The Sheridan County Republican Party posted, then apparently took down, a statement last week touting Wyoming’s Constitution Party nominee for governor over its Republican nominee.
Sheridan County GOP Chair Sharon McCright told Cowboy State Daily on Wednesday she doesn’t know who was responsible for the post.
“I have no idea why or who took it down. Or why it was up,” said McCright. “I’m not sure, actually, who did that.”
Sen. Eric Barlow won every county in the Aug. 18 GOP primary election and 45% of the vote, over two high-profile contenders – one endorsed by the president and the other by the state Republican Party.
Meanwhile, the Constitution Party earlier in the year nominated Rebecca Bextel, formerly a GOP activist and fundraiser who left the party to meet Barlow in the general, framing her campaign as “an insurance policy against Eric Barlow.”
The Sheridan County Republican Party’s Facebook page published a statement last week touting Bextel over Barlow.
It’s unclear who authored it.
McCright said she and “two other people” run the county party’s Facebook page. The other two people “don’t want their names out there,” she added.
About The Post
The post said many have heard "conflicting" statements about Bextel from the legacy media, adding "never believe the legacy media."
It said Barlow “only received 44% of the vote” in the primary. When not counting invalid overvotes and undervotes, Barlow’s take was 44.98%.
The post asserted, “56% of the Republicans who voted in the August primary believe Mr. Barlow will further diminish Wyoming, as has our current governor.”
It is unclear how the 56% of primary Republican voters who chose Brent Bien, Megan Degenfelder, Curt Blake or a write-in candidate feel about Barlow. No formal poll on their thoughts has surfaced publicly.
The post noted that 90,000 Republicans did not vote in the primary, which shakes Barlow’s total vote count out to 27.5% of registered Republicans statewide.
Again, the post assumed their motives: “72.5% of registered Republicans either know Mr. Barlow is a threat to Wyoming’s future or do not even think highly enough of him to vote for him.”
McCright said the party has not formally endorsed Bextel, and — unlike some of its counterparts and the state GOP — did not break tradition to endorse candidates during the primary election cycle.
“We did not endorse her at all. We are not endorsing her,” said McCright. “But she does follow all of the planks of the Republican Party. She signed the contract and she did abide by those.”
“The contract” is a reference to a vetting document party leaders dispatched to candidates this year, asking if they agree with all 23 planks of the Wyoming Republican Party platform.
Some candidates criticized the form as a purity test, and noted inconsistencies in the platform – such as one that appears to bar support for the death penalty.
Bextel told attendees at a Sheridan forum Monday that she supports all 23 planks, plus those of the Wyoming Constitution Party.
McCright said the post was informative.
She said Bextel “went this direction” into an alternate party to challenge Barlow in the general election, “to help with not getting a Democrat in there, to be honest with you.”
Elected out of Wyoming’s coal hub of Campbell County, Barlow has served as a Republican in the Wyoming Legislature for 14 years. He’s rebutted claims that he’s a “Democrat,” saying, “If anyone is confused about which political party they belong to, it sure isn’t me.”
Other Party Leaders
Meanwhile, Roxie Hensley, the chair of the Albany County Republican Party, advertised a campaign event at her brewery for Bextel, who attended a recent meeting of the party.
The Wyoming Republican Party — which traditionally functions as a backer to Republicans in the general election — dispatched a post-primary election message congratulating nominees advancing to the general election “with an R behind their name.”
The state GOP posted a photograph congratulating all five statewide office nominees plus the U.S. House and U.S. Senate nominees headed into the general.
That post is no longer visible. Instead, the state GOP’s Facebook page features a Sept. 3 post congratulating only the federal-office nominees, Rep. Harriet Hageman (for Senate) and Secretary of State Chuck Gray (for House).
Wyoming GOP Chair Bryan Miller did not immediately return a late-day voicemail request for comment.
Neither did Hensley.
Wait A Second
JoAnn True, a former Natrona County GOP delegate, funded a nonpartisan PAC in 2020, which in turn supported some Democrats. True told Cowboy State Daily she wasn't involved in the selection of non-Republican recipients.
The state GOP censured her anyway.
Some Republican Party leaders' support of Bextel shows "staggering" hypocrisy, True said in a Wednesday email statement.
"I was censured by my own party for participating in a non-partisan PAC aimed at electing women, despite the fact that nearly all supported candidates were Republicans and the fact that I played no role in selecting any non-Republicans candidates to support," she said. "Now, the same people who called for my censure are openly backing a non-Republican candidate over our voter-elected gubernatorial nominee in the General Election."
"This comes from the same individuals who just fought to close our primaries to keep non-Republicans out," added True.
Gail Symons, an incoming Sheridan County GOP precinct committeewoman and Cowboy State Daily columnist, called the party’s fleeting gesture of support ironic.
“It’s enlightening that, as a Party, we’re like really clear when we want to be, about who we include and who we don’t include,” said Symons, “and yet have no problem just dropping that (Party title) and shifting over to somebody because we don’t like who did win the primary.”
Symons continued, “They’ve lost the moral high ground.”
“So for now and evermore the Republican Party of Sheridan County has no business making any statements around who is and is not Republican, and who can be a standard bearer and who cannot. They can’t take it back.”
Clair McFarland can be reached at clair@cowboystatedaily.com.
