The Freedom Caucus won, now they must prove they are worthy

This year’s primary election previewed what is likely to be a major change in the Wyoming Legislature. 

Candidates aligned with the Wyoming Freedom Caucus performed well, winning far more nominations than almost anyone expected. As a result, the balance of power in the Legislature appears likely to shift sharply toward the Freedom Caucus. With that will come a new focus and new priorities. It remains to be seen whether the Freedom Caucus is up to the job.

There are many lessons to learn from this election. We were reminded that money matters in politics, and the reason why is not always pretty. Some Freedom Caucus members and supporters were all too willing to spread misleading or downright false messages in their efforts to win. Many of them did. 

Campaigns have many tools at their disposal. One of the most effective is negative campaigning. We may wish it wasn’t so and find attack ads distasteful, but there is a reason we see so many of them. Attack ads work — voters remember the negative better than the positive, and anger is a big motivator. The willingness of those associated with the Freedom Caucus to go negative — and the unwillingness of most of those on the other side to respond in kind — certainly had an impact on the election results.

At the same time, the Freedom Caucus did not win solely because of attack ads and misleading mailers. They also won because some of their messages resonated with Wyoming voters. They were able to define themselves as different from those currently in power and to convince voters that a change was needed. All of us would do well to take that message to heart. 

However, we must avoid the temptation to overlearn our lesson. This election was a bit of a mixed bag. While the Freedom Caucus had a good night, they did not sweep the election. Prominent Freedom Caucus members also lost their seats or saw their preferred successors lose. Even though the Freedom Caucus enjoyed gains, most races were excruciatingly close — had the chips fallen only slightly differently it could have been them losing many seats. Rather than a blowout, this election was a hard-fought victory by the Freedom Caucus against competitors that will come back much better prepared next time.

We should all remember that a single, low-turnout primary election does not mean that the debates about Wyoming’s future are over. The Freedom Caucus has made some big promises about what they intend to do and how their policies will benefit the state. They now have to deliver. I am skeptical that their policies will bring the promised results. I am even more skeptical that the people of Wyoming really want the cuts to services that a Freedom Caucus budget is likely to require. 

Therein lies the challenge for this group. It is easy to be a critic, but it is difficult to be a leader. The Freedom Caucus has relished the luxury of criticism, but now has the burden of leadership. Before, they could point to everything they did not like, but did not have to put any of their own skin in the game, as they lacked the numbers to pass their preferred legislation. They could point to problems, or decry the ideas of others, without offering any solutions of their own. Now, they are the ones that must provide the answers, not just the criticism. They are also the ones that bear the responsibility if their promised policies do not work. There is a lot of pressure on the Freedom Caucus, and rightfully so.

If the Freedom Caucus is serious about leading, they should start by listening to the voices of those they disagree with as they start to craft their policies. They do not have to agree, or even incorporate those ideas, but they had better understand them if they are going to do their job well. Many legislators have been surprised at the difficulty and nuance required to authentically lead, rather than just criticize from the sidelines. 

Governing is a lot of work. It requires selflessness, dedication and a willingness to focus on the mundane, because the details matter. The Freedom Caucus has asked for the responsibility of leading that work, and the Republican voters of Wyoming appear to have given it to them. Now it is up to them to prove they are worthy of the trust that voters have placed in them, and it is up to the rest of us to hold them to account if they are not.