07/31/2026
Good advice in this post from Wyoming Sportsmen and they aren’t afraid to name names.
IMPORTANT PRIMARY ELECTION INFORMATION REGARDING WYOMING’S LEGISLATIVE RACES! The following information is provided about candidates for the Wyoming House of Representatives and the Wyoming Senate.
The legislature makes very important decisions about state and federal lands. Most concerning is that there have been several nearly successful attempts to pass resolutions to transfer federal land to the State of Wyoming. In addition, the composition of the legislature heavily favors resource extraction at the expense of conservation. A better balance between conservation and extraction is needed. To do this, changes need to be made.
All 62 House seats, as well as 17 of the 32 Senate seats, are up for election. Click on this WyoFile link for an interactive map showing district boundaries and who is running in each district. It also includes basic information about the candidates. https://projects.wyofile.com/election-guide-2026/?_gl=1*tanjfl*_gcl_au*MzQ5ODQ5NTQ0LjE3ODM1Mjc1ODY.*_ga*MTI3NDE2OTQ4OS4xNzE0MTUxNTg0*_ga_306KYTFJD8*czE3ODQ1ODM1ODQkbzQ1NSRnMSR0MTc4NDU4Mzc4MSRqNjAkbDAkaDA.*_ga_E9S14PYGV2*czE3ODQ1ODM3ODEkbzIwOSRnMCR0MTc4NDU4Mzc4MSRqNjAkbDAkaDA
And please consider these responses to the Protect Wyoming candidate questionnaire regarding public lands, conservation and scientific management: https://www.protectwyoming.org/candidate-survey
Who do we recommend? There are more than 150 candidates aspiring to fill 79 legislative seats. We are unable to evaluate all of them, especially the newcomers. But we offer the following recommendations based on our knowledge of voting records or positions on public lands, wildlife and conservation.
• Don’t vote for legislators who voted against SJ9 in 2026, “Keeping Public Lands Protected and Decisions Local”. Those voting against were: Senators French, Ide, Laursen, Mckeown; and Representatives Allemand, Brown (Gary), Haroldson, Rodriguez-Williams, Smith, Strock, Wasserburger. Note: this resolution passed the Senate and the House. Click here to see details: https://www.wyoleg.gov/Legislation/2026/SJ0009
• Don’t vote for senators who voted in 2025 in favor of SJ2 a federal land transfer resolution. The resolution failed in the Senate on a 15 to 15 tie vote. Those voting in favor of the resolution were: Senators Biteman, B***r, Dockstader, French, Hicks, Hutchings, Ide, Kolb, Laursen, Mckeown, Olsen, Pearson, Salazar, Smith, Steinmetz. Note: SJ1 never made it to the House. Click here to see details: https://wyoleg.gov/Legislation/2025/SJ0002
• Don’t vote for legislators who voted in 2025 in favor of HB118 to impose a net gain limit on federal acreage in Wyoming. House members voting in favor of limiting federal acreage were: Allemand, Andrew, Banks, Bear, Brady, Bratten, Brown, G, Campbell, K, Davis, Guggenmos, Erickson, Haroldson, Heiner, Hoeft, Johnson, Kelly, Knapp, Lien, Locke, Lucas, McCann, Ottman, Pendergraft, Rodriguez-Williams, Schmid, Singh, Smith, Strock, Styvar, Wasserburger, Tarver, Webb, Webber, Wharff, Winter. Note: the bill was not considered for introduction in the Senate. Click here to see details: https://www.wyoleg.gov/Legislation/2025/HB0118
• Don’t vote for senators who voted in 2024 in favor of introducing SJ1 a federal land transfer resolution exempting only Yellowstone National Park. Those voting in favor of the resolution were: Senators Biteman, B***r, Bouchard, Brennan, Dockstader, French, Hicks, Hutchings, Ide, Jones, Kinskey, Kolb, Laursen, Mckeown, Driskill, Salazar, Steinmetz. Note: the resolution failed introduction in the Senate, so it never made it to the floor of the Senate or to the House. Click here to see details: https://www.wyoleg.gov/Legislation/2024/SJ0001
• Don’t vote for legislators who sponsored or co-sponsored the anti-federal lands bills highlighted above. Voting for the bills is one thing. Sponsoring them or cosponsoring it is even worse. Click on the provided links to see their names.
• Don’t vote for anyone affiliated with the Wyoming Freedom Caucus. It is notable that many of the legislators who voted for the anti-federal land bills listed above are also members of the Wyoming Freedom Caucus. Here is a list of Freedom Caucus members: https://bwar.vote/freedom-caucus/
• Don’t vote for a newcomer who has an unknown position on public land issues. If you have a newcomer running in your district, send them an email (or call them) and ask detailed questions about their position on federal land sales or federal land transfer.
Note: If one of the legislators who voted in favor of the anti-public lands bills listed above has a challenger who is even worse regarding public lands issues, you may be forced to chose between the lesser of two evils. That is certainly possible in some districts in Wyoming.
Be careful who you vote for on August 18th. Much is at stake!
