We’ve all heard the line: “Follow the money.”
It’s often followed by a warning about shadowy power brokers pulling strings behind the scenes, manipulating policy for the wealthy and powerful. It’s a potent image — and for some, a politically useful one.
But like many caricatures, it obscures a far more important truth.
In Wyoming, where our legislature is a part-time citizen body, lobbying isn’t some corrupt workaround. It’s how the system works. More to the point, it’s how the system works for you.
Hundreds of bills covering everything from energy policy to education funding to hunting regulations fill our 20- or 40-day legislative sessions.
Yet most lawmakers aren’t full-time experts. They are ranchers, attorneys, teachers, retirees — citizens like the rest of us who volunteer for a grueling, high-stakes public servant job.
They don’t have teams of analysts or staff researchers. What they do have are lobbyists.
A good lobbyist doesn’t bring a suitcase of cash — he or she brings research, data, draft language, amendments, and often years of issue-specific experience.
When a legislator wants to understand how a bill will affect veterans, small businesses, public lands, or the energy industry, that lawmaker will likely turn to lobbyists who represent those interests. In many cases, lobbyists also help refine legislation, clarify unintended consequences, and build coalitions to make good ideas workable.
Far from shutting out regular people, lobbyists are often the bridge between lawmakers and the public.
You may not be able to drive to Cheyenne for a committee hearing, but your concerns might still be heard — because you’re represented by someone who can be there. That person might be a lobbyist for your profession, your local hospital, your union, your senior center, or even your favorite nonprofit.
That’s one of the biggest misconceptions about lobbying: that it’s always for the powerful or the wealthy. Wyomingites wear many hats, and odds are, you have multiple lobbyists working on your behalf.
A rancher might be represented by the Stock Growers Association. A teacher might be represented by the Wyoming Education Association. An outfitter might have advocates tracking wildlife bills. Parents with kids in school, patients at a rural health clinic, energy workers, nonprofit volunteers — all have lobbyists giving voice to their concerns.
And it’s not secretive.
Lobbyists in Wyoming must register with the Secretary of State. Many belong to the Wyoming Capitol Club, an organization whose members range from large corporations and energy interests to conservation groups and civic organizations. The breadth of interests represented shows that lobbying is a marketplace of ideas, with checks and balances embedded. The Club also self-imposes standards of conduct and polices their membership for adherence.
So why do some legislators — and particularly, some political factions — work so hard to demonize lobbying?
Take a moment to consider an incident from the 2025 legislative session. Rep. John Bear (R-Gillette), de-facto leader of the House Freedom Caucus, publicly accused fellow lawmakers of acting as “lobbyists” rather than legislators. In an op-ed published during the session, Bear charged that some of his colleagues were representing outside groups or bureaucratic interests
rather than their constituents. The accusation was more than a rhetorical jab — it implied a breach of public trust.
This episode reveals how the term “lobbyist” is being weaponized — not just to sow distrust among the public, but to discredit fellow lawmakers. In this case, the label was hurled at elected officials – because rather than answer to out-of-state handlers, they dare to work with experts and advocates to understand policy in depth. That’s not corruption. That’s governance.
The Freedom Caucus has increasingly portrayed lobbying as suspect, a tool of entrenched elites. And the narrative serves a purpose. It rallies public frustration, delegitimizes opponents, and distracts from the hard reality that no one legislator can know everything. Collaboration is not betrayal — it’s responsible public service.
The next time you hear someone rail against lobbyists, take a moment to ask who stands to gain from that outrage.
It might not be you.
In fact, it might be the person trying to make sure your voice is no longer heard.
So here’s a suggestion: look up who’s registered as a lobbyist on the Secretary of State website or the membership directory on the WY Capitol Club website. Think about the causes, jobs, and communities you care about—and find out who’s speaking for those. Odds are, someone is.
Whether you’ve met them or not, lobbyists are often the ones making sure your values and needs make it to the floor of the Legislature.
That’s not corruption. That’s representation.
