After the Wyoming Republican Party adopted bylaws last weekend at its convention in Douglas, statewide candidates moved quickly to spell out how they would approach the party’s new endorsement and candidate-vetting process ahead of the primary.
The split among candidates follows the party’s decision to challenge a Wyoming law that prohibits the party from backing one Republican over another before the primary. The measure is expected to increase litigation risk, with the state party saying it intends to file its own legal challenge while critics at the convention raised concerns about breaking election law, possible court costs, and unintended consequences.
Wyoming State Auditor Kristi Racines said Wednesday that she is still deciding how to respond. “Jury’s still out on this one for me,” Racines said.
For years, party leaders have argued that the Wyoming Republican Party is a private organization and that the state law governing its structure—and barring endorsements or financial support in opposed primary races—is unconstitutional. Supporters of the new bylaws cited a 1989 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that struck down California’s ban on party endorsements, finding it violated First Amendment protections for speech and association.
Under the new bylaws, the party set out a process that would evaluate and recommend approval or disapproval of candidates before the primary. The bylaws say the party will consider statewide candidates for offices including governor, secretary of state, superintendent of public instruction, treasurer and auditor, as well as congressional candidates. For other races, the bylaws describe county parties as being able to vet candidates on their respective county ballots.
The bylaws also establish that the party and each county party “shall each create and oversee a Candidate Vetting Committee” empowered to review and recommend approval or disapproval based on criteria that include a candidate’s “commitment to the Wyoming Republican Party Platform,” loyalty to the party’s principles, legal eligibility to hold office, and, for incumbents, their voting record. The bylaws further state that the committee must provide candidates an opportunity to respond to concerns before issuing a recommendation.
Brent Bien, who is running for governor, told WyoFile that the bylaw changes are “a long time coming,” arguing the party finally needs a mechanism to identify and support candidates who reflect the party platform. Bien said he believes the process should help ensure that voters get candidates who truly believe on the Republican side of the equation and in the platform, adding that he would not be surprised if he does not receive the party’s endorsement. “I didn’t get Trump’s endorsement,” Bien said, noting that some legislators around the state also have not endorsed him.
Other gubernatorial candidates took a different stance. Gillette Sen. Eric Barlow wrote in a statement that “Contested primaries should be decided by voters,” and that the role of the state party is to unite Republicans around shared values and grow the party rather than decide elections before voters have a say. Barlow said that “Under current law, the state party should not choose sides in Republican primaries, and I will not ask them to start now,” adding that his job is “to earn the trust of Wyoming voters directly.” Barlow also pushed back on arguments supporters made at the convention that the party tried to change state statute through the legislature, saying the issue had never come before legislators and that, if it had, it would have ensured decisions were made openly and transparently rather than in court or months before an election.
In the race for U.S. House, some candidates described willingness to work within the party’s new vetting process, while others said they wanted to see whether it operates fairly and consistently. Secretary of State candidate Chuck Gray, who is running for the U.S. House, said he supports the new bylaws and wrote that he will participate in the party’s vetting process and seek the party’s support because he is the only candidate in the race with a proven record of standing up for conservative principles.
David Giralt said he would wait for the process to play out, saying he trusts Wyoming Republicans to make good decisions for the party and that he is focused on getting in front of as many voters as possible. Kevin Christensen said he wants to see how fair and consistent the process is before weighing in, adding that he believes “The Wyoming people are the ones that make the determination in the primary, not the party,” while also suggesting that party support would make sense if it is aimed at identifying who is truly a Republican.
Jillian Balow, another U.S. House candidate and former superintendent of public instruction, said she would be honored to accept an endorsement and money from the state party only if it complies with Wyoming and federal law. She also disputed what she described as how the convention handled discussion, writing that delegates knew the changes defied state law and that debate was curtailed.
Reid Rasner pushed back in stronger terms in a statement, while Tom Kelly, who is running for superintendent, said he opposes the idea of parties disallowing someone from running under a party banner but believes parties should be able to express publicly which people they would like to represent them. Kelly said he would accept financial backing and described his own campaign as having no wealthy donors bankrolling it.
WyoFile said it reached out to other statewide Republican candidates, including those running for governor, secretary of state, superintendent, U.S. House and U.S. Senate, but they did not respond by publishing time.