A new Wyoming pro-choice abortion group is raising some eyebrows for supporting three Republican state House candidates in Tuesday’s primary election.
Wyoming United for Freedom is supporting the campaigns of House District 57 candidate Julie Jarvis in Casper, House District 50 candidate David Hill in Cody, and House District 43 candidate state Rep. Dan Zwonitzer, R-Cheyenne.
The group has engaged personalized postcard writing for the candidates in response to a host of out-of-state mailers the candidates have been targeted with.
Jarvis is taking on Rep. Jeanette Ward, R-Casper, and Hill is facing Rep. Rachel Rodriguez-Williams, R-Cody, two vocal pro-life legislators who oppose abortion with no exceptions.
The pro-life candidates have noticed.
“Democrat abortion activists from Cheyenne are now supporting my opponent in the Republican primary,” Ward said in a Sunday Facebook post. “With Casper’s abortion clinic empowered by judicial fiat to freely murder unborn babies, the innocent need a strong voice defending them in the Legislature now more than ever.
“Julie Jarvis will not be that voice.”
Jarvis did not immediately respond to Cowboy State Daily’s request for comment about Wyoming United for Freedom supporting her campaign or Ward’s comments.
Wyoming United for Freedom bills itself as nonpartisan and committed to supporting access to abortion in Wyoming.
Choice Of Endorsements
Hill has said he’s pro-life except for cases of rape or incest or when the pregnant mother’s life is at risk.
For a pro-choice group to be actively supporting a candidate with this stance is rather unusual.
“We don’t have many reproductive freedom candidates, even if (that) is their actual, real belief,” said Marcie Kindred, field and communications director Wyoming United For Freedom.
Hill said he doesn’t have any affiliation with Wyoming United for Freedom and doesn’t welcome the group’s support.
“I’m not affiliated or associated with any group that supports abortion,” he said. “That is not my political beliefs or my personal moral beliefs.”
He said if the group wants to support a pro-choice legislator in the race, it should look at his opponent as abortions performed in the state have increased significantly since she took office in 2021, and her 2023 law banning most abortions in the state has yet to go into effect.
“As long as she stays in office, abortion will stay legal in Wyoming,” Hill said.
Zwonitzer’s stances are more consistent with the group’s mission as he voted against Rodriguez-Williams’ 2023 law banning most forms of abortion in Wyoming, which passed by an overwhelming majority. This law is being held up in court.
Also, A Voter Guide
Wyoming United for Freedom has also put out a voter guide where it labeled nine Republicans and 12 Democrats as “freedom candidates” for their pro-choice stances.
It also noted a number of Republicans it considers anti-freedom, “but not extremist,” because they haven’t sponsored pro-life legislation, Kindred said.
As a social welfare nonprofit, Wyoming United for Freedom is not allowed to coordinate with candidates, and Kindred said she has never met Jarvis.
Kindred said she doesn’t even know Jarvis’ stance on abortion and doesn’t believe that matters anyway.
“Regardless of personal belief, the people of Wyoming believe that personal health care decisions like these, that are so complex, belong with women and their doctors, their families and chosen faith,” Kindred said in a Facebook video. “Not the government.”
However, Kindred admitted to Cowboy State Daily that some of the candidates her group has been pushing are less than enthusiastic about getting that support.
“Some of these candidates don’t want us in their races, and if they lose I’m sure they’ll be quick to point to Wyoming United for Freedom as their scapegoat,” she said. “It’s not our 1,000 handwritten, heartfelt postcards from fellow Wyoming voters that are going to lose them an election. It is the 20-plus attack ads from their own party.”
Ward And Jarvis
Jarvis doesn’t outline her stance on abortion on her campaign website, but Ward said Wyoming United’s support for Jarvis’ campaign “should tell us all we need to know.”
Jarvis previously said on Facebook that she is pro-life with some exceptions and has a similar stance on abortion to former President Donald Trump.
Jarvis has also consistently said she will follow the wishes of her constituents in her voting decisions.
On July 31, she published a survey with 238 respondents from her district who were posed 33 questions. One of these questions was about abortion.
The most common response came from 31.9% of people who said Wyoming should be pro-life with exceptions, which for the most part was what Rodriguez-Williams’ law enacted. A total of 30.6% of respondents said Wyoming should not be involved in abortion decisions and 24.7% said Wyoming should be pro-choice.
About 11% supported abortion bans with no exceptions, which is Ward’s stance on the issue.
“Do the voters of House District 57 even know Jeanette Ward is such an extremist on these issues?” Kindred questioned.
Not Just Abortion
Because of Ward’s votes opposing various other mental health-related bills, Kindred said Wyoming United for Freedom determined that Ward is neither pro-life or pro-Wyoming.
On Sunday, Kindred posted a video to Facebook doubling down on her group’s support for Jarvis and accused Ward of bringing national talking points to Wyoming.
She also pointed out a statement Ward made in 2023 that because she’s pro-life doesn’t mean she needs to support welfare programs for new mothers, referencing the Genesis 4:9 story where Cain told God he wasn’t his brother’s keeper shortly after murdering the sibling.
Ward said during the committee hearing that like Cain, she’s not her brother’s keeper.
Kindred disagrees with this approach.
“In Wyoming we believe strongly that we are our brother’s keeper,” Kindred said. “We take care of each other, we stand together.”
Ward defended her statement in an email when reached by Cowboy State Daily and said doesn’t need to take advice from someone who lost their attempts at joining the Legislature.
“Cain was trying to hide the fact that he had just MURDERED his brother, the same way the woman in this video is advocating for the diabolical evil of murdering babies in the name of "freedom,” she said. “No, we are NOT our brothers' keepers — JUST DON'T MURDER THEM. We ARE to be privately generous and to give to those in need.”
Convictions
Although Wyoming United for Freedom bills itself as nonpartisan, its president Maggie Hunt is the chairman of the Teton County Democratic Party.
Still, Kindred said the group has hundreds of Republicans in its ranks.
Kindred said all it takes these days for a Republican to get elected in Wyoming is to publish a photo of themselves with Trump and call their opponent a RINO, a popular acronym for Republican in name only.
“Moderate Republicans are so scared of a dumb, meaningless label like RINO, they’re selling their souls trying to be Freedom Caucus-lite,” she said. “All they need to do is call it out.
“Can we please discuss the issues?”
If a Republican that the group supports loses their race, Kindred said it’s probably because of the attack ads the candidate received from members of their own party and not standing enough on their convictions. She doesn’t believe abortion should be a partisan issue and that pro-choice Republicans “should grow a thicker skin.”
“Even if they disagree with you, Wyoming voters will respect you for standing in your convictions and they’ll even vote for you,” Kindred said.
She believes there are a number of moderate Republicans in the Wyoming Legislature that are afraid to vocalize their true pro-choice views because of an extremely vocal pro-life presence in Wyoming Kindred sees as “a loud minority.” Kindred said these hiding Republicans are too busy worrying about being seen as the most conservative candidate and are not talking with their constituents to find out what they really want.
“True Wyoming Republicans have unfortunately fallen prey to the deluge from the national nastiness and the loudest voices,” Kindred said. “They believe that being anything, but anti-abortion will cost them an election and that is just blatantly untrue.”
Leo Wolfson can be reached at leo@cowboystatedaily.com.
