Statewide Races For Governor, Congress, Propisition 1 Highlight Wyoming Election

Races for Wyoming Governor, the U.S. House of Representatives, and a proposal to cut residential property taxes headline Election Day in Wyoming on Tuesday.

The race for governor pits Republican nominee Eric Barlow against Democrat Ken Casner and Constitution Party Candidate Rebecca Bextel. That race is notable because Casner has run a relatively low-key campaign, with only occasional appearances and no paid advertising. Bextel, meanwhile, has campaigned aggressively, including a record level of paid advertising for a Wyoming third-party candidate.

Bextel, originally from Alabama, is a businesswoman from Jackson. She was at the center of the ''Checkgate" scandal in February when she was photographed handing out $1,500 campaign donation checks to lawmakers associated with the Wyoming Freedom Caucus on the floor of the Wyoming House when the body was not in session. A House investigative committee found no evidence of criminal wrongdoing; it said such behavior should not happen and passed rules to prevent it in the future.

Bextel has centered her campaign around the idea of being a conservative alternative to Barlow, whom she calls a ''RINO," or Republican In Name Only. Her website says her campaign is about "Putting Wyoming First." Her campaign hopes to attract those who voted for conservative candidates Brent Bien and Megan Degenfelder in the GOP Gubernatorial primary election. While those two finished well behind Barlow in the August 18 vote, they collectively compiled more votes.

Barlow is a Gillette veterinarian and long-time state legislator who served as Speaker of the Wyoming House before winning a seat in the Wyoming Senate. His website says he is running because "he believes Wyoming deserves strong, respectful leadership rooted in service, not politics."  He is running as a common-sense conservative and a problem solver who will get things done.

Wyoming's race for the U.S. House features Wyoming Secretary of State Chuck Gray, the Republican nominee, trying to fend off Democrat Lisa Kinney, Libertarian Shawn Johnson and a Constitution Party candidate, Jeff Haggit. Gray is widely considered the favorite in ruby-red Wyoming, which has not elected a Democrat to Congress since 1976.

Gray won the Republican nomination in a nine-candidate field with about 25 percent of the vote. Some consider him controversial, citing his numerous feuds with Governor Mark Gordon, also a Republican.

While the state's current congressional delegation all endorsed Gray, Gordon didn't endorse a congressional candidate.

Proposition 1 Would Cut Residential Property Taxes

Another headline item is Wyoming Proposition 1. You can read the proposition here.

The proposal would create a homeowner's property tax exemption that exempts 50% of a primary residence's assessed value from property taxation. It could only be used on one property per person and would not apply to rental or business properties.

Supporters say it would give Wyoming homeowners much-needed relief from property taxes that have increased by a statewide average of 73 percent since 2019. They accuse opponents of hysterical scare tactics and say it would have little negative impact on local governmental operations, which they say are often wasteful anyway and could operate effectively with less money.

The taxes do not fund state government programs in Wyoming, going to local schools and other programs such as local fire districts and road maintenance.

But opponents say it would devastate public safety and hurt schools. They say supporters are ignoring the real impacts and have no plan to make up the lost revenues, which they claim could reach $125 million annually.

Some opponents have raised the spectre of a state income tax, which has long been deeply unpopular in Wyoming. They say the lost revenues will have to be made up somehow, and warn an income tax might be the result if Proposition 1 is approved.