The 2024 election season in Wyoming was an active time for out-of-state groups spending an unprecedented amount of money on certain candidates. It appears this has to at least some extent mutated into this year’s legislative session.
American Action Fund, a branch of the Austin,Texas-based Young Americans For Liberty (YAL), a conservative Libertarian group, has been sending a high quantity of text messages and mailers out during this year’s legislative session in an effort to pressure lawmakers on certain bills like property taxes and universal school vouchers. Another branch of YAL, Make Liberty Win, was extremely active during the 2024 campaign season.
According to its website, American Action Fund (AAF) “focuses its efforts to pass liberty legislation in states where transformational policy victories are possible.”
“Over time, these victories will enable the states AAF targets to become Liberty Lighthouse States - beacons of liberty that create domino effects of freedom into other states,” the website reads.
Unusual For Wyoming
Although this type of marketing isn’t new during election seasons in Wyoming, it’s not often been used to exert public pressure during a legislative session. The Wyoming Freedom Caucus also caught attention earlier in the session for using similar tactics.
American Action Fund sends messages such as, “Lawmakers in Cheyenne just gutted the Property Tax Relief bill to keep taxes high and spending unchecked,” reads a message from someone simply named “Bill.” “This is a betrayal of Wyoming taxpayers! It’s time to demand they pass REAL Property Tax Relief.”
Another message from the group bemoans changes made to the major property tax legislation Senate File 69, claiming that “Instead of providing meaningful relief to Wyoming taxpayers, lawmakers in the House of Representatives adopted amendments to keep taxes near current levels so that they can maintain the bloated spending of the last five years.” In that vein, another message says “It is disturbing to think that there are lawmakers in Cheyenne who would prioritize bloated government revenues over struggling citizens.”
This is in reference to the 50% backfill that House members voted to support for local communities and schools at the bequest of numerous leaders in those organizations.
American Action Fund did not respond to numerous requests for comment from Cowboy State Daily. It does not appear the group has any lobbyists based in Wyoming or attending the legislative session in-person.
Call To Action
Another piece of literature serves as a call to action postcard the group wants Wyomingites to send back to Gov. Mark Gordon, urging him to sign into law their “Freedom 4 Agenda bills,” which include SF 69, a slate of five election integrity bills, two school choice bills and the House’s version of the supplemental budget. The postcard accuses Gordon of having “a history of vetoing important liberty legislation” and tells the reader, “Don’t let him do it again.”
The postcard is written by Bill Gillmeister, the Wyoming state director of American Action Fund. Gillmeister is a Massachusetts resident with no readily apparent ties to Wyoming. He did not immediately respond to Cowboy State Daily’s request for comment.
Michael Pearlman, a spokesperson for the governor, said he’s received around 1,000 of these cards. Pearlman said approximately half of the cards have been written to show opposition to the bills that the American Action Fund is endorsing.
“This mailing, like much of our primary election messaging and its scripting, was created and financed by out-of-state money to serve out-of-state interests,” Pearlman said. “The governor's priority has always been ---- and will remain --- the people of Wyoming, their concerns and the impact legislation has on our lives.”
One of American Action Fund’s text messages provides a link to an online form where the visitor can allegedly sign a petition demanding their representative restore SF 69 back to its original version.
Rep. Rob Geringer, R-Cheyenne, told Cowboy State Daily he had one of his constituents test out this form. Geringer said he has received no petitions or any kind of messaging from American Action Fund.
Political advocacy groups will often use techniques like this as a way to gather personalized data for future campaigns.
Perspective Of One Of Their Favorites
Rep. Ocean Andrew, R-Laramie, is the sponsor of HB 199, the school vouchers bill. American Action Fund gave Andrew a shoutout in a mass email sent out last week after HB 199 passed the Senate.
"We are ecstatic that Rep. Andrew and the rest of the liberty legislators in Cheyenne passed one of the strongest school choice bills in the country," said Ted Patterson of American Action Fund. "House Bill 199 will set up Wyoming's children for success by empowering parents with control over their children's education. This is how we achieve liberty in our lifetime."
Andrew said he has an informal relationship with the group because he used to be the YAL chapter president at the University of Wyoming but is not directly collaborating with the group.
“They, for that and other reasons, have endorsed me in the past, trying to work with people to get bills like school choice started,” he said.
When it comes to the tactics they’ve been employing this legislative session, Andrew stands by them.
“I think that it’s a good way to help the public about what is going on with a lot of these bills, things that people can’t get into,” he said. “It’s helpful for people to know when they’re (bills) going through the Legislature and what’s happening to them. I don’t see any harm in it.”
Other Reactions
Sen. Jared Olsen, R-Cheyenne, was targeted in a text message that was sent out on Tuesday. In the message, Gillmeister tells the reader to pressure Olsen to return House Bill 199, a bill providing universal school vouchers, back to its original state and remove pre-K vouchers and mandatory assessments from the bill.
“Don’t Cave to the Liberal Teachers Union and Education Elites,” the message reads.
“Leave Wyoming alone, we take care of our own, we do just fine on our own,” Olsen told Cowboy State Daily.
Olsen told Cowboy State Daily on the topic of mandatory assessments he’s unpersuaded, as the Senate overwhelmingly supported them. As far as the pre-K aspect, he also said that’s staying in but is trying to figure out what it will look like.
Tyler Lindholm, Wyoming state director for Americans For Prosperity, a group that’s supported HB 199, has a similar perspective, saying YAL embraces a more confrontational style of politics than his group and Wyoming residents are used to.
He also said American Action Fund fails to understand the nuances of where individual legislators sit on bills and worries their activity could muddy the waters so much on HB 199 where it doesn’t pass into law.
“He’s (Olsen) there to advocate the Senate’s position,” Lindholm said. “The House is there to advocate their House position and find that kumbaya and that’s what makes these types of text messages and ads ridiculous because it’s not reflective of what’s actually happening or what the current situation is.”
Rep. Cody Wylie, R-Rock Springs, has often been the target of conservative groups like the Freedom Caucus and Honor Wyoming. Wylie believes the presence of groups like these grew roots during the 2024 campaign season and may be something Wyoming has to permanently live with moving forward.
“It’s detrimental to our way of life in Wyoming,” he said. “It’s not a good thing.”
Rep. Karlee Provenza, D-Laramie, hopes that Wyoming residents can learn to scrutinize these groups and that lawmakers don’t decide how to vote on a piece of legislation solely based on how many messages they get about it. She said she’s received messages before from people trying to sway her vote on a bill that claimed they’re from Wyoming but really are not.
“It’s important that citizens and groups hold their lawmakers accountable, but it means that the public needs to be vigilant in who they get their information from given there is no requirement for these groups to be honest,” she said.
Under Wyoming law, any group spending money on legislative efforts like these during the session must report their spending to the Secretary of State’s office. Multiple sources told Cowboy State Daily this law hasn’t been enforced in the past. Secretary of State Chuck Gray has also issued the stance that any political mail sent outside of a short election season window shouldn’t be considered campaign activities.
Leo Wolfson can be reached at leo@cowboystatedaily.com.
