The Wyoming Republican Party voted at its convention in Douglas over the weekend to adopt new bylaws that defy a state law prohibiting the party from endorsing or funding candidates in contested primary elections, a move that drew sharply divergent reactions from the candidates who would be affected.
The vote, held at a convention where supporters invoked a 1989 U.S. Supreme Court ruling striking down California’s ban on party endorsements as a violation of the First Amendment, sets the party on a collision course with Wyoming election statutes. The state party plans to file a legal challenge, while opponents of the bylaws expect lawsuits over the party’s decision to ignore state law.
“I think we just got to make sure we get those folks that truly believe on the Republican side of the equation, who truly believe in the platform and what Wyoming stands for,” said Brent Bien, a candidate for governor and a visible favorite among convention delegates. Bien called the bylaw changes “a long time coming” and said he would seek the party’s formal backing.
Other gubernatorial candidates pushed back. State 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 help grow the party, not decide elections before voters have had their say.” Barlow, who has served in the Legislature for 14 years, added that the issue had never come before lawmakers, and if it had “it would have ensured all Wyomingites could weigh in and decisions would have been made openly and transparently.”
Among the U.S. House candidates, Secretary of State Chuck Gray — Wyoming’s chief election officer — said he supports the new bylaws and will “participate in the Party’s vetting process and will seek their support.” Gray did not respond to a request for comment in his official capacity on whether the party’s action conflicts with his role overseeing state elections.
Jillian Balow, another House candidate and former superintendent of public instruction, said she would accept an endorsement and financial support “only if it is in accordance with Wyoming and federal law.” She noted that the convention “curtailed delegate discussion to pass new by-laws anyway” and called the episode “not the way Wyoming does business.”
Kevin Christensen, also seeking the U.S. House seat, said he wanted to see how fair and transparent the process proved to be. “The Wyoming people are the ones that make the determination in the primary, not the party,” he said. “That being said, if this is about supporting candidates and determining who is really a Republican and who’s just putting an ‘R’ next to their name, that seems like that would be consistent with being the Republican Party.”
David Giralt took a more cautious approach: “I trust Wyoming Republicans to make good decisions for our party, and I’ll let the process play out.” Reid Rasner, another House candidate, said that after more than 200 campaign stops “one thing is clear: people are tired of the political games.”
State Auditor Kristi Racines, a Republican, said the “jury’s still out on this one for me.”
Under the new bylaws, a state-level candidate vetting committee would review candidates based on “commitment to the Wyoming Republican Party Platform, demonstrated loyalty to the Party’s principles, legal eligibility to hold office, and for incumbents, their voting record.” The process applies to candidates for Wyoming’s five statewide elected offices and for congressional seats; county parties may vet local races.
The Associated Press’s account of the convention vote was originally published by WyoFile through a partnership arrangement. WyoFile reported that other Republican candidates for governor, secretary of state, superintendent, U.S. House and U.S. Senate did not respond to requests for comment by publishing time.