CODY — The party in control is hardly a question coming into Tuesday’s Wyoming primary election, as the state is one of the reddest in the union. The battles remain contentious, only they’re all taking place within the Republican party.
“There’s almost no ground here left, except ‘I’m more Republican than you’,” said Cody resident Mary Keller on Tuesday.
Keller compared the battles between the centrists and far-right members of the GOP to the nightly rodeos held throughout the summer in Cody.
“It’s not your first rodeo. This election is not our first rodeo. We know how to set up good entertainment,” Keller said.
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In the state with Republicans going head-to-head in nearly every race, it’s common to see heated debates over who is more conservative.
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The Park County Patriots, a group who describe themselves on their website as promoting all candidates for public office who remain faithful to the founding principles in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, have been going door to door handing out sheets filled with names of candidates whom they call “the good guys.”
“We’ve got like 30% of those Republicans who are RINOs (Republicans In Name Only). They say that they’re conservatives to get elected. And then they get in office, and they don’t vote that way. They vote with the Democrats. So the Democrats can win,” said Cody resident Richard Conger on Monday.
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This is the first election in the state since a law was passed in 2023 making Wyoming a closed primary state, which prevents registered voters from changing their party affiliation at the polls.
“In Wyoming, if you want to have a say in who gets elected, you’re going to be registered as a Republican,” Gerber said. “I think most people who lean that way (Democratic) register as a Republican simply so they can vote in the primary.”
In August 2021, out of 279,807 registered voters in Wyoming, 46,192 voters were Democrats, and 195,452 were Republicans. This month, of the 223,703 registered voters, the Democratic numbers dwindled to 24,751.
“Wyoming is a conservative state, it’s always a conservative state, but it was Wyoming conservative,” Gerber said.
This story is part of our Quick Hits series. This series will bring you breaking news and short updates from throughout the state.
The former director of the Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) agency is joining Wyoming’s Game and Fish Department.
9-News reported that Jeff Davis was hired as the department’s deputy director in late December. That’s after Doug Brimeyer retired.
He starts the job in February.
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Davis resigned from CPW last year instead of being fired as part of a settlement agreement. The settlement agreement Davis signed did not directly cite a reason for his termination.
Davis joined CPW as the state reintroduced wolves. His resignation came shortly after Washington state said it would not provide wolves to Colorado’s reintroduction program.
Before joining CPW in 2023, Davis had a long career in the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. While there, he focused on coordinating conservation initiatives involving interdisciplinary teams and salmon recovery.
BILLINGS— Activists on both sides praised and criticized the Wyoming Supreme Court’s ruling of abortion bans as unconstitutional on Tuesday in a 4-1 majority.
The ruling marks the end of a four-year legal battle in Wyoming since the state’s 2022 abortion ban went in place with the U.S. Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision, which overturned abortion rights on a federal level.
Watch for the report:
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Activists react after Wyoming high court rules abortion ban unconstitutional
The ban was put on hold after Wyoming’s only abortion clinic, Wellspring Health Access in Casper, led a suit against the state.
“I was holding my breath as I opened it and read it. But soon that turned to being rather elated. We couldn’t be more pleased with the opinion,” said Julie Burkhart, the clinic’s president.
Vanessa Willardson
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Julie Burkhart
The decision comes after a years-long fight and setbacks, including an arsonist who set the clinic on fire in May of 2022.
“We were set to open that next month, but unfortunately that arson set us back by 11 months. We weren’t able to open that until 2023. It was quite devastating,” said Burkhart.
“I don’t think it’s moral, ethical, appropriate for anyone to tell another person what they can or cannot do with their own body,” she added.
Wellspring Health Access
Wellspring Health Access after 2022 fire
For a Montana advocacy group, it was a different story.
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“I was very disappointed,” said Amy Seymour, president of Yellowstone Valley Christians for Life, an anti-abortion advocacy group.
“These pre-born children who are unique, complete, living, individual human beings from the moment of their conception, they can be protected if Wyoming decides to have a constitutional amendment to that degree,” she added.
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Amy Seymour
Wyoming state Speaker of the House Chip Neiman, a Republican, echoed Seymour’s sentiments with a written statement.
“Today’s decision is an abomination. Four unelected justices thwarted the will of the people to establish a ‘right’ to kill an innocent baby. Thanks to these justices, Wyoming has some of the most radical abortion laws in America. I will not stand for that, and will continue fighting for innocent unborn babies,” said Neiman.
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Wyoming Supreme Court strikes down abortion bans, keeping procedure legal
GLENROCK, Wyo. — A 55-year-old Wyoming man died Monday night after his vehicle went over a bridge rail and caught fire on Interstate 25 near Glenrock.
Gavin Stanek was traveling north in a Cadillac Escalade around 9:13 p.m. when the vehicle drifted into the median near milepost 156, according to a Wyoming Highway Patrol report. The vehicle continued through the median until it struck a bridge retaining wall.
The driver’s side of the Escalade scraped along the rail before the vehicle went over the edge toward the river. The Cadillac rolled toward the passenger side and landed on its roof on the river embankment, where it was engulfed in flames, the report states.
The Wyoming Highway Patrol identified driver fatigue or the driver falling asleep as a possible contributing factor in the crash. Road conditions were dry and the weather was clear at the time of the incident.
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This story contains preliminary information as provided by the Wyoming Highway Patrol via the Wyoming Department of Transportation Fatal Crash Summary map. The agency advises that information may be subject to change.
