For those familiar with Wyoming political history, it might seem like a foregone conclusion that voters are poised to elect Republican nominee Chuck Gray to be the state’s next at-large representative in the U.S. House.
Tight general elections have been infrequent, and it’s been 20 years since a Democrat came close to winning — that was Gary Trauner losing to Republican Rep. Barbara Cubin by just 0.5% of the vote.
The last time Wyoming actually elected a Democrat to the House? That traces back a full half century ago to 1976, when Teno Roncalio was reelected over Republican Larry Hart.
So even though Gray, the current secretary of state, only won 25% of the vote in the nine-candidate Republican primary, assumptions that he’s on a glidepath to take office in Washington, D.C. are understandable.
Yet, the frontrunner didn’t show up on Thursday evening for a livestreamed debate between candidates vying to represent Wyoming in the U.S. House. Democrat Lisa Kinney, Constitution Party candidate Jeffrey Haggit and Libertarian Shawn Johnson did partake and pitched Wyoming voters on their candidacies.
Here are three takeaways about the U.S. House race and the hour-long forum, which was hosted by Wyoming PBS, Wyoming Public Media and Cowboy State Daily.
No Chuck Gray
Kinney didn’t waste any time before seizing on Gray’s absence. After thank yous, it was the first thing the attorney and former state senator from Laramie said during her introductory remarks.
“Where is the GOP nominee?” Kinney said. “I still haven’t seen him.”
Other candidates were more understanding.
“Chuck Gray is his own man,” Haggit said. “I don’t know if he’s being told to not show up here, or if it’s just a personal decision.”
Gray explained his absence in a statement to WyoFile. He pointed out that past Republican nominees in similar positions have skipped general election debates, including current U.S. House Rep. Harriet Hageman in 2022, 2024, and 2026 (she’s now running for U.S. Senate). And he also touted his outreach to voters.
“So far, I’ve hosted over 50 townhalls, done at least 6 debates, dozens of forums, and also attended other events across Wyoming,” Gray said in a text message.
Major party status on the line?
The Democratic Party qualifies as a “major political party” in Wyoming, and the U.S. House race could determine whether it keeps that status. It’s an important classification, because minor and provisional political parties must nominate candidates through a convention instead of primary elections.
Wyoming law defines a major political party as an “organization whose candidate for any one of the offices of the United States house of representatives, governor or secretary of state, received not less than 10% of the total votes cast for that office in the most recent general election.”
Will Kinney hit the threshold in a four-way race? If the 2024 general election results are any indication, she’s got a shot. Even in the most pro-Trump state in the nation, Democrat Kamala Harris’ box was checked for president on nearly 26% of Wyoming ballots.
Rapid fire
During the Riverton forum, the three candidates were given just a moment to provide an immediate reaction to a number of topics. Here are some of their answers:
Haggit on Harriet Hageman:
“She’s done a pretty good job.”
Johnson on Harriet Hageman:
“I’m not running against Harriet Hageman. Good luck to her and her campaign.”
Kinney on Harriet Hageman:
“I taught Harriet Hageman when she was going through law school. I’ve known her for years, but she is dead wrong about taking away our public lands.”
Haggit on ICE and immigration:
“A lot of people look at them as the brown shirts of Nazi Germany. But a lot of the stuff that they run into problems with is because the local sanctuary outfits don’t do it, so they got to come in with force. Immigration is broken and needs reformed.”
Johnson on ICE and immigration:
“I think ICE is overly overfunded. I think they’re being used improperly. We do need to ensure that our borders are secure, because I believe that borders define a nation. There’s a right way of doing it and a wrong way of doing it, and ICE is the wrong way of doing it.”
Kinney on ICE and immigration:
“When they’re taking hundreds of people in, because they’re black or they’re brown and they’re being cruel and they’re not using due process, it has to be reformed.”
I am afraid that Mr. Gray may be using the access that he has to voter information in his position as WYSOS to leverage an unfair advantage for his campaign in his current bid for a a US House seat. His willingness (eagerness)to turn over personal information of registered Wyoming voters to the Federal Government earlier this year could easily be seen as an attempt to curry the favor of the president with an aim to precipitate his subsequent endorsement. Another troubling coincidence is the flood of fresh mailers that have begun to clog mailboxes around the state again as of last week. Some of the ones paid for by The Citizens for Chuck Gray are addressed specifically to individuals who only just registered to vote in this last primary election last August. I only hope that the very timely and highly granular information that was provided to this particular PAC is also being made available to all other candidates running for public office in this election.
Well, no matter what, I’m voting for Lisa. She listens to the people and doesn’t answer to trump or Washington. Gray is a coward.
So, Chuck Gray’s response is: “I’m blowing you off because other Republican candidates for this office have blown you off”? We should be offended by this arrogant statement that speaks to many years of complacent, one-party rule in Wyoming.
Did anyone notice Gray’s complete silence about Trump in his latest TV ad, while promising to get food and gas prices down for us wonderful Wyomingites (and who drove them up in the first place Chuck…)?
As impressed as I was with Mr. Johnson in this debate we will still be voting for Ms. Kinney based on her track record in the legislature. While not nearly as polished as Mr. Johnson in her debate performance, her intellegence and knowledge was obvious once she got over her nervousness.
Chuck Gray has never worked on honest day in his life. This California carpetbagger has been propped up by big daddies purse for 37 years. Chuckie ain’t the Wyoming Way and it’s inconceivable that anybody would vote for this guy.
100% true; sort of a junior Stephen Miller.
– more like a Wyoming version of George Santos
Hagemans follows Trump to the detriment of Wyoming , Chuck hurts his chances every time he speaks . The vote will be split between these 3 candidates and Grey will win . So the rest of us need to learn to speak Russian.
If Child’s Play can’t take the heat at a debate, certainly Chucky will be over his head in DC. “Chuck Gray is his own man,” Haggit said. “I don’t know if he’s being told to not show up here, or if it’s just a personal decision.” His own man? Huh? A real man would of showed up. ABC = anybody but Chucky
And, of course, a “real man” wouldn’t need to be told what to do. Chuck will be even less influential than Hageman, and a C-level cosplay actor in the MAGA theater.
Sadly, the Democratic party in Wyoming isn’t even able to take advantage of this opportunity. Gray is not all that popular in Republican circles, but in 2006, Trauner had about a million dollars in campaign funds Kinney has like $50k.
Gray’s no-show was pure arrogance. Wyoming voters should not reward this kind of mockery, and they should not forget that the Republican delegation in Washington and Cheyenne voted to reduce mineral royalties at the expense of our schools and university.
Chucky thinks he’s a shoe-in, let’s show him otherwise. California arrogance at work.
Chuck Gray is a COWARD. If he won’t appear to debate two Wyoming candidates back home , how can he expect to do formal civil discourse with the other 434 members of the US House ?
There’s the voter fraud you’ve been so sanctimoniously crusading to root out , Chuck . Turns out the fraud is you …