Dear editor,
Cowboy State Daily reporter Clair McFarland gave it a good shot at trying to let people know exactly who belongs to the Wyoming Freedom Caucus.
This is a difficult task, because some members of the group don’t tell the truth about whether they belong.
As it turns out, Ms. McFarland was close, but missed the mark on identifying exactly who is in the group. This is because she simply asked and expected lawmakers to tell the truth.
Unfortunately, some legislators won’t tell us the truth about whose orders they’re following.
The defining characteristic of a Freedom Caucus member is that they are told how to vote. So, Better Wyoming Action + Research tracked 59 bills during the 2025 legislative session to find out exactly who was voting in step with the Freedom Caucus.
You can see exactly who is in the group at our new website: Who is the Freedom Caucus?
For instance, Rep. Mike Schmid claims to not belong to the group. But Rep. Schmid voted for every single one of the Freedom Caucus’ 28 priority bills for the 2025 session, and he voted 100 percent of the time in agreement with Freedom Caucus Chairwoman Rep. Rachel Rodriguez-Williams on 31 other bills we tracked.
Rep. Clarence Styler told Ms. McFarland that he has never and would never be part of the group, but he voted for 100 percent of the Freedom Caucus priority bills, and alongside Rep. Rodriguez-Williams 87 percent of the time.
Is this just a coincidence?
We built this site because we get asked all the time, “How do I know if my local legislator is in the Freedom Caucus?” Well, now people can find out.
It’s important for Wyoming residents to know who is the Freedom Caucus, since the group receives orders from Washington, D.C., that don’t always line up with the best interests of their community.
The people of Wyoming deserve transparency about who belongs to the group that currently runs the Wyoming House of Representatives.
Now, they’ve got it. But no thanks to the Freedom Caucus.
Sincerely,
Nate Martin, Executive Director
Better Wyoming Action + Research
