Freedom Caucus firebrand Jeanette Ward is making a bid to win back the blue-collar southeast Casper House district that she lost in 2024 to political newcomer and Republican Julie Jarvis. Jarvis won the House District 57 primary with 56% of the vote.
The winner of this year’s GOP primary rematch will face Democratic candidate Luc Colgrove in the general election in November.
Ward moved from Illinois to Wyoming a year before winning House District 57, which was previously held by Chuck Gray, who left it to successfully run for secretary of state.
“When I ran previously, I made my principles clear,” Ward wrote in a Facebook post announcing her candidacy. “I am pro-life, pro-freedom, pro–Second Amendment and pro-family. That is how I voted then, and those principles remain unchanged today.”
Ward declined WyoFile’s request for an interview.
‘Listen before you vote’
Jarvis hails from Buffalo. A longtime reading specialist with more than 25 years in education, she serves as curriculum director at Converse County School District 1.
A self-described anti-politician, Jarvis said she entered politics with a mission to bridge what she sees as a disconnect between constituents and the people they elect to represent them.
“I truly believed when I entered this process that our representatives were not truly representing the voice of the people, that there were alternative agendas and there were philosophies from organizations and groups that were not elected to represent the people,” Jarvis said.
Integral to her “listen first, vote second” mantra is a House District 57 constituent survey, which she is repeating in her candidacy this year. Though she’s a Wyoming conservative with expertise in education, Jarvis said the survey responses and ongoing dialogue with constituents provide a lot of real-life experience and a wide range of expertise to inform her votes in Cheyenne.
In response to the sweeping, Freedom Caucus-led property tax cuts, for example, Jarvis said she moderated her votes in hopes of striking a balance between trimming the tax and maintaining the local services they provide. And though she empathizes with the ranching community she grew up with, her constituents — avid supporters of hunting and public lands access — persuaded her to support codifying corner crossing via House Bill 19, “Corner crossing clarification,” which failed in the Senate.
Her House District 57 survey responses also persuaded Jarvis to set aside her personal beliefs to vote against some anti-abortion measures.
She’s refining her 33-question “election cycle” survey, which spans a full range of legislative issues, to glean more details about, among other things, public lands management, nuclear energy and how her constituents feel about data centers.
Some have criticized the way the surveys influence her votes, Jarvis said, but it’s the best way to represent her constituents. There’s an additional benefit for her efforts, too.
“I think that people step up and start getting more involved when they truly feel like they can be heard.”
Though House District 57 is urban, Jarvis said she’s mindful of the needs and special circumstances of more rural and economically disadvantaged regions of the state.
“My job is, number one, to represent the people of my district,” Jarvis said. “But, two, to represent Wyoming. And at no point do I want to see horrible things happen to those who live in hardship communities.”
That sensibility applies to the state’s role in economic development — a hot topic this year following a Freedom Caucus-led effort to defund and dismantle the Wyoming Business Council.
“I believe we do need to take an active part in economic development,” Jarvis said, adding that Wyoming’s rural nature and low population demands some balance between conservative free-market principles and “giving a hand up” to entrepreneurs and businesses that support communities.
“It’s important where government enters and where it exits” economic development, Jarvis said. “I’m 100% supportive of small government, but I also understand why the state needs to participate.”
‘Political refugee from oppressive Illinois’
Before coming to Wyoming, Ward served on the U-46 School Board, headquartered in Elgin, Kane County, Illinois.
“I defended parental rights, fought to expose politically biased textbooks and behind-closed-door practices designed to keep parents in the dark,” Ward states on her campaign website. “I ran for State Senate in Illinois in 2020 and learned first-hand how the left converted the Covid scam into a weapon for institutionalized election theft.”
In Wyoming, she encouraged a 2023 boycott of local businesses and organizations — including the hospice and humane society — that had sponsored the city’s widely attended annual Pride event. As a lawmaker, Ward sponsored bills to bar small businesses from requiring employees to wear masks or get vaccinated, to broaden the definition of child pornography, to prohibit health mandates from the Centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization from being enforced in Wyoming, to require the governor to get permission from the Legislature before declaring another public health emergency and to define women by their chromosomes and reproductive systems, among others.
None of her measures made it into law, though her “What is a Woman Act” succeeded the year after she lost.
During this campaign, Ward has taken aim at Jarvis, alleging she identifies as a Republican but mostly supports a Democratic agenda.
“Her voting record reflects principles that are fundamentally different from my own,” Ward posted on Facebook. “The people of Wyoming HD 57 are done with wolves in sheep’s clothing.”
The primary election is Aug. 18.
WyoFile’s Maya Shimizu Harris contributed reporting.
Correction: This story was corrected to update Julie Jarvis’ job title. —Ed
“I am pro-life. For those women facing the most difficult decisions of your life, that’s just too bad.” “I am pro-freedom. As long as you believe in the freedoms I tell you to believe in.” “I am pro-Second Amendment. After all, we’ve only had 194 mass shootings in the US so far this year.” “I am pro-family. If you happen to be born LGBTQ+, please stay in the closet so you don’t embarrass your family.”
Ward, we so foolishly handed you an opportunity in 2022 and you plain blew it. We wisened up come 2024 and tossed you to the curb. Just be gone already, whackadoo
Ward is bat s**t crazy. She sees demons and talks about them. She would do better seeking a job with ghost busters than as a legislator. Give her the boot, Casper!
Why is Ward still wearing her expired legislative name badge from the 67th Legislature? Looks like she is trying to confuse people about who the incumbent is in this race.
I believe that picture says it was taken in 2024 Ken, but a cheap trick like that probably wouldn’t be beneath Ward. Like the other folks who have commented, Ward is a conspiracy driven lunatic that somehow got elected the first time while everyone in Wyoming seemed to think we needed a change. Hopefully, the people who voted for Ward have learned their lesson and won’t even consider her again. Ms. Jarvis has done a respectable job and deserves another term representing her district with common sense and decency, not nonsensical ultra right wing extremism like Ward.
Ms. Jarvis is the sensible choice, Jenette Ward, well, you’re a real doozy. Take your crazy Illinois politics back to, well, Illinois. Don’t let the door hit you in the —
Ward is a sad version of the Freedom Caucus candidate. She specifically came to Wyoming from Illinois to inflist the Freedom Caucus rhetoric into the Wyoming legislature. After one term in the state house, her constituents voted her out. Do they want another term under her Freedom Caucus party? I would hope not since that party has done nothing to benefit Wyoming.
To the voting public of HD 57, in past years you elected some real doozies; Gray and Ward. Finally, somehow informed, enlightened voters gained momentum and Jarvis won. All of Wyoming is better for this.
People need to do their research and vote in the primary 8/18/26. Don’t just look at the slick ads but actually talk to the candidate.
Oh, great, just exactly what Wyoming needs, a transplant that wants to infuse Illinois values into the Cowboy State. You had your chance, Ward, and the result was an epic failure. Has anyone ever noticed that a majority of these NonFreedom Caucus people are carpetbaggers who’ve come here to “enlighten” and “rule” us? Jeanette Wards needs to get on a bus that’s heading for the State line and take the other carpetbagging wingnuts with her, including Grey, checkgate-Neiman, the artist formerly known as Rodriguez-Willams, etc. August 18th is looming and the bell will soon toll for these scavengers
Jeanette Ward was/is the worst of the worst of the unfreedom caucus. She’s against freedom, just like the unfreedom caucus is antithetical to freedom. Keep the Illinois goofball out of our state politics.
former Rep Ward, the Illinois carpetbagger, is UnFreeDumb Carcass MTG crazy. Everything to her is a leftist conspirancy. Ward also spent much of her time during the past legislative session stalking current Rep Jarvis. The former Rep runs a big mouth yet seems to be afraid of being interviewed by Wyofile. If the voters want bat-sheet crazy, well, here’s your candidate but I think Ms. Ward will lose this upcoming primary with a lot worse margin then in 2024. Ward should consider going back to Illinois so she can grace the residents there with her charms