When I was first elected, gubernatorial candidate Eric Barlow told me that, “you can choose to be right, or you can choose to be effective.” I later heard him say that from the dais as Speaker of the House. I rejected that the two were mutually exclusive.
When statesmen really are effective at changing the status quo, they become the target of all those who resent losing their influence. You know you are effective AND right if you represent the people, you do what you said you would do when you campaigned, and the weaksauce Republicans start screeching.
As President Trump surged in the polls in 2024, the lawfare (predictably) intensified. When Florida Governor Ron DeSantis opened his state during the tyrannical lockdowns of the COVID-era, the feds attacked. After the Supreme Court rightly overturned Roe v. Wade, violent abortion activists torched pro-life pregnancy centers.
In Wyoming, you can tell you’re right and effective in three simple steps. Keep an eye out for tantrums from the Wyoming Troika – the trio of status quo politicians, the legacy media, and the deep state.
Step 1: Big Govt Republicans Make Fools Of Themselves Deriding You
When conservatives started making gains in the Wyoming Legislature, we went right to work exposing the ideological divide in Wyoming politics – and it’s not “red” versus “blue’’ – it’s big government Republicans who vote with Democrats all the time versus the people.
In 2022, even more conservatives were sent to the statehouse, and we continued exposing the Liz Cheney Republicans. After my colleagues and I used the rules to get votes on record that would have previously gone unrecorded, defeated legislator Dan Zwonitzer filed a “protest of the House” for “weaponizing roll call votes.”
The insider Republicans see themselves as a class apart, and they hate being exposed.
Step 2: The Media Lies About You
After the people of Wyoming delivered a conservative majority in the Wyoming House, we passed our historic Five and Dime plan, cutting property taxes, returning your second amendment rights, protecting elections, and more.
Taxpayer funded media outlets begrudgingly acknowledged these successes, only to go on to lie about what happened in 2026.
They falsely claimed the governor’s budget was “frugal and sensible,” despite state spending growing faster than inflation and your paycheck. He even included a new program I call GordoCare where the state gets into the insurance business(kind of like RomneyCare and ObamaCare).
They falsely claimed we “cut indiscriminately,” when in reality we slowed the growth of government through targeting waste, fraud, and abuse. Previously only Democrats and the legacy media called a smaller increase, “a cut” to government spending. Now it’s the Liz Cheney Republicans chiming in.
And they falsely claimed we “gutted” education, despite providing for more teachers and pay raises.
But this is par for the course when you’re over the target. Like the New York Times’ slobbering protection of Liz Cheney in 2022, WyoFile and Wyoming Public Media run cover for their favorite insider Republicans and lie about conservatives today.
Step 3. The Deep State Pulls Out All The Stops
In unprecedented form, Governor Gordon’s political action committee dumped $300K into legislative races to stop conservatives in 2024.
Gordon’s endorsements enjoyed a measly 33% success rate, but the deep state won’t go down without a fight.
The Governor has placed half a dozen of his preferred election losers into prominent deep state positions.
Defeated Senator Drew Perkins is now Gordon’s chief of staff, defeated Representative Clark Stith has been tapped for a judgeship, defeated Representative Tom Walters now has a cozy gig as a member of the UW Board of Trustees.
All of these people were rejected by the voters in favor of more conservative candidates. All of these people get to continue to make decisions that impact you and your tax dollars anyway.
You know you’re right and effective when you start taking flack. In Wyoming, this looks like upsetting the Troika with every conservative win. Our friend Dave Simpson put it best: Freedom Caucus criticism is all the rage for weaksauce Republicans.
John Bear represents House District 31 in Gillette
