A Virginia-based Political Action Committee PAC that has spent nearly $1 million on Wyoming political races over the past two election cycles fared poorly this year, pouring about $550,000 into races and seeing $479,000 of that go into losses, for an 87% loss rate.
Make Liberty Win made headlines in 2024 for being the top-spending PAC in Wyoming’s state-level primary elections at $371,260.
This year the group spent nearly $550,000. Around $488,000 of that, 89%, went to bolstering Freedom Caucus-aligned candidates.
Both incumbents and newcomers associated with the caucus suffered widespread losses in Tuesday’s Republican primary election, slashing their numbers by at least two-thirds in the state House of Representatives.
Of that $488,000, nearly 86% —- or 76% of the total — went to candidates who did not win their nominations.
One of those, Rep. Joel Guggenmos, R-Riverton, ultimately did not file for office after a dispute surfaced about whether he’d lived in his district for the obligatory one year. Another, Rep. Jacob Wasserburger, chose not to run for office.
Make Liberty Win also spent around $61,000, 11%, opposing Republican candidates who differ ideologically from the caucus and its allies: Sens. Cale Case and Evie Brennan, Reps. JR Riggins, Bob Nicholas, and Elissa Campbell, and former lawmakers RJ Kost and Albert Sommers.
Every candidate the group opposed won his or her primary nomination on Tuesday over other Republican challengers.
The 11% loss rate in opposition funding and the 76% loss race in support funding together make for an 87% fallout.
Tired Of Negative Campaigning
Sen. Cale Case, R-Lander, was the group’s biggest target at $14,177.
“The No. 1 thing I heard when I talked to people, you know, standing on their porches is they’re really tired of the negative campaigning around the state at all levels,” said Case in a Friday morning interview on Cowboy State Daily’s "Morning Show With Jake."
“I think this was a bit of a reaction to that,” said Case of his win. “I tried to run a very clean campaign, upbeat, positive.”
He also said people are growing “immune” to the barrage of door hangers and negativity.
“It’s almost like we’ve been vaccinated enough that groups like Make Liberty Win aren’t as effective,” he said.
Make Liberty Win did not return a Friday afternoon voicemail by publication.
Americans For Prosperity’s Wish List
Americans For Prosperity spent nearly $286,000 on Wyoming’s primary election cycle, but fared better on the scoreboard.
"AFP-WY congratulates these new leaders and returning policy champions for their primary victories tonight and looks forward to working alongside them next year,” said Americans for Prosperity’s Wyoming director Tyler Lindholm in a statement shortly after the election.
“Together, we'll work to lower the cost of living for hardworking Wyoming families and deliver on policies that unleash freedom and prosperity in our state for years to come,” he added.
In numerous instances, Americans for Prosperity pitted itself against Make Liberty Win’s picks. It also broadly opposed Wyoming Freedom Caucus members and allies, which Lindholm said was incidental.
Lindholm told Cowboy State Daily the group based its backing on specific pro-business and pro-energy votes, not caucus alignment.
Thirteen of the 15 people AFP’s Wyoming chapter endorsed in the primary election won their nomination.
It’s harder to track how AFP scored as far as expense ratios, since it doesn’t break its support and opposition into line items as Make Liberty Win does.
But it pushed to secure wins among now-Republican nominees Sens. Evie Brennan and Ogden Driskill, Reps. Julie Jarvis and JR Riggins, former Rep. Tony Niemiec and newcomers Troy Claycomb, Dan McIntosh, Jessica Crowder, Ronda Boller, Erin Edwards, Melissa Butcher and Doug Moore — all of whom won.
The group’s two losing races both went to candidates that Make Liberty Win had backed:
MLW-endorsed Rep. Bill Allemand defeated Bar Nunn Mayor Peter Boyer, and MLW-endorsed Rep. Abby Angelos defeated Campbell County Parks and Recreation director Dwayne Dillinger for Senate.
Clair McFarland can be reached at clair@cowboystatedaily.com.
