LARAMIE — Preliminary results late Tuesday showed House District 45 Democrat Karlee Provenza of Laramie winning a third term, beating Republican challenger Paul Crouch by a more than 2-1 margin.
With nearly all of the precincts reporting, the vote was 1,462 for Provenza, 679 for Crouch, according to unofficial results from the Albany County Clerk’s Office.
An outspoken liberal, Provenza is a rarity in the deep red Wyoming Legislature.
She told Cowboy State Daily that her victory confirms that she’s been on the right path.
“I think with such high voter turnout, this demonstrates that Albany County has said, ‘This is who we want and these are the values that we represent,’” she said.
She said that she and fellow Laramie Democrat Trey Sherwood won despite “attack ads” disparaging them during the campaign.
Crouch’s challenging run was also a rarity for Wyoming, insofar as he was a Republican running as the underdog in HD 45, which includes the University of Wyoming.
During her tenure, Provenza hasn’t shied away from controversy. She drew statewide and some national attention in the spring of 2023 when she shared a controversial meme on social media showing an elderly woman holding a rifle and the words "Auntie Fa Says protect trans folks against fascists & bigots!"
Auntie Fa is a reference to the left-wing anti-fascist group Antifa. Provenza later apologized, saying that she was trying to voice her support for the LGBT community in Wyoming.
Crouch emphasized fiscal conservatism during his campaign. He also stated that he wanted to support what he sees as the integrity of women’s sports in the wake of the UW volleyball team forfeiting a match against another college with a transgender player on its team.
Mark Heinz can be reached at mark@cowboystatedaily.com.
