There is no political organization that has spent more money on Wyoming’s 2024 primary election than Make Liberty Win, an out-of-state Libertarian-affiliated group that supports the legalization of marijuana.
As first reported by Cowboy State Daily, Make Liberty Win is an Alexandria, Virginia-based group that spent $371,260 on more than 40 state Legislature races around Wyoming in 2024. It’s unlikely that a single group has ever spent this much money on Wyoming state legislative races before.
Make Liberty Win is a subsidiary of the Austin, Texas-based conservative Libertarian group Young Americans for Liberty.
Mostly Conservative
In most regards, Young Americans’ platform is relatively mainstream conservative, supporting limited government and Second Amendment rights, and opposing Socialism and COVID-19 mandates and restrictions.
According to its website, the group’s goal is to “build the bench of liberty legislators at the state level who will advance a pro-liberty philosophy, ascend to higher office and reclaim the direction of our government.”
It also has targeted education issues around the nation.
“As a $13 million organization, YAL plans to invest significant resources into the effort, mobilizing thousands of student activists and supporting key members of its Hazlitt Coalition as they advance school choice bills in state legislatures,” the group says.
Young Americans has received money from conservative groups like the Cato Institute and the Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation.
At a 2023 convention the group held in Florida, speakers included former congressman Ron Paul, his son U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, and 2024 Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy.
But With One Catch, Or A Few
But there’s one exception to these stances that’s much more Libertarian than traditionally conservative, and that is the group’s firm support for the legalization of marijuana.
The University of Wyoming chapter of the group held an event in March with presentations on the legalization of marijuana, psychedelics and opioids.
It’s because of this pro-pot stance that some Republicans and conservatives have distanced themselves from Make Liberty Win, along with flooding mailboxes with aggressive campaign mailers that have been riddled with misinformation.
On May, 16 Idaho state legislators renounced their partnership with the group, not because of its stance on marijuana, but because of its campaign tactics. According to a leaked recording, Make Liberty Win had a $1.1 million warchest for its Idaho efforts this year.
“We, as legislators have clearly communicated with you the state-level dynamics and our strategy to further a strong liberty agenda including the candidates who are allies and those who work to undermine our cause,” the open letter reads. “Your response has been disappointing with a centralized “we-know-better” approach.”
Make Liberty Win did not immediately respond to Cowboy State Daily’s request for comment.
How They Spent Their Money In Wyoming
The chief frustration for those who didn’t like Make Liberty Win’s campaign efforts in Wyoming this year wasn’t their support for marijuana, which was never openly promoted, but the tactics it used.
The group stretched the truth when describing legislators’ votes on certain bills, displayed wrong photos for some candidates and falsely identified others as current state legislators.
The group sent out 55 mail campaigns in Wyoming on July 1, sometimes supporting — but more often opposing — candidates. It also initiated 129 phone campaigns from July 3-July 19. This does not include the 114 texting campaigns the group initiated from July 3-Aug. 12.
A number of the mailers sent out by Make Liberty Win encourage people to “join the RINO hunt” against a particular candidate, in reference to the acronym Republican in name only. The doorknob fliers declare “RINO SPOTTED,” with a binocular-style image of the lawmaker seen as not conservative enough for the group.
Make Liberty Win used a similar theme in other state races across the country in places like South Dakota, Idaho, Michigan and Texas, posting similar graphics when one of the alleged RINOs lost an election with “(BAGGED AND TAGGED)” printed over their faces.
Current state legislators supported by Make Liberty Win are Reps. Mark Jennings, R-Sheridan; Rachel Rodriguez-Williams, R-Cody; Ben Hornok, R-Cheyenne; Tomi Strock, R-Douglas; Jeremy Haroldson, R-Wheatland; Bill Allemand, R-Midwest; Jeanette Ward, R-Casper; Tony Locke, R-Casper; Scott Heiner, R-Green River; and Scott Smith, R-Lingle.
Jennings renounced this support in July, however, saying on Facebook he had “nothing to do with sending this postcard out” that attacked his Senate opponent Rep. Barry Crago, R-Buffalo.
Rep. John Bear, R-Gillette, who was endorsed in the past by Young Americans but didn’t receive any money from Make Liberty Win for his unopposed primary campaign, walked back the group’s support earlier this week.
What It All Means
Cheyenne resident Dallas Tyrrell is the campaign manager for Senate District 6 Republican candidate Taft Love. Make Liberty Win supported Love’s opponent, Darin Smith.
Tyrrell believes most of the candidates supported by Make Liberty Win don’t know what the group stands for and blindly accepted their money, which he considers “a sad thing.”
“There’s so much outside money infiltrating Wyoming elections with possibly bad actors connected to it,” Tyrrell said. “Groups like Make Liberty Win and Wyoming Gun Owners are only interested in getting money from their followers and trying to sway elections.
“They’re only interested in control and power.”
It’s unknown if Make Liberty Win has any Wyoming-based organizers, unlike other groups that also spent big money in the state’s elections and also received criticism like Americans For Prosperity, the Wyoming Freedom and Wyoming Caucus political action committees, and all have Wyoming staffers.
Americans For Prosperity spent $334,603 in Wyoming election campaign efforts in 2024, the Freedom PAC spent $179,875 and the Wyoming Caucus PAC spent $199,464.
Leo Wolfson can be reached at leo@cowboystatedaily.com.
