Until recently, Republican U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman’s town halls were more like small rallies, attended mostly by loyal supporters.
That’s changed in the last week with Democrats and those who oppose President Donald Trump and Hageman’s support of Trump showing up to protest, push back and sometimes heckle her at her town hall events.
When asked by Cowboy State Daily on Monday if, based on the contentious nature of an Afton town hall on Thursday and another in Rock Springs on Saturday, Hageman plans to make any changes to her approach on Capitol Hill — specifically on federal layoffs — she said nope.
“As the only representative for Wyoming, it is important that I hear from constituents,” she told Cowboy State Daily in a Monday statement. “In the more than 70 town halls I have held, I have found these forums to be very engaging and enjoy the direct dialogue to address what is concerning Wyomingites across the state.
“Our push to rightsize the federal government aligns with what I’m hearing from Wyoming, and I’ll keep fighting on Capitol Hill to rein in wasteful government spending.”
Saturday’s event was an escalation of what Hageman saw in Afton, where she was also met with some opposition. Hageman has enjoyed strong popularity in Wyoming since taking office in 2023, coasting to reelection last year.
What’s It About?
Tensions boiled over at the town hall Hageman hosted in Rock Springs on Saturday that was attended by a number of protesters, some of whom were armed with protest signs.
Some of these signs displayed messages such as “No Kings in America” and “You Work For Us Not Musk.” Another instructed Hageman to “Protect Trans Immigrant Palestinian Disabled Kids.”
The event became so raucous at one point that the jeers were just as loud as the cheers.
“In the end, the point of the whole exercise was that there is a significant population swing, even here in hyper-red Wyoming, of people who are more than willing to stick their necks out and loudly express their opinions,” Rock Springs resident Tom Gagnon wrote on social media. “Some people who were there, whom I know to being ‘conservative,’ looked surprised, or even astounded, to see and hear all the anger and expressed so ruthlessly and disrespectfully.”
Former state legislator and newly elected Sweetwater County GOP Chair Tony Niemec had a different perspective, saying he found the event and the way Hageman was treated “embarrassing” and “completely rude.”
He and former legislator Clark Stith said those protesting Hageman made up about 10% to 25% of those in attendance. Both also said they thought most of the protestors were Democrats.
“I thought the Democrat protestors were unruly and disrespectful,” Niemec said.
Niemec, Stith and Rock Springs resident Ron Wild said they thought Hageman did as well as she could have, considering the circumstances.
Niemec, who supports Hageman, said the biggest problem with those protesting Saturday was that he believed they were complaining about issues out of Hageman’s control.
Former Sweetwater County Democratic Party Chair Meghan Jensen said emotions got the best of some of the people expressing opposition against Hageman, but she doesn’t fault them considering what the Trump administration has been doing.
Overall, she thought the event was neither positive nor negative, and said she received feedback from Republicans who told her they thought their presence was valuable as a reminder that even in deep red Wyoming, Democrats do exist.
“Some saw us being there as a good reminder of people that might think differently,” she said. “Having different viewpoints is a good thing.”
Rock Springs Mayor Max Mickelson, who also supports Hageman, was at the town hall and said, while he understands some people are upset with Trump, it doesn’t justify screaming profanities at Hageman.
“Propose some policies, build support, sell your ideas, but screaming is something my teachers would have made me stand against the wall for in elementary school,” he said.
At the Afton town hall, many of the people expressing opposition to Hageman came over from nearby Teton County. Niemec said that was similar to Saturday with a contingency of opposition bussed in from outside Sweetwater County.
Questions About Cuts
Hageman also spoke about the cuts that Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has orchestrated, which she credited for saving the taxpayers $105 billion.
An internal memo obtained by the Associated Press earlier this month shows the Department of Veterans Affairs is also planning an “aggressive” reorganization that includes cutting 83,000 jobs that were added during former President Joe Biden’s administration, returning the agency to its 2019 levels of staffing.
Hageman said this isn’t true, however, and her office hasn’t evaluated how those cuts would affect Wyoming.
Marshall Cummings, president of United Steelworkers Local 13214, asked Hageman about the Green River field office of the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA).
He was not satisfied with her response and doesn’t believe the $55,000 saved by closing the office is in any way worth it, arguing that some government regulations are needed.
“It’s like having a heart attack and calling an ambulance in Denver to come save you,” he told Cowboy State Daily. “We know what mining was like without MSHA — a lot more dead miners. We’re not interested in going back.”
At one point, Gagnon said Hageman asked the audience if America should spend $2 million on sex change surgeries in Guatemala and if the U.S. should spend $500,000 to advance atheism in Nepal.
The $2 million was part of a much broader grant that included the surgeries, and the State Department said last year it was “misled” about how the $500,000 grant was going to be used in Nepal.
Niemec also pointed out how some of the people opposing Hageman on Saturday brought flags from other countries like Canada and Mexico to the event, but he saw no American ones, which he found disappointing.
Barbuto Speaks
At one point, Hageman invited Wyoming Democratic Party Chair Joe Barbuto to take the stage, who she commended.
She asked Barbuto to show her the same respect as she believed she was showing the audience, and explained to the audience that she held the town hall to summarize what she’s been doing in Washington, D.C.
“I came here to talk to people about what is going on,” she said to the crowd, which was met with some vocal pushback from the audience. “I have all the respect for you in the world. I disagree with you, we obviously disagree.”
Barbuto responded to Hageman that Democrats weren’t the only people upset with her who were there Saturday. But he also added that respectful dialogue should happen and commended Hageman for hosting the town hall, something he said Sens. John Barrasso and Cynthia Lummis have not done.
The crowd drowned out most of Barbuto’s next remarks, but he appeared to criticize her stances on transgender issues.
From there, more ruckus ensued. Barbuto then asked that Hageman continue and leave the public enough time at the end to ask questions, which appeared to resolve the situation.
Barbuto did not immediately respond to Cowboy State Daily’s request for comment.
Niemec said he found Barbuto’s performance disappointing.
“Joe Barbuto had the perfect opportunity to stand up and stop the insanity,” Niemec said. “His remarks wasn’t that good.”
Hageman took the high road after the event on social media.
“We had a lively discussion in Sweetwater County today,” she posted on Facebook. “I appreciate everyone who showed up to participate in our democratic process. I have made a commitment to travel the state to talk with you directly about my work in Congress and I will continue to do just that.”
Hageman is hosting another town hall in Laramie on Wednesday. A contingency of Democrats there are planning on hosting a rally at the Albany County Courthouse beforehand, and then plan to “respectfully and peacefully attend” Hageman’s event, according to organizer David Wilhelms.
Wilhelms, who doesn’t support Hageman, said they “do not want a repeat of her Rock Springs event,” where it appeared she often wasn’t allowed to answer the questions being asked of her.
“That kind of confrontation is not productive,” he said. “We’re looking for concrete answers to real problems.”
Leo Wolfson can be reached at leo@cowboystatedaily.com.
