The Wyoming Legislature has never in its history considered, debated, nor voted on any proposal to remove former President Donald Trump from the ballot in any election, in any state. Political mailers sent by the officially registered WY Freedom PAC to Laramie, Fremont and Sweetwater county voters this week claim otherwise.
“[He] voted with the RADICAL LEFT to remove President Trump from the ballot,” according to glossy postcards targeting Reps. Lloyd Larsen (R-Lander), Cody Wylie (R-Rock Springs) and Dan Zwonitzer (R-Cheyenne).
A similar mailer aimed at Rep. J.T. Larson (R-Rock Springs) accused the lawmaker of voting “NO to KEEP President Trump on the ballot this fall.”
But of the hundreds of bills and amendments filed during the 2024 session none required lawmakers to vote on whether to remove or keep Trump on the ballot.
The WY Freedom PAC, the political action committee launched in 2023 to support the hard-line Wyoming Freedom Caucus, is responsible for the mailers.
Reached by phone Friday, WY Freedom PAC Chairman Kari Drost referred WyoFile to an explanation contained in the mailers.
“I don’t have them in front of me, but I am pretty sure that there is a reference to all of the statements made on the bottom of the postcard,” Drost said. “There’s a specific vote that’s referenced, so you could look that up.”
In the bottom left corner of the mailer targeting Larsen, there is a footnote: “Ref HB 01 Section 002,” which references a section of the 2024 budget bill that appropriated about $9.5 million to the secretary of state’s office.
The section, pictured below, provides details about the secretary of state’s budget, specifically how a certain amount of funds may be allocated in regards to ballot initiatives.
Drost, who said she was headed into a meeting, did not elaborate on how a vote on a budget footnote amounted to a vote to remove Trump from the ballot. She asked WyoFile to email her with any additional questions. WyoFile did not receive a response to that email by press time.
Freedom Caucus Chairman Rep. John Bear (R-Gillette), who leads the PAC’s fundraising efforts, told WyoFile the mailers’ assertion was in reference to a budget bill footnote intended to bar the secretary of state’s office from using state funds to engage in out-of-state lawsuits.
Bear said the vote over the footnote was “effectively” a vote for or against Trump being on the ballot.
“They knew what they were doing when they did it,” Bear said.
Zwonitzer called the mailers “beyond the pale.”
“To have legislative colleagues make up complete fabrications that are categorically false is a new low in Wyoming politics,” Zwonitzer said. “And they should expect a full slander lawsuit against the PAC and everyone associated.”
The mailers also criticize lawmakers for how they voted on property taxes, immigrant driver’s licenses and restrictions on foreign land ownership.
Details
As lawmakers crafted the budget earlier this year, they clashed over which elected officials should have the authority to represent the state’s interest in litigation, as WyoFile reported in February.
Secretary of State Chuck Gray joined Ohio and Missouri’s Republican secretaries of state in filing an amicus brief last November that advocated for overturning a Colorado court’s decision to remove Trump from that state’s ballot because of his role in inciting the Jan. 6, 2021 riots at the U.S. Capitol.
The Joint Appropriations Committee responded by adding a footnote to the budget.
“No funds appropriated under this section shall be expended without specific legislative authorization for the secretary of state or the office of the secretary of state to initiate any litigation or participate in any litigation initiated in a court outside of Wyoming in which the state, the secretary of state or the office of the secretary of state is not a named party,” the footnote read.
The Legislature has a history of challenging the authorities of the five statewide elected officials, but the footnote was unacceptable to Freedom Caucus members and their allies. That included Rep. Chris Knapp (R-Gillette), who brought an amendment on second reading to remove the footnote.
The secretary of state’s office “needs authority to act quickly,” Knapp said on the House floor.
“I would like to emphasize that our secretary of state has an interest in free and fair elections,” Freedom Caucus member Rep. Jeanette Ward (R-Casper) said. “And when our bordering states start doing wonky things, it could affect us.”
Rep. Clark Stith (R-Rock Springs), however, said “the fundamental question” at hand was “how many chief executives does our state have?”
“If each of the five elected state officials can file litigation and take a position for the state of Wyoming outside our state borders … then our state doesn’t speak with one voice,” Stith said. “It is the obligation and perhaps the duty at times for our chief executive to take such positions, but we can’t have five different chief executives for the state.”
Some lawmakers argued the budget wasn’t the place for such a footnote.
Others said if the Legislature wanted such restrictions in place, they should also apply them to the state auditor, state treasurer and the superintendent of public instruction. On third reading, the House did just that via an amendment, but ultimately none of the litigation restrictions made it into the final budget bill passed by both chambers.
Aftermath
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously in March to restore Trump to Colorado’s primary ballot, but the mailers have revived the issue for Wyoming voters right before early voting begins July 23.
Bear stood by the PAC’s mailers, and encouraged WyoFile to “be aware of the mailers being sent out by Americans for Prosperity if you’re covering election mail.”
Meanwhile, Zwonitzer said it’s “a new low for Wyoming political history.”
“I want to believe that people read [the mailers] and say ‘this is completely asinine and stupid,’ but [the PAC] must be sending them out because they think it’s effective somehow,” Zwonitzer said.
Reps. Larsen, Larson and Wylie did not respond to WyoFile by press time.
The primary election is Aug. 20.
Has a mailer shown up in your mailbox? What about in your text messages? Help WyoFile help you fact check campaign materials, and track campaign activity. Send us what you’ve got at editor@wyofile.com
Whadda bummer. And here I was hoping that the idiots did something right for a change. Oh, well…
I think the job of being Wyoming’s Secretary of State is plenty big enough that Secretary Gray doesn’t need to wander off to other states. What I hope he will focus on instead is who in the heck is behind these mailers and their slanderous lies.
“Freedom Caucus” is a code name for out-of-staters who are out-of-control! AND, incidentally, members are all Republican who are now eating their own!
Thank you for clearing the foul air again, WyoFile!
Douglas mackey sent txt to voters in the 2020 election telling them they could avoid lines and vote via txt message. Trial was held in Sept 2023, judge rejected 1st Amendment rights that Mackey said he had to send the misleading txt message. Mackey found guilty of scheming to influence individuals votes. He could have been sentenced was up to 10 years, but judge sentenced him on Oct 2023 to 7 months in JAIL. Deliberately sending out FALSE information is a CRiME, and could have some unpleasant consequences.
No secret that Wyoming has more sheep than people!
The Freedom Caucus and their out of state backers have no integrity, ethics, or morals. I hope Wyoming voters see through their web of deception.
Great article! I am furious over this! Lloyd Larsen is a level-headed, effective representative who cares deeply about Wyoming and works hard to improve our state.
How often do we hear about doing things the “Wyoming way”. Well, this ain’t it.
The Freedom Caucus needs to clean up its act.
Placing the mailer issue aside, precedence has already been clearly set between multiple States SOS / AG Executive branch Departments cooperating on various law suit issues. I’d hate to strip that flexibility from our State and render the Governor as the only member who can cooperate with other States. Our SOS has a clear function within the management our elections. Cooperating with other States which could impact Wyoming elections directly, especially in light of the lawsuit we saw within Wyoming to attempt to bar Trump from being on our ’24 ballot, seems appropriate. I’m no legal beagle, but State Statute allows inter-State cooperation between like entities per Title 16-1-101 Authority To Cooperate: “In exercising, performing or carrying out any power, privilege, authority, duty or function legally vested in any one (1) or more of them by Wyoming law, the state of Wyoming, and any one (1) or more of its counties, municipal corporations, school districts, special districts, public institutions, agencies, boards, commissions and political subdivisions, and any officer or legal representative of any one (1) or more of them, may cooperate with and assist each other, and like entities or authorities of other states … Cooperation may be informal or subject to resolution …”
Thanks for calling out such horrendous propaganda. It hurts all of us. I hope that actions are taken for the libelous behavior of the perpetrators of such glaring misinformation.
The MAGA/Freedom Caucus folks have no scruples. None! They are a scourge to Wyoming and we all need to ensure they do not get our support. They need to crawl back under the rock they came from.
I agree with Fred. Wyoming voters, be smart, not gullible.
Any better example of political “slime?”
When a politician lies to the public, or tries to overturn an election, they should be kicked out of office and/or put in jail.
We’d have no state or federal legislators in the country if that happened. Pols lie for a living. Been doing it since the place was founded.
It’s a shame that we are where we are. Politics is just a platform for lying. That’s what happens when you put someone like Trump, Barrasso, or Hageman in office. Then there’s the other numbskulls like the freedumb caucus.
Even Wyoming is under attack from the left. No state is immune from these liberal whack jobs. Don’t let them win!! Stay vigilant, stay free!!
The left? This is being done by the far right, not the left. Pay attention.
Dark money boomer politics seems to lack honor and dignity.
It seems the object lesson here is you have (in the eyes of the Freedom Caucus) the freedom to jump on board with the Freedom Caucus clown car, or victory train, (you choose what to call it).
If you decide to keep your own counsel, if you choose to not jump on at all, they just may, and they very well might turn the car/train around and run you over.
Freedom is subjective after all.
Either way, beware of the clown car that passes you by, it just might be filled with a Machiavellian end-times cult hard on the trail to Glory. Scary as a grizzly Bear in a willow thicket if you ask me.
Clown car, train, or Bear, you are likely to get mauled.
Of course…..Kari Drost…..Wyoming Freedom PAC P.O.Box 802 Newcastle, WY….Now I know what the fascination is with HD2…the rat was literally right under the rock at my doorstep…. Thanks for ferreting them out Maggie.
Unbelievable! What’s more unbelievable is that most Wyoming voters will buy into this hook, line, and sinker. It seems like lying and deception are the latest “Wyoming values”. C’mon Wyoming. You’re better than this. Do your own thinking.