Dear editor:
Cowboy State Daily ran an article this week about Project Winchester full of attacks from Harriet Hageman and her nervous DC handlers — but let’s set the record straight.
This is not some shadowy campaign dreamed up in Washington. It’s a grassroots coalition of Wyoming citizens — ranchers, hunters, business owners, and parents — who are deeply concerned that Congresswoman Harriet Hageman is betraying the very values she claims to defend by aligning with those trying to sell off our public lands.
Hageman and her advisors have decided to attack me because I was mentioned as a supporter — but I’m simply one of many people in Wyoming who agree with its message: Wyoming isn't for sale. We come from different backgrounds but we’re united by a simple belief: public lands are part of who we are, and they should stay in the hands of the people.
But if Harriet Hageman and her political hacks in Washington keep attacking the citizens involved in this movement — calling us names, questioning our integrity, trying to smear us — then let me be just as clear: we will fight back. We didn’t start this fight, but we sure won’t back down from it.
Hageman and her team actually had the gall to suggest that a grassroots effort named after the gun that won the West is somehow inherently threatening. That’s not only dishonest — it’s embarrassingly out of touch.
Here in Wyoming, we admire the tools and traditions that helped build and defend the West. The Winchester rifle is a symbol of self-reliance, courage, and frontier grit. Trying to twist that into something sinister says far more about Hageman’s D.C. mindset than it does about the people of this state.
Now we have Tim Murtaugh, a D.C. spin doctor lecturing the people of Wyoming about the Code of the West. A guy who’s spent his life inside the Beltway thinks he has the standing to tell us what our values are?
Let me help you out, Tim: the Code of the West isn’t a talking point — it’s a way of life. It’s not about focus groups and media strategy. It’s about showing up for your neighbors, telling the truth, and respecting the land. You don’t get to borrow that language when your team is working to sell off the very land that code was built around.
What’s truly out of step with the Code of the West is selling off millions of acres of our public lands. What’s out of step is attacking your fellow Wyomingites for speaking up. And what’s out of step is hiding behind a slick D.C. operative to do your dirty work while pretending to stand for local values.
Tim won’t be on the ballot in Wyoming — but if if Hageman wins, he’ll be the one calling the shots. That should concern every voter in this state.
If Hageman really believes in Wyoming values, she should meet us in the open — not hide behind handlers. Until then, we’ll keep speaking up and organizing. Because this isn’t just a political debate — it’s a fight for the future of Wyoming.
Sincerely,
Trevor Neilson, Jackson
