OPINION – Why The Wyoming Freedom Causus Lost So BIG!

In the 2026 primary election cycle, voters in Wyoming mostly moved toward the middle and were mostly moderate in their picks.

An example of this is the near ouster of the Freedom Caucus from the Wyoming House and Senate. They had controlled the Wyoming House of Representatives and, for a time, looked poised to take over the Senate, as well. But that was not the outcome of this most recent primary election.

Rep. Ken Pendergraft, R-Sheridan, is out, losing his seat to Melissa Butcher, a local Sheridan businesswoman.

Campbell County's John Bear lost to the more moderate Doug Moore.

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It was a close one for Senate President Ogden Driskill, but he managed to hold his seat against House Speaker Chip Neiman.

Others who lost their seats were Natrona County Sen. Bob Ide, along with Reps. Daniel Singh, Ocean Andrew, Steve Johnson, Tony Locke, Marlene Brady, Nina Webber, Gary Brown, Ann Lucas, Robert Wharff, and Darin McCann.

Janette Ward was a loud fighter for the Freedom Caucus. She's out. As is Mark Jennings.

It was not a good night for the group in Wyoming that claims to be hard-hitting, conservative, limited government specialists.

Even Wyoming's choice of Eric Barlow for the GOP nomination for Governor shows the state, overall, is not leaning to the hard right. Certainly, the state is not leaning left in any way.

So what happened to The Freedom Caucus? Where did they go wrong? My idea is that it was not so much the ideas of a smaller and more limited government in Wyoming, including far less spending, that may have doomed the Freedom Caucus. It is more likely their slash-and-burn tactics towards anyone who disagreed with them that left a bad taste in people's mouths.

Wyoming has the smallest population of any U.S. state (roughly 580,000 residents). The state consistently ranks near the top of national lists for state and local government size and expenditures, federal aid, and public land ownership on a per capita basis.

Despite being the state with the most Republicans, by far, it appears that the Cowboy State is not the most conservative. It is more moderate.