Let’s thank the politician who helped drive the Freedom Caucus out of power

I know it’s way too early for a Thanksgiving column. Halloween is still more than a month away.

But if I wait until the holiday, the person I want most to express my thanks to will have likely dropped out of the headlines after losing in the Nov. 3 election. Who will want to read about her then?

Rebecca Bextel, the Constitution Party’s candidate for governor and central player in the “Checkgate” controversy, must be recognized before voting begins for the welcome contribution she inadvertently made to what Wyoming needed most: ending the Freedom Caucus’ short-lived reign of terror in the House.

Thanks, Ms. Bextel, for unwittingly shining a light on the inept leadership of the Freedom Caucus, which resulted in many members being booted out of the Capitol by voters.

Bextel ignited Checkgate when she walked onto the House floor after the first day of the budget session to pass out $1,500 checks to four Freedom Caucus-aligned lawmakers. Ten caucus members and allies ultimately received checks from Bextel, whether in the Capitol or elsewhere. Nine lost their races, taking away a big chunk of their power

She distributed the donations on behalf of a wealthy Jackson donor. Bextel is also known for advocating against affordable housing mitigation fees, and the first public word about the check passing came during a House debate two days later on legislation that would have banned such fees.

Bextel denied any wrongdoing, and a House committee that investigated the check passing concluded it did not constitute bribery, even if it had been “undesirable and must never occur again.” The matter is still being investigated separately by the Laramie County Sheriff’s Office.

The embarrassing action of some House leaders — denying that Checkgate was improper, and then outrageously blaming Democrats who exposed it — was a double whammy they couldn’t erase from voters’ memories.

When the primary dust settled, the House had at most 10 members associated with the caucus who could return if they win in November. That’s only a few more members than the Democrats have.

I also credit Bextel for helping to derail the far right’s campaign to take over the Senate. Five House Freedom Caucus members and allies who ran for the upper chamber were defeated by “traditional” GOP legislators who wanted to stop their party’s move to the extreme right.

I’m not suggesting, of course, that voters should reward Bextel. Far from it.

Voters tempted to vote for Bextel as a protest against Sen. Eric Barlow, R-Gillette, who won the Republican gubernatorial primary in August, should know that her claim that he doesn’t represent conservatives is ridiculous. She should not be seriously considered for any office, especially the highest one in state government.

Checkgate will long be remembered as a remarkable moment in the Wyoming Legislature’s history. It prompted two investigations and policy changes in both chambers and an executive order from Gov. Mark Gordon to prevent a repeat.

Nine Freedom Caucus members and allies lost their races, including two of the most powerful men in the House: Speaker Chip Neiman, R-Hulett, and Rep. John Bear, R-Gillette, chair of the Joint Appropriations Committee and former head of the Freedom Caucus.

When it was announced that she would run as the Constitution Party’s nominee for governor, Bextel said she changed parties as an “insurance policy” to keep Barlow out of the governor’s office if he won the primary. Some on Wyoming’s far right consider Barlow too moderate to adequately represent the GOP.

Voters were unconvinced. Barlow won decisively in a campaign that drew three other candidates, including Trump-endorsed Megan Degenfelder, the superintendent of public instruction who supports public money being spent on private schools, and Brent Bien, the mastermind behind the dangerous “people’s initiative” to cut property taxes by 50% while depriving local governments and special districts of their ability to effectively fund critical public services.

Barlow apparently scares the bejesus out of GOP leaders. But the idea that the conservative former House speaker is a wild-eyed woke liberal Democrat, as Bextel is portraying him, is crazy.

Bextel wants voters to forget all about Checkgate, and I don’t blame her. Who wants to be known for passing out campaign checks on the House floor?

“I don’t think anybody cares anymore,” Bextel told the Wyoming Tribune Eagle. “I think the media — no offense — the media is who wants to keep this going.

“The average person couldn’t give a shit anymore,” she added. “Would you rather me hand someone a $1,500 check in broad daylight? That’s what we should be doing.”

Bextel’s apparent distrust of the U.S. Postal Service deserves special kudos. If she’d simply mailed the checks from Teton County donor Don Grasso instead of delivering them in person two days before the House was considering legislation that she supported, Checkgate probably wouldn’t have happened.

Perhaps the House would still be in the hands of radicals who wanted to slash the University of Wyoming for no reason, wipe out the Wyoming Business Council, cut the state’s Department of Health’s budget and continue to pass multiple laws that the state’s Supreme Court threw out as unconstitutional.

I am thankful Bextel played a starring role in a melodrama that stripped the Freedom Caucus of its power. But how can I buy an insurance policy that prevents her from getting 10% of the vote, which would give the Constitution Party majority party status?

Perhaps such a policy isn’t needed. If the Constitution Party joins the major leagues, most hard-liners who have divided the GOP would likely abandon it like Bextel did. Republicans who have more traditionally conservative views, and even a few moderates, could work with Democrats to pass some good legislation on issues where they find common ground.

So, Ms. Bextel, I’ll be thinking of you on this and every future Thanksgiving Day, when your antics in 2026 should be remembered as a force that brought Wyoming politics back to normalcy, and drove out most of the ideologues who pursue their own agenda at all costs, not caring if they hurt Wyomingites.

Good riddance. Now, will someone pass me the mashed potatoes and gravy? All of this Thanksgiving talk is making me hungry.