proposed provisions specifying that the USPS shall not transmit mail-in or absentee ballots from any individual unless those individuals have been enrolled on a State-specific list described in subsection (b)(iv) of this section with the USPS pursuant to this subsection.

(iv)   Proposed provisions specifying that the USPS shall provide each State with a list of individuals (Mail-In and Absentee Participation List) who are enrolled with the USPS, pursuant to a process specified in the rulemaking directed by this subsection, for mail-in or absentee ballots provided by such State, along with unique ballot envelope identifiers, such as bar codes, for mail-in or absentee ballots provided to such individuals.  The preparation and transmission of each State-specific Mail-In and Absentee Participation List shall comply with the Privacy Act and all applicable use agreements. 

(v)    Proposed procedures enabling each State to routinely supplement and provide suggested modifications or amendments to the State’s Mail-In and Absentee Participation List in advance of any Federal election, consistent with applicable State law. 

(c)  The USPS shall coordinate with the USPS Office of Inspector General and the Department of Justice for investigation of suspected unlawful use of the mail involving Federal election materials. 

(d)  Any final rule pursuant to this section shall be issued no later than 120 days from the date of this order.

Sec. 4.  Implementation.  (a)  The Secretary of Homeland Security, the Commissioner of SSA, and the Postmaster General shall coordinate with the Secretary of Commerce in effectuating all relevant aspects of the implementation of this order.

(b)  The Attorney General shall enforce compliance with the applicable Federal statutes referenced herein and provide guidance to election officials, including any instrumentalities thereof; contractors; individuals involved in the administration of Federal elections; or public or private entities engaged in the printing, production, shipment, or distribution of ballots.

(c)  The Secretary of Homeland Security shall, within 90 days of the date of this order, establish the infrastructure necessary to compile, maintain, and transmit the State Citizenship List described in section 2(a) of this order, and shall designate a point of contact within DHS to receive and process requests from individuals and State election officials regarding the relevant State Citizenship List.  The Commissioner of SSA shall provide all necessary citizenship and identity data to the Secretary of Homeland Security in support of this requirement, consistent with applicable law, the Privacy Act, and all applicable use agreements.

Sec. 5.  Enforcement.  The Attorney General and the heads of executive departments and agencies (agencies) with relevant authority shall take all lawful steps to deter and address noncompliance with Federal law, including withholding Federal funds from noncompliant States and localities where such withholding is authorized by law.  Evidence of violations of existing Federal laws by State or local election officials; States or localities, including any instrumentalities thereof; contractors; individuals involved in the administration of Federal elections; or public or private entities engaged in the printing, production, shipment, or distribution of ballots may be referred to the Department of Justice for consideration of investigation or charges under 18 U.S.C. 2(a), 18 U.S.C. 241, 18 U.S.C. 371, 18 U.S.C. 611(a), 18 U.S.C. 1001, 18 U.S.C. 1015, 52 U.S.C. 10307, and 52 U.S.C. 20511.  States and localities should preserve, for a 5-year period, all records and materials — excluding ballots cast — evidencing voter participation in any Federal election (e.g., ballot envelopes, regardless of carrier).

Sec. 6.  Severability.  If any provision of this order, or the application of any provision to any agency, person, or circumstance, is held to be invalid, the remainder of this order and the application of its provisions to any other agencies, persons, or circumstances shall not be affected thereby.

Sec. 7.  General Provisions.  (a)  Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:

(i)  the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or the head thereof; or

(ii)  the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.

(b)  This order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.

(c)  This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.

                             DONALD J. TRUMP

THE WHITE HOUSE,

    March 31, 2026.

It's illegal.  He's trying to steal the election and to keep Democrats from voting, although it's GOP geezers like himself who like to vote by mail.

April 3, 2026

As if there weren't enough, another rich carpetbagging cornfederate joined the race for the House on the "I'll kiss Donald Trump's Ass better than anyone" ticket, this being Steve Friess, son of the late Foster Friess.

With so many people running for the House, we better repost the list.

U.S. House of Representatives

GOP

Jillian Balow

Chuck Gray.  On our don't vote for list.

Reid Rasner. On our don't vote for list.

David Giralt

Bo Biteman   On our don't vote for list.

Kevin Christensen On our don't vote for list.

Steve Friess.  On our don't vote for list.

Independent

Daniel Workman.

Libertarian

Shawn Johnson

As an aside, we heard a public radio discussion of Christensen the other day, which was neutral, but which makes it plain he's sucked on the government tit pretty much his whole life and now comes in as a far right figure.  These sorts of campaigns, of which there seem to be a lot this year, are much like a new high school graduate being an expert on parenting as he's lived at home for 18 years.

On the election, the sheer number of far right wing carpetbaggers will inevitably make things tough for the original OG carpetbagger, California Chuck Gray.  Added to that, he's voted for wind projects, which are generally fine with me, in his first real job, Secretary of State, while he's campaigning against "woke wind".  Reid Rasner is harassing him about that but Chuck's record is clear. He's been relatively green while in office. Chuck's a broken record however and is unable to adjust, so he's still doing it, blaming it on the Governor.  Apparently Chuck isn't woke, but he wasn't awake, or something.

Gray and Gordon got into another argument in a public forum yesterday, resulting in Gordon telling him to shut up.  We can only hope.

Anyhow, while Rasner has no chance, Rasner, Friess, Biteman and Christensen will all carve away the cornfederate vote from him and there's a decent chance that most if it will go to Biteman.  All of this benefits Balow considerably.

April 4, 2026

Laramie County substitute teacher Ryan Shollenberger has thrown his cap into the ring for Superintendent of Public Education as a Libertarian.

He'll be running against, so far, Republicans Chad Auer and Tom Kelly.

April 5, 2026

Democrat Lisa Kinney has jointed the House race.

Kinney causes us to add a new category to our "don't vote for" list, that being candidates who are as old as dirt.  The US already suffers massively for being in the clutch of oldsters, the last two Presidents being prime examples.  Enough is enough.

Kinney was first in the legislature in 1984 and was admitted to the bar in 1986.  She's at least in her late 60s, if not 70s.  Too old.  

Indeed, every single occupant of Wyoming's representation in Wyoming is too old to be occupying the jobs they're occupying. 

April 8, 2026

Two cowards:

Wyoming’s Barrasso, Lummis and Hageman silent on Trump’s threat that a ‘whole civilization will die’ if Iran deal isn’t reached

One of these people is running for office, the other is not this cycle.  Both are welded to Trump as they are afraid not to be.

In other election matters, I turned on the tv at noon the yesterday, which I normally don't do, and ads were on for Chuck Gray and Reid Rasner declaring their undying love for Trump.  Chuck looks like such a fish out of water in Wyoming in his ads it isn't funny.  Rasner has apparently super glued his trucker's hat on his head as it never comes off now.

April 10, 2026

Long time state Senator Bill Landen is not running for his seat in District 27.  Casper surgeon Kevin Helling has announced to replace him. 

Landen has been a voice of reason in the legislature.

Sen. Bill Landen announces plan to retire from Wyoming Senate

An interesting possibility in the House Race:

Wyoming’s crowded U.S. House primary race could produce a winner without a majority

Cornfederates are splitting their endorsement over which person will make the most hideously bad Governor.

April 11, 2026

Kibler, after playing musical chairs with his party affiliation, has dropped out of the race for Governor.

House district 58 has a second Republican challenger taking on incumbent Cornfederate Bill Allemand.  One Keenan Morgan has announced for the race, adding to the already running Mayor Peter Boyer.

Last edition:

Lex Anteinternet: The 2026 Election, 5th Edition, part two: The Saddle Up Edition

Labels: 2026 Election, Brent Bien, Chuck Gray, Curt Meier, Daniel Workman, David Giralt, Eric Barlow, Harriet Hageman, Jillian Balow, Jimmy Skovgard, Megan Degenfelder, Politics, Reid Rasner