CODY — The Wyoming Republican Party has new leadership, electing Sheridan resident Bryan Miller to be the new chairman at the party’s meeting here Saturday.
Miller beat out Jackson resident Rebecca Bextel by a 42-32 vote.
Before the ballots were counted, many in the room said they expected the vote to be particularly close. The fact that it wasn’t a nailbiter, Miller said, was a statement in itself.
“I am thrilled the that the body has that much faith in me to get the job done,” he told Cowboy State Daily.
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Before the vote, Miller promoted his experience lobbying at the state Legislature and success growing the Sheridan County Republican Party as its chairman for about seven years.
Miller has been a familiar face in Wyoming Republican Party ranks for even longer, which is what he believes may have pushed his campaign ahead of the upstart Bextel.
“I think the experience had a lot to do with it,” he told Cowboy State Daily. “People know how I react to various things,and they’d like to see that repeated at the state level.”
Miller has been a familiar face in the Wyoming Republican Party for even longer, which is what may have pushed his campaign ahead of the upstart Bextel.
Miller began his tenure holding the office at the end of Saturday’s meeting.
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Bextel built her campaign around pursuing the will of the party’s grassroots and improving fundraising efforts.
Miller also touted his fundraising abilities, saying he already has a donor who’s committed $400,000. He also wants to help individual county parties raise more money for themselves.
A theme running through Saturday’s party election was unity, with many candidates calling for an end to infighting that has divided Wyoming Republicans.
Newly elected Wyoming Republican Party Vice Chairman Bob Ferguson, center, and Chairman Bryan Miller, right, at Saturday’s state GOP central committee meeting in Cody. (Leo Wolfson, Cowboy State Daily)
Endorsements Didn’t Matter
Last fall, U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman endorsed Bextel and on Friday night, she doubled down with a second endorsement of Bextel through a letter submitted to party members and read aloud by outgoing Chairman Frank Eathorne on Saturday.
“I have known Rebecca for quite some time and know that she has the energy, charisma, sincerity, skills and conviction it takes to make a wonderful leader for our party,” Hageman wrote.
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Also in the letter, Hageman may have dropped a clue that she won’t announce her future political intentions for some time, saying she’s not a fan of long, drawn-out campaigns.
Eathorne didn’t endorse a candidate in the race.
Outgoing Vice Chair David Holland also backed Bextel on Saturday, saying he was impressed with how she ran a Freedom Caucus congressional fundraiser.
Holland said he advised Bextel to run for chairman and Miller for vice chair.
“I just blessed them and asked them to run,” Holland said.
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Similar Visions
Both Miller and Bextel share nearly identical conservative views, so Saturday’s election was more of a referendum on priorities and leadership visions.
Miller wants to facilitate a better relationship between the Legislature and the state party, an effort he said he’s already begun with Senate President Bo Biteman, R-Ranchester, and House Speaker Chip Neiman, R-Hulett.
By developing a better relationship with the Legislature, Miller said it will help the party avoid getting into lawsuits by passing laws more favorable to the party.
Miller wants to increase party unity by providing more opportunities for people to speak at and talk to each other. He believes the Republican Party platform is what binds the party together.
“I think the people of this party will come together over the platform,” he said.
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As far as party unity, Bextel said she’s not looking to promote a unifying message but rather unity over the party’s platform.
“That’s what we have to unite about, treat each others with respect, but unite for the planks and platform in our legislative body,” she said.
Bextel, who said her personal hero is “daddy Trump,” referring to President Donald Trump, has become a major fundraiser for the Wyoming Republican Party and conservative candidates throughout the state over the last few years.
After the vote, Bextel posted to Facebook that she’s was glad she lost and believes she would’ve been constrained as chair of the party.
“I LOVE calling out RINOs in Wyoming,” she posted. “In my personal capacity, I had already been looking for candidates to primary some of the Democrats that are currently in office as Republicans. That would have all had to stop thanks to Title 22.”
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She also resigned her position as revenue chair of the party.
Outgoing Wyoming state GOP Chairman Frank Enthrone, next to a life-sized cutout of Donald Trump, at Saturday’s meeting to elect new state party leadership. (Leo Wolfson, Cowboy State Daily)
What Did The Party Say?
Former interim Secretary of State Karl Allred supported Miller’s campaign, saying he will lead the party in a positive direction moving forward.
“He made his bones in the party and got his experience in the party,” Allred said. “His experience in this stuff is going to be very helpful.”
Cody resident Tim Lasseter encouraged central committee members to not “get caught in the weeds” and politics and support a candidate that they believe in their hearts and will lead the party forward.
Although he didn’t have a vote, Lasseter told Cowboy State Daily he supported Bextel’s candidacy, seeing her as a bold and fearless leader.
He worries that Wyoming, the reddest state in the nation, could turn blue like Colorado did to the south, and believes the state GOP needs to take an aggressive approach to stop this.
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Wheatland resident Jill Kauffman implored the party to elect a leader who will keep election integrity in the forefront of their minds.
There were 74 voting central committee members Saturday, about half of which were new, including 11 new county chairmen.
Vice Chair Race
Meeteetse resident Bob Ferguson, outgoing GOP treasurer, won the position of vice chair on a 38-37 vote over Riverton resident Ginger Bennett after a first vote where the candidates ended in a 37-37 tie.
The close nature of this vote could get brought up in an ongoing lawsuit between the state GOP and four members of the Hot Springs GOP.
That lawsuit revolves around the state party refusing to elect two people in Hot Springs who say they were fairly elected in their county’s leadership elections.
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Both Ferguson and Bennett represent solid conservative views.
“The role of government needs to be as small as humanly possible,” Ferguson said.
Eathorne commended Ferguson’s work as treasurer, calling him a “patriot Republican.”
Goshen County GOP Chairman Kirk Haas nominated Ferguson for vice chair.
Ferguson said he’s not as interested in talking about curing division within the party as a talking point, but said the state GOP needs to work on not stifling debate between people who disagree.
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“Increase the communication, allow people to talk, proceed with our business in a civil manner,” he said.
He believes bringing in more outside speakers will allow the party to attract more volunteers and improve overall morale.
Ferguson also said even though the Legislature has a Wyoming Freedom Caucus majority in the state House, which accomplished many of its goals, he says more work needs to be done.
The central committee of the Wyoming Republican Party meets at the Cody Auditorium to elect new leadership Saturday, May 3, 2025. (Leo Wolfson, Cowboy State Daily)
No More Name-Calling
Fremont County resident Mitch Benson nominated Bennett for vice chairman.
“Ginger has stood beside me before the county commissioners, the state Legislature,” Benson said. “She’s a fighter, she’s committed to these efforts and I highly recommend she be elected as the next vice chair.”
Bennett brought a tone of unity throughout her speeches Saturday, urging the party members to not get caught up with infighting and to work together to nominate leaders who represents Republican values. She said the party must put aside name calling if it wants to achieve its goals.
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“This organization has to work together, some moderate, some conservative, to find the best value to determine our values,” she said.
Bennett said her plan to move Wyoming Republicans forward has already begun.
“We have to unite in order to get our platform governance accomplished and we cannot do that if we continue to fight,” she said.
Bennett wants the party to put money toward growing its grassroots and supporting candidates rather than fighting with each other.
Ferguson believes the state party can be more effective in this regard by increasing its visibility and outreach through a focused used of social media. That will engage many more people to lobby and further the party’s goals.
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“Right now, the state Legislature doesn’t have to listen to us because they view us as 74 people sitting in a room,” he said. “But if we involve the grassroots, if we get people mobilized, if we have 1,000 calls by the people that we reach out to coming to the Legislature, they’re going to start listening.”
He also wants to give more money to candidates, but said the party will really have to increase its fundraising efforts if it wants to achieve this goal.
Ferguson said the party is too quick to pass resolutions it can’t act on and that the party develop an action plan for how it will mobilize them.
Donna Rice was reelected secretary without any opposition.
State Treasurer Curt Meier and Auditor Kristi Racines were at the meeting, as were state Sens. Cheri Steinmetz, R-Lingle, Dan Laursen, R-Powell, and Rep. Rachel Rodriguez-Williams, R-Cody.
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Holland said it was a great pleasure working with Eathorne, and also gave a shoutout to former state legislator Marti Halverson, whom he called “one of the greatest heroes.”
He also criticized Gov. Mark Gordon for rejecting Halverson twice for interim vacancy appointments.
Leo Wolfson can be reached at leo@cowboystatedaily.com.
As a plaintiff in the 2022 lawsuit that kicked off years of legal sparring over Wyoming abortion rights, Dr. Giovannina Anthony had waited a long time for Tuesday’s Supreme Court decision on the state’s abortion bans.
“It has been a long road,” she said. One with ups and downs, drawbacks and delays. And even though the high court ruled against the state’s abortion bans, she’s not under the illusion that the fight for abortion access is over.
“But at least today, we can claim a victory and say, it was really worth it,” said Anthony, a Jackson obstetrician. “It was worth it to go four years and keep it up and keep raising money and keep the awareness going. I’m really proud of our team. I’m really proud of what we accomplished.”
In reading the Supreme Court’s decision siding with plaintiffs, Anthony said, “Clearly, this is a court that holds a lot of respect for our constitution.”
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That’s because much of the decision hinged on constitutional language.
Anthony and other plaintiffs argued that abortion is enshrined in the “right of health care access” in Article 1, Section 38 of the Wyoming Constitution. The clause states, “Each competent adult shall have the right to make his or her own health care decisions.”
The state’s attorneys, meanwhile, countered that abortion isn’t health care.
But in deciding what that language means in this case, “all five Wyoming Supreme Court justices agreed that the decision whether to terminate or continue a pregnancy is a woman’s own health care decision protected by Article 1, Section 38,” the court’s summary stated.
As abortion rights activists in Wyoming and beyond celebrated the decision, the anti-abortion camp decried it and called for legislative action.
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“This ruling is profoundly unfortunate and sadly serves to only prolong the ultimate proper resolution of this issue,” Gov. Mark Gordon said in a statement. While the ruling may settle a legal question for the time being, Gordon said, “it does not settle the moral one, nor does it reflect where many Wyoming citizens stand, including myself.”
Anti-abortion activists in the silent March for Life in Cheyenne in January 2020. (Nadav Soroker, Wyoming Tribune Eagle/Wyoming News Exchange)
Gordon asked the Attorney General’s office to file a petition for rehearing the decision, which it will file within 15 days.
The voters of Wyoming should settle the matter once and for all, Gordon argued. “A constitutional amendment taken to the people of Wyoming would trump any and all judicial decisions.”
He called on the Legislature to pass such an amendment during the upcoming session and deliver it to his desk. A constitutional amendment requires a two-thirds vote in both the House and Senate to appear on the ballot in the following general election.
Gordon may get his wish during the Legislature’s 2026 budget session, which convenes Feb. 9.
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State lawmakers are already preparing a bill to modify the Wyoming Constitution and clear a path for another attempted abortion ban. Speaker of the House Chip Neiman, a Republican from Hulett, said that he’s been workshopping language with Torrington Republican Sen. Cheri Steinmetz.
“I’ve got to run it by a lot of other people,” Neiman said.
Reps. Rachel Rodriguez-Williams and Chip Neiman listen during a 2023 hearing on their request to defend Wyoming’s abortion ban. (Brad Boner/Jackson Hole News&Guide/Pool)
Ideally, he added, a single constitutional amendment would be considered, although the legislative strategy is still up for discussion.
“We’ve got a little over a month before we have to be in session,” Neiman said. “That’ll give us time to kind of see which is maybe the best plan of action.”
A constitutional amendment would have to navigate the legislative process in a 20-day session geared toward passing Wyoming’s budget. Then, in the 2026 general election, more than half of Wyoming voters who cast a ballot would have to agree to the constitutional change.
Neiman struck an optimistic tone about an amendment’s prospects of passing the first hurdle during the session in Cheyenne.
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“I can’t speak for the other chamber,” he said, “but in my chamber I’ve got a lot of phone calls and a lot of texts from a lot of my legislators who are just beside themselves at what happened.”
Senate President Bo Biteman did not return a phone call before this story published.
Victorious
Chelsea’s Fund, an organization that helps pay for abortion services, was another of the plaintiffs that challenged Wyoming’s abortion bans. Executive Director Janean Forsyth said Tuesday’s decision affirms what her organization has long known: “that abortion is essential health care, and Wyoming women have a constitutional right and the freedom to make their own health care decisions, and that should be without government interference.”
Forsyth was flooded with messages and calls Tuesday, she said, especially from the community of reproductive rights organizations.
“I think that [the news is] a beacon of hope for, not only Wyoming communities and families, but also nationwide,” she said.
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Christine Lichtenfels was Chelsea’s Fund executive director when the original suit was filed and throughout much of the legal battle. Relief wasn’t quite the word to describe how she felt Tuesday, she said.
“In reading the decision, there is just a sense that, ‘Oh, there is reason in the world,” she said. “It makes me think that, yes, Wyoming is the Equality State. We can say that now without cringing.”
(Disclosure: Lichtenfels is currently working with WyoFile on an unrelated legal matter.)
The Wellspring Health Access clinic in Casper is pictured in December 2022, and shows signs of May 2022 arson, including boarded up windows. (Dustin Bleizeffer/WyoFile)
Wyoming’s only abortion clinic, Wellspring Health Access in Casper, was also a plaintiff in the lawsuit. Knowing the decision would directly impact the facility’s fate, Clinic President Julie Burkhart was nervous when she opened it. Reading quickly dispelled her fears, she said, as it dawned on her that the justices sided with the plaintiffs’ legal team.
“We are delighted,” she told WyoFile.
Many people questioned her 2021 decision to open an abortion clinic in such a conservative state, she said. The court decision solidifies an intuition she felt back then about Wyoming residents’ sense of what’s fair and right.
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Burkhart and colleagues expect future challenges to arise, however.
“While we celebrate today’s ruling, we know that anti-abortion politicians will continue their push to restrict access to health care in Wyoming with new, harmful proposals in the state legislature,” Burkart said in a statement. “Patients should not have to live in fear that their health care decisions will be suddenly upended at the whim of a judge or lawmaker.”
Across the state in Jackson, Dr. Anthony anticipates the Wyoming Freedom Caucus will attempt to pass laws that impose targeted restrictions against abortion providers — such as forcing patients to hear a fetal heartbeat or wait a certain time period before the procedure.
“Unfortunately, the fight’s not over,” Anthony said, “but this is a great moment for us.”
Heartache
Abortion opponents expressed sadness Tuesday and vehemently disagreed with the court’s opinion.
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State Rep. Rachel Rodriguez Williams was lead sponsor of one of the abortion bans. The Cody Republican and chair of the Wyoming Freedom Caucus did not respond to a request for comment, but posted about the decision on X.
“My heart aches for Wyoming today,” Rodriguez Williams posted. “Thanks to the decision of four unelected, unchecked attorneys, it’s open season in Wyoming for innocent, preborn babies. Make no mistake: courts can get things wrong, and they sure did get this wrong. I’ll never stop fighting to protect life.”
Anti-abortion billboards can be seen along some Wyoming highways. (Tennessee Watson/WyoFile)
Wyoming Secretary of State Chuck Gray also protested the decision, which he called “outrageously wrong” and “a leftwing activist decision totally out of touch with the Wyoming Constitution.”
Natrona County anti-abortion activist Bob Brechtel, a former Wyoming House member, also expressed frustration with the courts, criticizing the nearly two-year-long wait for a decision and saying he was “ashamed” of the outcome from the high court.
In 2011, Brechtel co-sponsored the bill authorizing a later-successful constitutional amendment ballot measure that now protects individuals’ rights to make their own health care decisions. Born out of opposition to the Obama-era Affordable Care Act, what became Article 1, Section 38 caused some lawmakers to worry about potential unintended consequences.
Fifteen years later, one unintended consequence came to fruition. Reached Tuesday, Brechtel confirmed that he did not intend to protect women’s right to have an abortion in Wyoming.
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“There was nothing in the legislation about killing innocent human beings,” he said. “This whole thing has been completely regenerated into something that it was never intended to be.”
It is Week 4 in the 2026 Wyoming High School boys’ swimming and diving season. It features several medium-sized competitions. After a dual in Douglas on Tuesday, Friday and Saturday are packed with meets. Jackson hosts its two-day invitational with four teams heading to Teton County. There are three-team events in Casper, Gillette, and Sheridan on Friday, plus two five-team meets at Cody and Rock Springs.
WYOPREPS BOYS SWIMMING AND DIVING WEEK 4 SCHEDULE 2026
Saturday also has swim invites at Evanston, Powell, and Sheridan. The schedule for Week 4 of the prep boys’ swimming and diving season in the Cowboy State is below. The schedule is subject to change.
RAWLINS AT DOUGLAS – dual
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CASPER TRI at NCHS – Cheyenne East, Kelly Walsh, Natrona County.
CHEYENNE, Wyo. — A Wyoming man died Dec. 22 in a motorcycle-versus-truck collision in Laramie County.
According to a recently released incident report from the Wyoming Highway Patrol, 24-year-old Wyoming man Kyle Pandullo was headed west on a motorcycle as a van approached from the opposite direction. The WHP reports that the van attempted to turn left into a business entrance, forcing Pandullo to brake in an effort to avoid a crash. His bike tipped over onto its side, sliding into the van.
The WHP lists driver inattention as a possible contributing factor in the wreck.
This story contains preliminary information as provided by the Wyoming Highway Patrol. The agency advises that information may be subject to change.
