Some of gubernatorial candidate Brent Bien’s supporters are calling for people to write in his name at the Nov. 3 general election, after Bien’s opponent Eric Barlow won the Republican nomination in the primary election last week.
“I am, personally,” writing him in, said Rozmaring Czaban, a Natrona County resident and active political observer. “Because he’s the right man for the job; he’s for the people of Wyoming.”
Czaban is not alone. A groundswell of Bien supporters pledged write-in votes to him via social media over the past week, after Bien took third in a four-person GOP primary.
Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder won the second-most votes. Bien performed better than Degenfelder in Park, Platte and Sheridan counties.
Barlow won every county, including Platte, which gave him two more votes than it gave Bien.
Bien told Cowboy State Daily he’s not waging a write-in campaign.
“Of course, they can do whatever they want on election day, but I’m not doing that,” said. “Neither (my) campaign nor I, we’re just not doing it.”
Bien has not endorsed anyone in the general election as of Monday, he said. He also said he’s flattered by the write-in movement.
But he’s taking a breather from campaigning, he said.
“I’ve got plenty to do, personal stuff. I’m five years behind, because that’s all I’ve been doing is either running or trying to get ballot initiatives done,” he said.
Bien took the interview Monday while building a fence.
Bien spearheaded the proposed 50% residential property tax cut initiative slated to come before voters in November.
He’s not saying he’s done with politics, “by any means,” Bien continued. “But I can tell you it’s been quite the road over the last five years, to get a lot of the issues out and to get people informed on those kinds of things.”
And, Bien added, “I’m not by any means a wealthy person. I’m just a regular guy.”
Bien ran the most frugal campaign and technically got the best value per vote, $5, when comparing his campaign expense of $154,890 with the 30,843 votes he won.
Top-most finishers Barlow and Degenfelder spent $25.20 and $28.70 per vote, respectively.
'Insurance Policy Against Eric Barlow’
Constitution Party nominee and conservative activist Rebecca Bextel launched her campaign with the tagline, “an insurance policy against Eric Barlow.”
Barlow has borne criticism from some factions of the Republican Party who call him too moderate.
Bextel said either Bien or Degenfelder would be an excellent governor, and she hoped either would defeat Barlow, “but unfortunately, history is not on the side of us conservatives,” said her website.
Czaban said she won’t vote for Bextel.
She referenced her Facebook page that shows a critique over the latter’s handling of the aftermath of the “CheckGate” check-passing controversy of this year’s legislative session, in which Bextel had handed out checks on the House floor shortly after adjournment on the first day of lawmaking.
Bextel has publicly countered Czaban, noting there was no rule against the simple act of check-passing on the floor at the time.
Democratic nominee Kenneth Casner also faces Barlow in the general election.
Legal?
Wyoming has a sore-loser law that bars a runner-up from the primary election from winning any nomination to appear on the general election ballot in that same race.
But the law does not bar voters from writing in the candidate of their choice.
And the Wyoming Constitution specifically guarantees that option. Article 6, Section 11 says, “But no voter shall be deprived the privilege of writing upon the ballot used the name of any other candidate.”
Clair McFarland can be reached at clair@cowboystatedaily.com.
