Short, Harshman and Meier take state executive seats in GOP primary

Robert Short, Steve Harshman and Curt Meier are the apparent GOP primary winners for secretary of state, superintendent of public instruction and state treasurer, respectively, according to preliminary results from Tuesday’s primary election.

State Auditor Kristi Racines, a Republican, is running for reelection unopposed, and Eric Barlow is the apparent GOP primary winner for governor.

In November’s general election, Short will face Democratic challenger Bryan McCarty, and Harshman goes up against Democrat Ana Cordova — who edged out Sergio A. Maldonado, Sr.

All three of the contested state primary challenges indicate Wyoming voters bucked against Freedom Caucus-aligned candidates, particularly in the secretary of state race where caucus chair Rachel Williams vied to succeed Freedom Caucus-aligned Chuck Gray who made his bid for U.S. House.

Secretary of state

“The people of Wyoming absolutely care about who works for them in the secretary’s office,” Short told WyoFile Tuesday night, “and the importance of having rational, balanced and thoughtful consideration for all decisions associated with the secretary’s office is paramount to the people of Wyoming. 

“If I’m the chosen person for that position,” Short added, “the people can expect a voice of reason, a very willing listener and a tireless advocate for all things Wyoming.”

After the governor’s office, secretary of state is perhaps the most high-profile elected state office, overseeing elections, registering businesses and recording and maintaining many state records. In a pinch, Wyoming’s secretary of state is also the first in line for gubernatorial succession.

Whether it’s Republican Short or Democrat McCarty who prevails in the general election, they will take the helm of a state office where outgoing Gray — with cooperation from Freedom Caucus members in the House — enacted several controversial election reforms during his four-year-term.

Gray, while still a Wyoming legislator, paved the way for a more restrictive voter identification law. As secretary, he successfully rallied the Legislature to limit the time voters are allowed to “cross-over” to another party during an election cycle — an effort to limit the success of moderate Republicans. Gray also clashed with county clerks over whether to restrict the use of “drop boxes” in elections.

Cody Republican Rep. Rachel Williams was seen as the most politically aligned successor to Gray’s election reform agenda running for the secretary’s post.

During a secretary of state forum, much of the GOP primary field — Short, Qwenton Oviatt and CJ Young — expressed confidence in the security of Wyoming elections and that county clerks are doing a good job of overseeing elections without major reforms. 

Short, a Converse County commissioner, raised $429,521 for his campaign and outspent his competitors by about $360,000 ahead of Tuesday’s primary election, campaign finance reports showed.

Superintendent of public instruction 

Harshman was among three Republicans in the primary running to replace current Superintendent Megan Degenfelder, who chose to run for governor rather than seek reelection. Degenfelder lost her bid for governor to Barlow.

The state’s education chief oversees considerable record-keeping, enforces provisions of the Wyoming Education Code, maintains a list of accredited schools and gathers reports and statistics. But the position is also one of political power, particularly when it comes to education funding and social issues.

The Legislature passed a recalibration bill in March that represents a new funding model for school districts; Wyoming’s universal school choice program is being challenged in court and the state just overhauled literacy standards and instruction — a change fought for by Degenfelder.

Though the three Republican candidates mostly aligned on conservative ideals, they diverged in their philosophies for helming the Department of Education, particularly on whether to pursue a “top-down” approach to practical things like literacy instruction, as well as hot-button education issues like public funding for homeschooling.

The Legislature this spring passed a law spearheaded by Degenfelder that establishes new guidelines for literacy instruction based on “the science of reading.”

Harshman, a high school coach, has served as House District 37 representative since 2003, including two terms as Speaker of the House, and along the way earned a reputation as politically moderate while carrying institutional knowledge of the inner workings of the Legislature.

State treasurer

Two-term Treasurer Curt Meier easily topped Lingle Rep. Scott Smith, who is listed as a member of the Wyoming Freedom Caucus and who earned the state GOP’s endorsement. 

Meier, regarded as a moderate in today’s Wyoming GOP, served for 23 years in the Wyoming Senate before running for treasurer back in 2018. He’s generally won accolades among supporters for overseeing a more aggressive approach — backed by the Legislature — in investments, playing a key role in making those returns Wyoming’s top source of revenue.

“What I think the voters that voted for me understood is that, you know, I’m kind of a big tent guy,” Meier told WyoFile Tuesday evening. “We’re doing this for all of Wyoming, we’re just not doing it for people that think the way that we think.”