Wyoming’s Tuesday-night primary election was a bloodbath for Freedom Caucus-aligned Republican incumbents in the state House of Representatives.
The 62-member House has 29 guaranteed new members poised to take the oath of office in January.
Noteworthy upsets included the ousting of House Appropriations Chair John Bear, Majority Floor Leader Scott Heiner, Cheyenne caucus members Reps. Gary Brown and Steve Johnson and Rep. Nina Webber, who also serves as the state GOP’s national committee woman.
Twenty-seven incumbents survived the primary election and don’t have major-party opponents heading into the general election. Those who survived — all non-Freedom Caucus members — include Reps. Bob Nicholas, Lloyd Larsen, Ken Clouston, and Julie Jarvis, to name a few.
Five more incumbents who survived nomination face major-party challengers in the general election and potentially uncertain outcomes.
Around 43 of the House seats are poised to go to people who either oppose the Freedom Caucus, ran against Freedom Caucus members or who have characterized themselves as “traditional Republicans,” which is a known antonym of Freedom Caucus.
Ten of those seats are poised to go to known Freedom Caucus members or allies.
Those are incumbent Reps. Kevin Campbell, Bill Allemand, Christopher Knapp, Laurie Bratten, Pepper Ottman, Dalton Banks, Clarence Styvar, Tomi Strock, Jeremy Haroldson, and newcomer Earl Collier.
It’s unclear how the other nine delegates will vote.
That split of at least 43 against the caucus to at least 10 for it is vastly different from the current makeup. Roughly 35 members vote in alignment with the caucus, and about 27 against.
Of those 10 Freedom Caucus allies or members who survived the primary election, seven ran opposed.
Meanwhile In The Senate
Of the state Senate’s 31 seats, 17 were up for election.
Seven incumbents emerged without major-party opponents. Eight new members are guaranteed to join the chamber, and potentially one more – if Republican Sen. Evie Brennan loses to Democratic nominee Shifa Hamid.
At least 15 of the 17 Senate primary elections went to races featuring only non-Freedom Caucus sympathizers.
Two more nominations went to generally caucus-aligned delegates: Sen. Cheri Steinmetz and Rep. Abby Angelos.
Angelos makes her ascent to the Senate after defeating challenger Dwayne Dillinger, 2,054-1,657.
Even without Tuesday’s shakeup, the Senate has not been a Freedom Caucus stronghold.
Three more state senators generally aligned with the Freedom Caucus who weren’t up for reelection this year remain: Sens. Laura Pearson, Tim French and Troy McKeown.
Some caucus members such as Rep. Ken Pendergraft, R-Sheridan, and House Speaker Chip Neiman, R-Hulett, ran for Senate this year and lost; Pendergraft to newcomer Melissa Butcher, and Neiman to the 16-year incumbent Sen. Ogden Driskill, R-Devils Tower.
Clair McFarland can be reached at clair@cowboystatedaily.com.
