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.”
