When an incumbent loses an election to a challenger, it’s usually customary for the candidate to offer a conciliatory statement and congratulate the winner to some degree.
He or she also often expresses some disappointment about the result, but it’s rare for them to go off on a negative rant about the winner.
But that’s not how state Rep. Tony Niemiec, R-Green River, reacted to his loss to House District 60 Republican primary opponent Marlene Brady. Brady beat Niemiec by 45 votes or about 4%.
While also thanking voters who supported him in Tuesday’s election, Niemiec unleashed on Brady on Facebook.
“This isn’t over,” Niemiec wrote in a since-deleted post. “My opponent doesn’t have the guts or the brains to make this state work. I’ll be back and I won’t be as tolerant of the weakness, the mindlessness, and the lies.”
Niemiec then went on to paint a dark forecast for Brady’s representation of the district.
“Marlene Brady is a dishonest person. She will be a one term failure,” Niemiec wrote.
No Regrets
When speaking to Cowboy State Daily on Wednesday, Niemiec said he had no regrets about the post, but that he had been getting heat about it from Brady’s supporters.
“I’m sorry, I don’t care what they think anyway,” Niemiec said. “It’s the same people who have been haranguing me over everything for the last two years.”
Niemiec also said he didn’t reach out to Brady over the phone to congratulate her on her win.
“We’ll definitely see what Marlene Brady does to Green River,” he said.
Brady didn’t mention Niemiec when reacting to her election win on Facebook on Wednesday.
“Thank you to those who prayed, interacted with me while going door-to-door, emailed, placed signs in your yards, wrote letters of support, donated time or funds toward my campaign, attended functions such as meet & greets or engaged with me at booths, reached out to me via text or phone call, and the many mentors who guided me through the process!” she posted. “It's all you, not me!”
When reached by Cowboy State Daily about Niemiec’s post, Brady said she will not criticize Niemiec or say anything about his character.
“As Republicans, we should be on the same page,” she said. “I will, however, criticize his voting record, which is why I entered the race.”
Brady does not yet have an opponent in the general election.
She was endorsed by the farther right Wyoming Freedom Caucus in her campaign.
“I told voters, she’s not going to have your voice, she’s going to have the voice of the Freedom Caucus,” Niemiec said. “The Freedom Caucus is a danger to Wyoming and we’re going to see it.”
Brady said she was motivated to run because Niemiec wasn’t effectively communicating with her about her concerns. In 2023, she said she sent him 28 emails while receiving only 11 responses. This year, she sent 10 emails and got only one response.
“In fact, I received more responses from legislators from other districts outside of my own,” she said.
Behind The Words
Niemiec said Brady put out misleading and inaccurate information about him along the campaign trail. Armed with a binder containing every one of Niemiec’s votes, Brady went door-to-door and provided voters this information and her perspective on it.
Niemiec voted with 12 other Republicans against legislation that would have legally defined “male” and “female” and would have required people to use all public bathrooms, locker rooms and other facilities in Wyoming as determined by their biological sex at birth.
He also voted against calling a special session this spring to try and override some of the vetoes Gov. Mark Gordon made to bills.
Brady said she would have supported that.
“As I stated in my campaign, as a state representative, for the sole purpose of exercising the power of checks-and-balances, I will always vote 'yes' to reconvene, especially when citizens' freedoms and hard-earned money are on the line,” she said. “I will ensure that if a special session is warranted to address vetoed bills, only bills vetoed will be discussed.”
Niemiec said he was told by his supporters that Brady misconstrued and twisted the meaning of these bills and his votes when giving out this information at the door.
“Often, I didn’t vote against a bill because I disagreed with its purpose, but because it was a crap bill,” Niemiec said. “My friends said there was so much crap spewing out of her mouth.”
It’s not uncommon for legislators to vote against bills not because of their content, but because they don’t agree with the way a proposed law was written. Some have given the reason they worry legislation could have “unintended consequences” and open the state up to lawsuits.
Certain political ranking websites and people have also cherry-picked the votes lawmakers make at times, criticizing procedural votes and votes on individual amendments that may not represent a legislator’s true overall position on a bill.
Niemiec supported a bill banning gun-free zones in Wyoming and legislation prohibiting doctors from providing transgender care to minors.
Earlier this month, he took a trip to the southern border with other lawmakers to learn about the immigration crisis happening there. If reelected, Niemiec had planned to bring legislation providing more resources for border states like Arizona to handle the situation.
Although Niemiec said he tried fact-checking Brady as much as he could, he also admitted he could have been more aggressive with his campaign efforts and connected with more people.
He was also disappointed that Brady didn’t speak up when outside, third-party groups spread misinformation about him during the campaign. Niemiec said he did this when misinformation was spread about his 2022 Republican primary opponent Jennifer James.
Niemiec said he’s already considering running to win the seat back in 2026.
Not The First Time
It’s not the first time a political candidate in Wyoming has had less-than-kind remarks for an opponent after losing.
When former Libertarian state Rep. Marshall Burt of Green River lost his reelection bid in 2022, he used his concession speech to criticize the Republican Party. Burt lost to Rep. Cody Wylie, R-Rock Springs, in a landslide.
“We know nothing is guaranteed to us except change and taxes,” Burt said. “Your Republican Party will ensure that we will see more of both.”
Burt ran again as a Republican this year and finished in a distant third.
In 2022, Cheyenne Democrat Sara Burlingame was less than positive after losing her House race, accusing her opponent Rep. Tamara Trujillo, R-Cheyenne, of not showing up for any debates and keeping “a steady stream of insults and innuendo hurled at me and my family.”
Trujillo was initially conciliatory in her remarks after she was beaten by former state legislator Lee Filer in the primary on Tuesday, but the next day blamed low voter turnout for her loss and gave a bleak outlook for the future with Filer.
“We need to do better,” Trujillo posted on Facebook. “Y’all may not have liked my tone but I can tell you this for sure. We’re in for a ride now.”
Leo Wolfson can be reached at leo@cowboystatedaily.com.
