House District 5 Rep. Scott Smith, R-Lingle, took an early and commanding lead over challenger Jackie Van Mark in the Goshen County Republican primary and never relinquished it.
The final vote tally showed Smith with 1,554, or 63.38%, of the county’s votes and Van Mark with 891, or 36.34% with all 10 precincts reporting.
Smith will serve his second term as House District 5 representative unless another challenger emerges for the general election. There is no Democratic challenger in the November election.
Smith did not respond to calls from Cowboy State Daily.
Van Mark, a fourth-generation Torrington resident who grew up around politics, told Cowboy State Daily she is proud of the race she ran.
“I stuck to the issues, which are protecting Wyoming’s money source, its legacy industries of oil and gas and mining and agriculture,” she said. “Those are the real issues.”
Goshen Irrigation District Tunnel was also a priority to Van Mark, she told Cowboy State Daily, as well as emergency services.
“There were some votes in the legislature that I felt should have been a yes for emergency services so that our firefighters and our first responders had the resources they need. Mr. Smith voted no on those, and those would have been yesses for me.”
Cheney Support Criticized
Smith, who is part of Wyoming’s Freedom Caucus, had been critical of Van Mark during his campaign for supporting former congresswoman Liz Cheney in her unsuccessful campaign against U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman, as well as for serving as a member of Cheney’s state legislative team.
Hageman, a Fort Laramie native, won her home county by 54 percentage points over Cheney in 2022.
“Being from the hometown where Harriet Hageman grew up, that doesn’t bode well for her,” Smith told Cowboy State Daily in May.
Van Mark had also sent Cowboy State Daily letters to the editor defending Gov. Mark Gordon, who has been a prime target of the Freedom Caucus the past year.
She also supported former Republican legislator Shelly Duncan’s 2022 campaign against Smith, which Duncan lost.
Van Mark believed her support of individual rights, lower taxes and protecting Wyoming’s legacy industries would resonate more with Goshen County voters.
Freedom Caucus Momentum
The Wyoming’s Freedom Caucus has been critical of many political norms in the Cowboy State and has advocated for a no-compromise approach on many aspects of the Republican platform.
Smith told Cowboy State Daily in May he believes the Wyoming Freedom Caucus was a response to shutdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We just need to continue the momentum of the freedom-type individuals that have been slowly making progress in the state house,” he said then.
Smith supported several bills that were vetoed by Gov. Mark Gordon, including one that would have reduced property taxes up to 25% for up to $2 million in home value and another that would have eliminated gun-free zones in Wyoming.
Smith told Cowboy State Daily in May that if he won re-election, he would focus on fiscal prudence, keeping Wyoming’s budget at or below the rate of inflation or state population growth.
“Then there would be a lot more free money for the people that we wouldn’t have to tax,” he said. “I think the government needs to live within its means and not be a burden to the people.”
Renée Jean can be reached at renee@cowboystatedaily.com.
