I Am Them: Cheney Opponent Marissa Selvig Hosts Town Hall At Gaslight Social
Marissa Selvig believes that God has called her to run against Liz Cheney for her seat with the U.S. House of Representatives in the 2022 election.
Selvig, a Wyoming transplant who moved to the state in 2010 because of her husband's job, may not be Wyoming born, but she certainly considers herself to be Wyoming-bred.
"We love it here," Selvig said. "This is our home."
Selvig, according to her website, was raised in Minnesota. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin-River Fwalls in 2005 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Speech Communication and Theatre Arts.
Though she initially filed to run as a Republican for election to the U.S. House to represent Wyoming's At-Large Congressional District, she switched her affiliation to the Constitution Party before the Primary. Selvig said one of the reasons she running for the U.S. House of Representatives is because she believes the two main parties spend too much time arguing and not enough time actually getting things done.
"It's just constant division," Selvig told K2 Radio News. "I see the Republicans and Democrats fighting all the time. I used to be an affiliated voter, but I don't like the party politics. I hate the fighting. And I think that, because there's so much polarization in our nation. It really bothers me how divided the nation is. And I think if we find the things that we agree on - and those might be few and far between - but if we can find those things that we agree on, we'd be better off."
And, Selvig thinks, the best way to come together is to go back to the Constitution and use it as a guiding document once again.
"If we can take a look at the Constitution and just say, 'Okay, here's this document,'" Selvig offered. "'This is what our Nation is supposed to look like. Does it look like this at all? No it doesn't.' So, I think we have to come together around some of those foundational principles in order for us to come back together."
Of course, when one thinks of polarization, former president Donald Trump comes to mind, as he was one of the most polarizing figures in American History. But did that make him a bad president? Selvig doesn't think so.
"I think that president Trump was a good president," she said. "I think he did a lot of things that were great for the economy. I think that he was bold in a way a lot of Republicans hadn't been bold before. And I think part of the reason why is because he wasn't originally a Republican. I think he spoke for a lot of people who felt voiceless. Did he do everything great? No. Did he open his mouth when he shouldn't have opened his mouth, or tweet stupid things sometimes? Yeah. But did that make him a bad president? Not in my opinion. I think that our nation right now would be in a more stable state if he had been inaugurated on January 20th instead of Joe Biden."
Another controversial figure in the political landscape is Selvig's potential opponent for the House seat, Congresswoman Liz Cheney.
Selvig said that she doesn't believe Cheney communicates with her constituents. She believes the Congresswoman comes in and out of Wyoming without telling her voters where she is or why she's there.
"I don't think that's the way a representative should behave," Selvig scolded. "Because we send them there to represent us and they should be available for us to speak to and they should let us know when they're going to be someplace so we can challenge them on things."
Selvig also thinks that Cheney should not have voted for Trump's second impeachment.
"She likes to say that was constitutional," Selvig said. "And I say, where was the rule of law in that situation? I think that, for a representative, Cheney is more interested in her political career than she is the citizens of Wyoming. And to me, that's a problem, because the citizens here and the citizens in America, and our constitutional rights, are more important than her career."
Selvig's own career started in Pavillion, Wyoming, where she served as mayor of the town from 2019 to 2020. Prior to that, she served on the town council. Currently, Selvig said that she chairs an economic development committee for the city of Riverton.
"So, my political background; you know, I've been listening to Rush Limbaugh since I was ten years old," Selvig revealed. "I'm very conservative. I used to call myself a conservative, independent, libertarian. I just fall into that constitutional lane and I put God first. That's where I fit into the Constitution Party and it's why I'm running on their ticket."
To her, God is first, which is why at a townhall meeting held at The Gaslight Social in Casper, one of the first things she did was give attendees the opportunity to accept Jesus into their hearts.
"What is happening to our country right now is shameful," Selvig told the crowd. "We have lost our moral center. And as a person of faith, I just want to start off this talk with the idea that we've got to come back to our faith in America. And, for me, that's Jesus. So, if you have not made a decision for Him in your life as Lord and Savior, I hope that you do. Because nobody is guaranteed tomorrow."
Selvig's faith is important to her. In fact, it's the whole reason she's running for this position in the first place.
"I just feel a call from The Lord to run for this office," Selvig said. "I know that God has good plans for America and I want to be a part of that change."
In order to do so, she'll have to defeat Independent candidate Casey Hardison in the general election and then she'll be going up against a who's who of current politicians, including the aforementioned Liz Cheney, as well as Anthony Bouchard, Robyn Belinskey, and the Trump-backed Harriet Hageman.
Though Selvig has been the mayor of a town, she doesn't consider herself to be a politician. She says she's a woman of the people, which is why she held a townhall at a bar in Casper on a Wednesday afternoon. She wanted to meet people where they were at.
"What I want people to know most about me is that I am them," Selvig shared. "I'm the same as them. I am not a fancy attorney. I'm a self-employed, stay-at-home mom. I'm a gardener. I love this country and I want us to stay free. Somebody has to stand up and do something, so why not me?"
For more information about Marissa Selvig, or to see where she stands on a variety of issues such as immigration, taxation, education, and more, you can visit her campaign website or follow her on Facebook.