In less than three weeks, Wyoming voters will head to the polls on Aug. 20 for the state primary to determine the type of conservatism they prefer. On the ballot: the Cowboy State’s single U.S. House seat and one of its U.S. Senate seats.

The regular voter registration deadline is Monday, Aug. 5. Same-day registration is also available on primary day at the polling station.

Who are the GOP candidates running for the U.S. House of Representatives?

Republican incumbent Rep. Harriet Hageman, 61, is a former attorney who unsuccessfully ran for the Wyoming governorship in 2018. Although not a registered member, she makes appearances at Wyoming Freedom Caucus rallies and has held hardline conservative positions on national issues, including her recent labeling of Kamala Harris as a “DEI hire.” The congresswoman was one of eleven members of the U.S.. House of Representatives who brought articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. She also condemned the Biden administration’s new coal policies as anti-Wyoming and served on the House Judiciary Committee investigating the Biden family.

Steven Helling, a former pro-Trump Democrat who ran for the House seat, is now running as a Republican in the primary. He is focusing his campaign on opposing the Bill Gates-backed nuclear power plant that recently began construction in western Wyoming. Helling also supports pro-life policies and favors imposing term limits on the House, Senate, and Supreme Court.

Which Republicans are running for U.S. Senate?

Incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. John Barrasso is running for his fourth term, having held the seat since 2007, and faces challenges from John Holtz, a former judge and lawyer, and Reid Rasner, who has worked as a financial advisor and a realtor.

Barrasso, a longtime figure in Wyoming politics, served in the state legislature from 2003 to 2007 and was an orthopedic surgeon before entering politics.

Recently, the senator supported the Supreme Court’s Chevron and Trump legal immunity decisions while criticizing immigration policies and inflation under the Biden administration.

Reid Rasner drew controversy when he posted photos with Rep. Hageman, which her campaign felt implied an endorsement, and received a cease and desist letter in return. Among other issues, Rasner is campaigning that life begins at conception, support for the Second Amendment, and the enforcement of term limits in Congress.

John Holtz ran for a U.S. Senate seat in 2018 and 2020 but was unsuccessful. In a written statement to USA TODAY, Holtz listed his priorities as reducing the deficit, strengthening the country’s defense, making social security nontaxable, cutting social programs, and exporting resources to Europe and Israel through the Straits of Gibraltar to broaden our opportunities.

Cy Neff reports on Wyoming politics for USA TODAY. You can reach him at cneff@usatoday.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @CyNeffNews

Kirby, Wyoming, population 76, is a virtual no man’s land. There’s a literal ghost town just across the highway, and nearby Thermopolis, population 2,725, seems gargantuan by comparison. The closest city, Casper, is two hours away. If desolate were a place, it’d be Kirby. It’s the last spot where one would expect to find high-quality whiskey.

This remoteness drew former attorneys Brad and Kate Mead, who now operate a 350-head historic cattle ranch just outside the town of Jackson, to Kirby. They originally intended to use the 1,000 acres to isolate their cattle and prevent disease during the winter months.

But as the land sat unoccupied, the Meads decided to do something completely unexpected and open Wyoming’s first whiskey distillery. They enlisted the help of David DeFazio, a lawyer who had worked at their firm, and together vowed to make a spirit that honored the land it came from.

“Everyone who comes to Wyoming understands that nothing is easy here,” says Wyoming Whiskey master blender Brendan Cook. “You have to make a conscious decision to do something. We’re not in whiskey country or bourbon country. There was this willingness and desire to make something happen in a climate that isn’t prime territory for it. And that desire was to make America’s next great whiskey.”

Harsh Extremes Yield Unique Results

Wyoming’s harsh climate is a major factor when it comes to making the distinctive spirit, and it’s critical to how the whiskey is barrel-aged. While places like Kentucky or Tennessee have a fairly mild climate with no major temperature extremes, Wyoming’s seasonal swings can fluctuate dramatically — but the whiskey makers use this to their advantage.

“What we’re able to do as blenders is picture the warehouse as a spice cabinet and think, ‘I want a little of this one, this one, and this one,’ to make something that gives us a variety of flavors,” Cook says. “The temperature swings in Wyoming are quite extreme: We see temperatures of 117 degrees at the top of the warehouse and 60 degrees at the bottom. We have huge temperature differences within a small space, but that allows us to get different flavor profiles depending on where the barrel is picked from,” Cook says.

Unlike its milder counterparts, Wyoming’s climate stays consistently cold from October to April, preventing the warehouses from really warming up at all. Wyoming Whiskey calls this the “dormancy period.” It gives the spirit time to mature and age without the heat that causes cask expansion and contraction during summer months.

“We measure our five-year-old bourbon with summer as its birthday,” Cook adds. “That’s when we see the mature characteristics come from the cask. That’s definitely unique to this part of the world.”

A Taste of Wyoming

To make whiskey, you need water. And finding a viable water source in Wyoming is no small feat. Water from nearby Thermopolis, home to the world’s largest natural hot springs, wasn’t an option because of its high mineral content, which would calcify in the still. Instead, the co-founders were able to tap a 6,000-year-old underground limestone aquifer a mile underground.

“The Meads and their partner, David DeFazio, decided to stay true to Wyoming — to build something from the ground up and celebrate that. It’s about building a sense of community and doing the difficult thing because it’s right. We could source ingredients from somewhere else, but we decided to use our surroundings,” says Cook.

Ingredients like non-GMO corn, winter wheat (they use a variety called “Yellowstone”), barley, and winter rye are sourced from farmers based in Byron, Wyoming, just an hour and a half away. These grains were chosen for their sugar and starch yields, and the variety of corn cultivated matures in 91 days, which is critical for Wyoming’s high elevation and short growing season.

“It truly is like a taste of Wyoming from grain to glass,” Cook says.

Whiskey’s Softer Side

Wyoming Whiskey’s pursuit of perfection carries on through its distillation process. The team uses a combination of two yeasts — one that’s high-yield, as well as a proprietary yeast that produces alcohol with a slightly fruitier flavor.

After being distilled in a Vendome Copper & Brass continuous column still, the whiskey is put into oak barrels and aged for a minimum of five years in one of their six rickhouses. The temperature swings in the warehouse create the bourbon world’s most unique aging environment. The summer heat pushes the whiskey into the barrel’s charred oak, while cooler temperatures force the spirit to contract — almost like inhaling and exhaling — resulting in layers of flavor.

“We have these great caramel, vanilla, and orange notes, then some dark, dried fruits, and big cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger flavors,” Cook says. “When we’re putting a small batch together, we want that creamy orange vanilla with a little bit of grounding notes from the dark dried fruit. There’s this dichotomy of an incredibly extreme environment but a very soft, delicate, and rich spirit, where you might have expected it to be harsh.”

Heading Out West

The folks behind Wyoming Whiskey know how exceptional their state is, from its majestic mountains to its sweeping high plains. Preserving the Wyoming way of life is integral to their craft, which is why they’ve created Wide Open Spaces, a partnership that has worked closely with the National Park Foundation, Yellowstone Forever, and Grand Teton National Park Foundation to help preserve Wyoming’s landscapes.

Each chapter in the series pays homage to Wyoming’s landmarks. The latest release, The Grand and National Parks No. 3, celebrates the Snake River and Grand Teton National Park, home to a 40-mile-long mountain range and native wildlife like bison and bears. Proceeds help support the Grand Teton National Park Foundation’s mission to preserve natural and cultural resources for generations. It’s just one of the many ways Wyoming Whiskey shows respect and reverence for its home.

For those who happen to be near Kirby, Wyoming Whiskey offers distillery tours, as well as tastings at its satellite location in Jackson Hole. For those unable to make it out west, you can explore Wyoming Whiskey’s expressions online.

From the harsh conditions of the 44th state, the distillers at Wyoming Whiskey have done the impossible and caught lightning in a bottle, capturing the intrepid spirit of the West.

This article is sponsored by Wyoming Whiskey.

It’s time to take a look at what’s happening around Wyoming, for Friday, August 2nd. I’m Wendy Corr, bringing you headlines from the Cowboy State Daily newsroom – Brought to you by Wyoming Senior Olympics! Don’t miss the action at this year’s summer games from today through August 4th in Cheyenne, Wyoming. For more info and a schedule of events, visit Wyoming Senior Olympics dot org.

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Historic Fort Laramie, Wyoming’s first settlement, nearly went up in flames when an out-of-control wildfire nearly burned through it the past couple of days.

The flames from what’s now being called the Pleasant Valley Fire reportedly came to within about a mile of the site that’s on the National Register of Historic Places. Cowboy State Daily’s Pat Maio spoke with residents of the town of Fort Laramie, who had been told to prepare for evacuation late Tuesday evening.

“I interviewed one lady who works for the city government there and she was telling me that she lives literally in the center of the town and it’s a town of like 200 people, right? … They loaded up two chickens in a carrier into their orange dodge 1976 van … And then they had two cats, they put them in carriers and threw them in the back of the van as well. And then they brought their German Shepherd Dog and tossed it into the back of the van as well… But they just kind of kept watching and you know, the firefighters in that neck of the woods, were able to draw the line at the canal … to the west west of town about two miles out.” 

There are a handful of other fires burning around the state, as well, in the northwest, the northeast, and the south-central part of Wyoming.

Read the full story HERE.

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The Wyoming Legislature this year did not entertain any budget or bill action featuring language about keeping former President Donald Trump off the ballot.

Yet, a handful of mailers sent to Wyoming residents last month claim that several Republican Wyoming House incumbents voted for such a measure. 

Cowboy State Daily’s Clair McFarland reports that Wyoming Secretary of State Chuck Gray is defending those mailers. 

“This all stems back to a footnote, the appropriations committee put on Chuck Gray’s budget, which said that he wasn’t to spend Wyoming taxpayer dollars on out of state lawsuits without the legislature’s permission… And so those mailers essentially equated people who voted not to delete that footnote, it equated that vote to a vote to scrub Trump from the ballot.”

Among those who have spoken with Cowboy State Daily, the legislators whom the mailers target disagree wholly with Gray’s claim that their votes equate to an attack on Trump.  

Read the full story HERE.

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A Colorado Parks and Wildlife plane that apparently looped into Wyoming airspace Tuesday has raised speculation that the aircraft was tracking wolves that had crossed the state line into Wyoming.

But Wyoming and Colorado wildlife agencies told outdoors reporter Mark Heinz that there isn’t any active tracking of wolves in the area.

“Colorado Parks and Wildlife, it did confirm that they are doing some counts of pronghorn antelope. They’re, they’re they’re doing some, you know, of their herd counts, which happened about this time of year anyway.”

Wyoming Game and Fish spokeswoman Breanna Ball stated that her agency wasn’t involved in tracking wolves near the Colorado state line.

Read the full story HERE. 

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Posters seeking information about missing University of Wyoming professor Nash Quinn cover bus stops, storefront windows in downtown Laramie and on trailheads throughout Albany County.

Yet despite a massive multi-day search that’s had law enforcement, search and rescue groups and volunteers covering nearly 70,000 square acres of private and public land, Cowboy State Daily’s Jen Kocher reports that Quinn and his white mountain bike remain missing.

“There has been nothing found. It’s a very rare case where they haven’t his bike hasn’t been found in any traces of him. And I spoke to the sheriff and I asked him if he had gotten any tips and he said none. So this is a rare incident. And everybody is just very confused what where he might be and what might happen and unfortunately, there are no updates.”

The 39-year-old fine arts professor, avid cyclist and disc golf player is believed to have gone for a bike ride sometime between July 8 and July 21, and never returned.

Read the full story HERE.

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Major changes are coming to Wyoming’s television news scene with the transfer of two stations owned by Gray Television, to Marquee Broadcasting.

The sale of stations KGWN in Cheyenne, KCWY in Casper, KSTF in Scottsbluff, Nebraska, and KNEP in Sidney, Nebraska, had been pending FCC approval since February. Cowboy State Daily’s Renee Jean reports that approval has now been granted.

“CEO Gene Steinberg told me, one of the first things we’re going to do is just listen to the community, and kind of take an assessment of what the needs are, and respond accordingly. There probably won’t be any changes in play until later this fall.” 

Two weeks into the acquisition being finalized, Marquee has already hired a news director, who will focus on listening to what the communities want to see in its news coverage.

Read the full story HERE.

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And after the dramatic explosion of Black Diamond Pool in Yellowstone National Park destroyed part of a boardwalk on July 23rd and sent visitors running, the ripped open landscape looks more like a war zone than a tourist attraction.

Cowboy State Daily’s Andrew Rossi reports that as scientists try to piece together what happened, they’re recruiting “citizen scientists” to help research the aftermath of the blast.

“What they’re hoping is that people who witnessed it themselves or took pictures of the Black Diamond pool, or the general area, in the hours and days leading up to that explosion, might share that information with them so they have a better understanding about what happened, and how they might be able to understand these things in the future.”

Biscuit Basin will remain closed to tourists for the rest of 2024. Scientists need to analyze the area to understand its current and future behavior better while the National Park Service assesses the infrastructure damage caused by the explosion.

Read the full story HERE.

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A challenger to incumbent state Rep. Landon Brown is accusing the lawmaker of “flip-flopping” on votes, comparing him to 2004 Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry.

Exie Brown, who is running against Landon Brown for the for Wyoming House District 9 seat, says Landon voted against a bill prohibiting males identifying as females from participating in female-designated school sports in 2022, but then voted to support it in 2023.

Cowboy State Daily’s Leo Wolfson spoke to Landon Brown after the remarks were made at a Politics In the Park rally in Cheyenne Wednesday evening. 

“Landon Brown explained to me that he has no problem switching his vote on a bill if he thinks the bill has been improved from what was not passable before. And he thinks the matter’s just kind of simple as that.” 

Rep. Landon Brown clapped back at his challenger, saying he’d rather focus on issues than taking pot shots at people.

Read the full story HERE.

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Peabody Energy, the largest coal producer in Wyoming and the United States, saw coal sales out of its Powder River Basin open-pit mines drop 16.4% in the second quarter of 2024 from year-ago levels.

And energy reporter Pat Maio says profits continued to fall.

“They’re seeing continued declines… in coal production, and, you know, the challenges that they’re trying to meet as a result of that. And I mean, they’re at historic lows for the last decade.” 

Peabody President and CEO Jim Grech cited depressed natural gas prices as a main reason for the challenges with selling coal, as utility companies have selected that rival commodity to fuel their power plants.

Read the full story HERE.

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The state of Wyoming may take a more active role in promoting building more affordable housing in communities around the Cowboy State.

The Joint Corporations, Elections and Political Subdivisions Committee unanimously advanced legislation when it met this week that clarifies state-owned land can be used for residential purposes. Cowboy State Daily’s Leo Wolfson reports that the legislation is a result of increased pressure in areas around the state with serious affordable housing shortages, like Jackson and Laramie.

“And a lot of what this bill does is basically clarify that the state can do this… it allows for a prioritization to use it for this purpose, for residential purposes, whereas kind of currently, it’s just they’re allowed to do it.”  

However, critics say these are local issues, and that the state shouldn’t set itself up to be in the residential landlord business.

Read the full story HERE.

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The Wyoming Supreme Court on Thursday sided with a father against a counselor who denied the father access to his 7-year-old daughter’s counseling file.  

Crime and Courts reporter Clair McFarland explains that the decision stems from a contentious custody battle that began in Montana, but crossed state lines when the girl and her mother moved to Park County, Wyoming.

“The girl … starts going to a counselor, and the father, while he’s applying for a change in the terms of his custody, he sent a subpoena to the counselor saying I want the records that you have from counseling my daughter. The judge denied some of those records, saying there’s a concern for the child’s best interests. That was wrong, according to the Wyoming Supreme Court, because in our rules of civil procedure, here in Wyoming, you can’t deny a subpoena based on the child’s best interest. There’s a list of reasons you can deny a subpoena, but that’s not one of them.”

Wyoming law also gives a parent the authority to waive his child’s medical confidentiality privilege.

Read the full story HERE.

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And that’s today’s news! For a deeper dive into the people and issues that affect Wyoming, check out The Roundup, conversations with the most interesting people in the Cowboy State. A new episode drops tomorrow, when I have a conversation with Wyoming country music artist Chancey Williams. You can find the link on our website, on our YouTube Channel, and wherever you get your podcasts. And of course, you’ll find it in our FREE daily newsletter! Thanks for tuning in – I’m Wendy Corr, for Cowboy State Daily.