Back in 2017 while addressing a group in Laramie, my mentor, the late Al Simpson said:
“Money’s dominance over politics is the number one problem our nation faces. It is a growing crisis that prevents us from tackling anything else. We have now reached a turning point: Either we are a country that makes decisions based on the common good, or one where the size of your wallet determines the worth of your ideas. Either we uphold the values of a representative democracy, or we allow greed and wealth to destroy the great American experiment in self-governance.”
It seems the good senator knew what we were in for long before the rest of us realized it.
Wyoming is plagued by money from unknown sources. In 2024, a lot of our good, thoughtful legislators came under attack with lies peddled by out of state groups and their dark money donors. Many of those legislators lost their seats. The people who replaced them often come to the microphone, their remarks scripted for them, presumably speaking for the out-of-state interests that funded them.
Those of us who won often find ourselves working for our constituents against colleagues who are beholden to shadowy groups and donors who don’t live in Wyoming. What do they want? Why do they want to change our state? There is no way to know, really.
My constituents call and email, they stop me in town to ask me if there is something we can do about all this out of state influence. They want dark money out of Wyoming. I want it out, too, so that Wyoming can govern Wyoming. Which is why I’ve been talking about dark money at my town halls and why I brought legislation the last two years to try to address it.
This influence peddling was a concern even before someone walked onto the floor of the People’s House handing out checks last week.
By now, most everyone has heard what happened: A woman from Teton County came to Cheyenne and started handing out campaign donations on the floor of the chamber. That person also had business before the Wyoming legislature.
According to her own words on Facebook and in other media, she expected to get her way.
The Laramie County Sheriff has opened a criminal investigation.
And that’s not even the whole story.
The same person hosted “meet and greet” events in Teton County for two members of SLIB last month, Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder and Secretary of State Chuck Gray. She barred the press – and members of the public – from those “meet and greets.”
Sure, private citizens can host what they want, call it what they want, invite who they want.
But optics being what they are, shouldn’t those members of SLIB now recuse themselves from votes involving business from Teton County, especially where that person’s interests or the interests of her organizations are involved?
Because once money and official power get too close, trust breaks. Wyoming needs a bright-line firewall so the referee is never in the game.
And what of the Louisiana heiress who was traveling with the Teton County check-giver and was seen in the media photos where checks were distributed? What does she want with our state — and why are out-of-state interests suddenly so invested in how Wyoming governs itself?
The problem with dark money is there is no way to find out who is behind it.
What I know about my constituents – and people across Wyoming – is that they are hardworking people of great integrity. They expect us to uphold the highest standards as their elected representatives. That’s what I’m here to do. Which is why I’ll continue to speak out about the way dark money is corrupting our system.
That takes me back to Al. I’ll offer his words as a parting shot:
“What right and privilege could be more important than one person-one vote: being able to stand up as an equal citizen to have your say in our political system, knowing that the political game is not rigged to favor concentrated wealth? As a nation, we cannot accept the law of aristocracy, where the political rights of people are based on their wealth.”
-Senator Ed Cooper
