Last edition:
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.
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
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
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.
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:
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.
Last edition:
General Douglas MacArthur issued the first regulations against fraternization between American soldiers and Japanese citizens as an attempt to stop soldiers from consorting with prostitutes. The regulations would grow into an extensive program of segregation.
Montana Democrat Senator James Murray convened his Committee on Education and Labor for the first hearing on comprehensive national health insurance. His concern arose from his prior role as a labor lawyer for coal miners.
Murray had been born in Ontario and was moved to Butte upon the death of his father that very year. He was left a very wealthy man by an inheritance that came about when his uncle, who raised him, died.
Murray was an Irish American/Canadian Catholic and died in 1961.
It's really dispiriting to realize that national health insurance, which was a desire of the Truman Administration, has never come about. All the arguments against it really fail, but the opposition to it has left the United States the only major nation without it and has contributed enormously to the decline of the United States as a first rate nation since the 1970s.
Last edition:
Well, it's over, thank goodness. And it turned out to be not nearly as bad as was feared, and it was feared to be pretty bad.
That doesn't really mean Wyoming is fully out of the woods here, however. The Confederate Caucus is a majority in the legislature, but they turned out to be ineffectual this time. Next session is a general session, and they will have fewer obstacles they have to deal with.
All of which makes the 2026 Election absolutely critical. The Wyoming Freedom Caucus needs to go. . .literally, back to where they came from. The sooner the better.
So what all happened?
A budget was passed, and without the bloodletting the Confederates wanted. That was a major victory for UW and the state. That's a singular impressive accomplishment. In addition to that, we have the following bills that Governor Gordon signed, with a few comments from me.:
HEA0001 HB0004 Birthing center-Medicaid coverage
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
This is the "schools open to all" statute. It was amended to include students attending school on a part time basis.
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.
SEA0011 SF0016 Subleasing of state lands-exemptions
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.
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.
A new statute providing:
21‑25‑401. Amateur status requirements.
(a) A student who represents a Wyoming high school in a sport or activity sanctioned by the Wyoming high school activities association shall be an amateur in that sport or activity as provided in this section.
(b) Except as otherwise provided in subsection (c) of this section, a student forfeits amateur status in a sport or activity by:
(i) Competing for or accepting money or other monetary compensation for competing in that sport or activity;
(ii) Receiving any award or prize of monetary value for competing in that sport or activity that exceeds the amount that has been approved by the Wyoming high school activities association;
(iii) Capitalizing on the student's athletic fame or the student's name, image or likeness by receiving money, gifts of monetary value, merchandise or other consideration related to competing in that sport or activity;
(iv) Signing a professional playing contract in that sport or activity. This paragraph shall not prohibit signing a letter of intent or similar document to commit to a college, provided that no compensation is paid in any manner while the student is participating in the sport or activity.
(c) The following activities do not forfeit amateur status under this section:
(i) Accepting money or other monetary compensation provided by a family member to a student to encourage the student to participate in the sport or activity;
(ii) Accepting money or other monetary compensation for the time required for participation in the sport or activity in a competition, camp or event that is not sanctioned by the Wyoming high school activities association if the amount of the payment does not exceed an amount specified by the Wyoming high school activities association. If prize money is available in the competition, the student or the student's parent or guardian shall complete a written declaration prior to the competition that specifies that the student, and the student's parent or guardian if applicable, will not accept any prize money and will only accept awards that do not exceed the awards amount authorized by the Wyoming high school activities association. This paragraph shall not authorize the payment of any money or monetary compensation that is contingent upon the student's or the team's finish or performance or that is given as an incentive to achieve a specific goal or performance. Nothing in this paragraph shall be deemed to authorize the payment of any money or monetary compensation for participating in events sanctioned by the Wyoming high school activities association or for competing for or on behalf of a Wyoming high school;
(iii) Accepting necessary meals, lodging and transportation to play in a competition for a sport or activity;
(iv) Accepting a nominal fee or salary for instructing, supervising or officiating in an organized youth sports program, recreation or playground activity;
(v) A school sponsored membership or fee that is paid for the student to participate in a youth serving agency, athletic club, community recreation center, instructional program, camp or similar program if the fee is paid directly to the program or agency;
(vi) Receiving an award, playing equipment, prize of monetary value or other consideration that does not exceed the awards amount authorized by the Wyoming high school activities association;
(vii) Receiving nonmonetary benefits or awards provided to members of an Olympic team or junior national team beyond actual and necessary expenses, including entertainment, equipment, clothing, long distance telephone service, internet access and any other item or service for which it can be demonstrated that the same benefit is available to all members of the nation's Olympic or junior national team or the specific Olympic or junior national team in question;
(viii) Accepting funds that are administered by the United States Olympic committee pursuant to its operation gold program;
(ix) Participating in member school, charitable or educational promotions or fund raising activities that involve the use of athletic ability by student‑athletes to obtain funds from donors, including swim‑a‑thons, lift‑a‑thons, shoot‑a‑thons or other similar events, provided no compensation or prizes are given to the student‑athletes based on their performance. Items that are provided to indicate participation in the activity including shirts, bags or other similar items shall not waive amateur status if the items are offered to every student‑athlete involved;
(x) Accepting scholarship funds, provided the funds are paid directly to a postsecondary institution and the funds are not available until after the student has graduated from high school.
(d) Violation of this section shall result in the student becoming ineligible to participate in the sport or activity concerned.
Section 2. This act is effective July 1, 2026.
SEA0025 SF0012 Wyoming national guard reenlistment bonus program.
SEA0026 SF0013 Wyoming national guard member referral-amendments.
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.
I'd managed to forget that Wyoming legalized tracking dogs for wounded big game animals, which was a good change in the law. I had a dog at one time that would have been great at that, although I've never needed a wounded animal to be tracked.
This amendment added bears to the list of things that can be tracked.
Section 1. W.S. 23‑3‑109(d)(intro) is amended to read:
23‑3‑109. Use of dogs; dogs injuring big or trophy game animals may be killed; citation of owners of dogs harassing game animals; penalties; leashed dogs for tracking.
(d) A person may use one (1) leashed blood‑trailing dog to track a wounded or killed big game animal or black bear within seventy‑two (72) hours of shooting the animal. A person using a dog in this manner:
Section 2. This act is effective July 1, 2026.
HEA0017 HB0023 Participation in school activities.
This bill amended a prior variant so that it now allows any student in a school district to participate in school activities whether or not they're attending public schools.
I get it, but frankly I'm not keen on home schooling and I'd have probably have voted no on this.
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.
HEA0029 HB0126 Human Heartbeat Act
This is an anti abortion amendment, and while I'm opposed to abortion, I'm skeptical that this will survive a legal challenge. I hope it does.
SEA0028 SF0067 Wyoming state guard-amendments.
This bill changed the State Guard provisions so that Wyoming can have one at any time, not just when the National Guard is called up.
State Guards exist only in a few states, although I think every state had one during World War Two. Basically, they're no liable to Federalization. . . probably. They're a pet project for Freedom Caucus types who imagine them being a useful militia that can't be called up in case some weird President decides to wage war on Iran. . . oh, um not that, but if a . . . well anyhow.
Wyoming doesn't have one, and isn't going to. Nobody wants the expense.
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.
This bill shows how far to the left even people who think they are in the right, are:
A JOINT RESOLUTION designating April 26 of each year to be shared parenting day in the state of Wyoming.
WHEREAS, children are Wyoming's most important asset; and
WHEREAS, shared parenting is an arrangement under which parents who are separated or divorced are given joint decision-making authority and shared parenting time; and
WHEREAS, research indicates that children benefit greatly if they have a good relationship with both parents who are fit caregivers; and
WHEREAS, shared parenting arrangements offer children the benefit of building a relationship with each parent, provide parents with the opportunity to ensure the healthy mental, physical and emotional development of their children and create venues for parents to engage in positive, collaborative efforts geared toward the well-being of their children; and
WHEREAS, shared parenting arrangements recognize that even though the intimate relationship between the parents has ended, the familial relationships continue and require nurturing and cultivation to support healthy child development.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE MEMBERS OF THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WYOMING:
Section 1. To highlight the innumerable benefits of shared parenting, the legislature of the state of Wyoming, designates April 26 of each year to be shared parenting day in Wyoming.
The state doesn't need a day on this. What the state needs to do is to repeal the repeal of the heart balm statutes and wipe out no fault divorce, for starters.
SEJR0004 SJ0009 Keeping public lands protected and decisions local.
This is a huge win we should really be proud of the legislature for.
SEA0053 SF0054 State banks and SPDI conversions.
SEA0053 SF0054 Special purpose depository institutions - amendments
SEA0055 SF0085 RAVEN Act
SEA0057 SF0066 Donated hunting licenses - amendments
SEA0058 SF0057 Transparency in hospital service pricing.
SEA0059 SF0061 Motor vehicle sales to family members - not taxable.
SEA0060 SF0023 Outpatient examination and commitment lengthSEA0061 SF0113 2026 election hand count comparison.
SEA0061 SF0113 2026 election hand count comparison.
This requires a percentage of recounts to be done by hand. This is stupid.
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.
All in all, the results were pretty good. There was only one really stupid bill passed and almost everything that the Freedom Caucus stomped into Cheyenne and declared they were going to do didn't happen. On top of it, they embarrassed themselves and made the Democrats look good by accepting checks form a clueless Confederate on the floor, and then pondered sanctioning the people who caught them.
And now there's a fairly dedicated movement to replace the Confederates in the legislature. People are sick of them. Adding to that, some of them are abandoning their posts in an effort to try to move on to other offices, opening them up. Some have drawn outright challengers, such as Bill Allemand who is being challenged by the sitting Mayor of Bar Nunn. At the same time, at least one, Jeanette Ward, who was booted out last election is seeking to get back in.
I've noted my political history here before.
I'm a Westerner and an Irish Catholic. That informs my vote pretty heavily.
When I first registered to vote Ronald Reagan was President. Marine Corps Raider veteran Ed Herschler, a Democrat, was the Governor of Wyoming. D-Day veteran Teno Roncolio, also a Democrat, was our Congressman. Republicans Malcolm Wallop and Alan Simpson were our Senators.
That was sort of the political landscape here at the time. More Republicans than Democrats, but there were still Democrats, and those Democrats tended to be pretty tough conservative people. Republicans were already tacking off into batshit crazy economic theories but they weren't completely bathed in them yet.
I registered as a Republican.
I didn't stay a Republican for a really long time. I don't recall when exactly I switched parties, but by the time I was at the University of Wyoming, I had registered Democratic. I stayed in the Democratic Party for a long time. I was still a Democrat when I became a lawyer and I know that I was when I was married. However, sometime after that, I couldn't stand the sea of blood the Democratic Party had become. I became an independent.
As an independent you missed the primaries pretty much, however, and starting in the Clinton era in general Wyoming Democrats began to drift over to the GOP. After all, the mainstream of the Democratic Party wasn't all that different from the traditional mainstream of the local GOP. After awhile, I registered as a Republican.
Little far right Dixiecrats like Chuck Gray like to scream that people like me are "RINOs", when in fact they're the malignant innovation into the GOP. That element hadn't entered the GOP at the time I was first in it, and didn't for a long time. Gray himself, who nobody really knew anything about, was probably the first, followed by Jeanette Ward, who served one term in the legislature before losing a bid to retain her seat. While she lost, that showed the direction things were headed in. Carpetbaggers who knew nothing about their state moved in and wanted to convert it into pre 1964 Alabama.
It's not as if the Democrats stood still. As moderate Wyoming Democrats left the party, it too became delusional. If the Republicans became increasingly fascistic or Dixiecratic, the Democrats lived intellectually in the Greenwich Villages' Stonewall Inn in 1969. It made going back into the Democratic Party an outright impossibility for people like myself, particularly as they lashed themselves increasingly to abortion and perversion.
More recently, I'll note, that seems to be wearing off. The Democrats are still "pro choice", but they don't talk much about it. For that matter Republicans who were really gung ho on being pro life have sort of lost their fire for that as well, following the lead of Orange Mussolini.
What the Republican Party, nationally, has become is flat out insane. No thinking person can be a member of it and be comfortable.
There are still good Republicans here in Wyoming. They began a big fight against the Dixiecrats prior to the legislature and largely prevailed this session, in spite of the fact that the diehard adherents of The Lost Cause were theoretically in control of the solons. That should give local Republicans who aren't literally whistling Dixie some hope.
But with the current national Trumpites in control, the line has been drawn.
For years people like Dixiecrat Chuck Gray, or Dixicrat Bextel, have claimed that the Republican Party here was infiltrated with Democrats. Well, it was. They're the Democrats. Democrats from 1960 Alabama. They just don't know it. But the screaming lunacy that they've espoused does have an effect after awhile. Yell at people that "you are a RINO" for long enough, and they'll take it up.
I'm remaining registered in the GOP. Chuck Gray's efforts to disenfranchise voters has been enough for me in and of itself not to change registrations. Frankly, if I was to take a run at the House of Representatives, and I've thought about it, I would switch parties as right now that would give a person a place in the November election no matter what. But I'm not going to do that. I'm old, worn out, and very tired.
So I'm remaining in the GOP in no small part so that I can vote for the decent primary candidates, of which there are some right now.
At this point, merely stating that you are "pro Trump" will be enough to cross my vote for you off the list. At least three House candidates are promising to be Trump's biggest lover, and they're all of the list. I hope I run into some of them during their campaigns. I probably will.
And I've already quit giving MAGAs in my midst slack. Frankly, since the start of the assault on Iran, that's been easy, as the "never war" MAGAs can't explain that one without sounding like hypocrites, and they know it. Even a few have begun to look as if Valentines to Trump weren't a good idea.
But in the Fall. I'm not voting for any Republicans for anything.
That won't exactly be easy. So far here only one candidate from the Democratic Party has signed on to run for a statewide office. He has my vote even though I like the only Republican whose announced for the same position. And just because I'm not voting for a Republican doesn't mean I will vote for Democrats. In my state house district a really decent Republican holds the seat and a young woman from the Democratic Party has announced against him. She's already on the sea of blood ticket. I can't vote for her, but I won't vote for the Republican I've voted for many times before.
To vote for Republicans in 2026 you have to accept that a low IQ, deranged, octogenarian should have complete dictatorial control over the Federal Government, can start major wars on his own, can demolish parts of the White House as he has the tastes of a bordello owner, can cause the hiding of files on a major pedophile ring, and can have a domestic army occupy the streets. It also means you have to be willing to sacrifice the environment of the planet for scientific denial. You have to be willing to endorse lies at a never before seen rate, which makes you a liar yourself if you do.
I can't go there.
The Italian Senate banned all non-Fascist labor unions and declared all strikes and lockouts to be unlawful, with compulsory arbitration before special labor magistrates to resolve any disagreements between labor and industry. Premier Benito Mussolini declared that the bill was "the most courageous, most audacious, most radical and most revolutionary reform yet proposed by the Fascist government in its 40 months of office.
Sort of like the Wyoming Freedom Caucus dominated 2026 legislature banning union dues from being automatically deducted from state employee paychecks.
Well, to some people, freedom's just another name for everything you'll lose.
Éamon de Valera resigned as the leader of Sinn Féin after the Ard Fheis general assembly failed to approve, by five votes (218 to 223) his motion for the party to have representation in both the Oireachtas (the bicameral parliament of the Irish Free State) and the Parliament of Northern Ireland.
The Council of the League of Nations voted to approve the award of most of the former Ottoman Empire's Mosul province, to the British Mandate of Iraq and to extend the British mandate an additional 25 years.
Last edition:
The last edition of this was already sufficiently confusing that a new one is in order.
In this one, when we list the candidates to start with, we're not going to try to comment on each for the most part, as we've already done that in the prior edition. Having said that, we've made some exceptions.
February 1, 2026.
U.S. Senate
GOP
Harriet Hageman. On our don't vote for list.
Jimmy Skovgard.
U.S. House of Representatives
GOP
Jillian Balow
Chuck Gray. On our don't vote for list.
Reid Ransner. On our don't vote for list.
David Giralt
Independant
Daniel Workman.
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 listed here for the first time. He's 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.
This is an interesting approach, and I've wondered why somebody hasn't tried it before. It'll be interesting to see how he uses it. Many of the state's past Democratic Governors were as conservative as any Republican, in actual terms, so there is something to be exploited here.
Independant
Joseph Kibler. On our don't vote for list.
Kibler announced as a Republican, but now is running as an independant.
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".
Go back to California.
*******************
On this race, WyoFile has asked the candidates, asd seems to have caught all of them, on what they think about the Freedom Caucus budgetary nonsense.
Where Wyoming’s gubernatorial candidates stand on budget cuts: WyoFile asked the five candidates whether they supported some of the more drastic proposals lawmakers will consider in the upcoming legislative session.
Treasurer
GOP
Curt Meier
*******************
In election related news, Chuck Gray turned over the entire state's voter rolls to the Federal Government.
UPDATE: Gray defends voter roll compliance after Wyoming’s League of Women Voters slams transfer
I'd really question the legality of this, but if the Trump Administration ordered states to run over kittens with bulldozers Gray would gleefully comply. His actions provoked the criticism of the League of Women Voters which Gray accused of being liberal fanatics, his standard retort to everything.
We're stuck with Gray until the end of his term, assuming that he doesn't get elected to the US House, which we should dearly hope he does not. If he fails to get the House, we can be assured that he will not run for Secretary of State again, as his only point in running for the office in the first place was to try to position himself for higher office. He'll wonder off to some other state at that point.
In another developments, Texas continued a nationwide trend of Democrats advancing at the state level in advance of the November election. In a district that voted heavily from Trump in the last general election, a Democratic candidate defeated a Trump endorsed Republican candidate whom Gov. Abbot had attempted to assist. This means that the GOP holds the Texas Senate by a mere five seats. They hold the House by 22 seats. Some of these state legislatures are going to flip in the next election.
More locally, Harriet Hageman has been taking flak at town halls, with the one in Casper directly confronting here on her claims to be a "Constitutional lawyer", a status itself which I've never really figured out what it was supposed to mean.
February 3, 2026
Donald Trump has called for nationalizing the elections.
Chuck Gray turned Wyoming's voters rolls over to the Federal Government, which is seeking them. Wyoming apparently was the first to comply with this outrageous request which not all states intend to honor.
This should disqualify Gray from being considered for anything further in Wyoming, right down to Walmart greeter.
Ranser is running piles of images of himself with rifles on his social media, apparently seeking to boost the view that he's an outdoorsman. Perhaps he is, but brings up the necessity of asking certain questions. He's also come out with a statement that public lands should always remain in public hands, which I fully agree with but which is surprising given Ranser's generally slavish loyalty to the extreme far right. This may be his genuine view, or he may realize that this is what the overwhelming majority of Wyomingites' hold.
There's clearly a current effort to take on the Wyoming Freedom Caucus that's developing. It's late to the game, but it's definitely on. A lot of focus has been given to it's funding which is overwhelmingly from out of state organizations with a far right political view.
February 5, 2026
Bo Biteman is considering running for the House.
And a candidate has entered the race for Superintendent of Public Instruction:
Tom Kelly Announces Run For Superintendent Of Public Instruction
And in addition to Kelly, a Chad Auer is considering running.
Bar Nunn Mayor Peter Boyer has announced a run against Freedom Caucus member Bill Allemand. Allemand, who is currently facing charges for DUI in Johnson County is a member of the Freedom Caucus who is very much on our Don't Vote For List. We hope Boyer handily defeat Allemand.
February 7, 2026
The Tribune has an interview of Skovgaard in today's edition.
It's better than most local candidate interviews, but again frustratingly light on background. I don't know why local reporters ask such lightweight questions.
Cowboy State Daily took a look at the race against Bill Allemand.
February 8, 2026
And it's happened again.
Democrat Chastity Verret Martinez has won the special election for Louisiana House District 60, defeating Republican challenger Brad Daigle by a wide margin in a district that supported President Donald Trump in 2024. The district is traditionally Democratic, but like a lot of the traditionally Democratic blue collar or socially conservative regions of the country, it had been going to the GOP recently.
That's over.
February 11, 2026
Trump stated in an interview that the GOP should win in "a landslide" this November.
It's clear the opposite is true, which makes this clear.
Trump intends to steal the 2026 election.
February 18, 2026
And now a Democrat has entered the race for the Senate.
Former Wyoming Rep. James Byrd announces bid for U.S. Senate: Byrd is the first Democrat to enter what's now a three-person race to fill the seat being vacated by Sen. Cynthia Lummis.
James Byrd is a well known Democrat from Cheyenne. And what he's saying in the Wyofile article ought to make him an extremely strong candidate if people are able to get over the fact that he's a Democrat.
So far, we have, in the Senate race, as of now:
U.S. Senate
GOP
Harriet Hageman. On our don't vote for list.
Jimmy Skovgard.
Democratic Party
James Byrd
On the Republican side, I've been following Jimmy Skovgard's blog to try to figure out what he's about and its massively underwhelming. He posts nearly daily, and his blog reads like; "Bananas, average people, oatmeal, I like pie".
I know that he's trying to be erudite and come across as a third option, but it sound the writing of somebody who really can't write.
In the race for Governor, we have this:
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