I've been voting in Wyoming since 1974. I've supported candidates I agreed with, disagreed with, admired and occasionally regretted.
But I've always believed the people we elect owe Wyoming the work of representing it, whether we voted for them or not.
Lately, I've listened to candidates promise to fight for me and wondered why they think that's what I want.
I want someone willing to stand up for Wyoming.
Sometimes that means challenging powerful interests or refusing a compromise that would hurt us.
But I don't need someone constantly looking for an enemy. I want someone who listens first and then does the work.
This year, that distinction will decide my vote.
On Thursday, Oct. 8, I went to Rep. Harriet Hageman's town hall in Sheridan.
She's now the Republican U.S. Senate nominee, and I went hoping to hear reasons to support her.
She gave us some.
She talked about restoring coal leasing, cutting permitting delays, improving highway safety and funding infrastructure.
Those are real Wyoming issues.
But she also spent time blaming former Presidents Obama and Biden.
At some point, assigning blame becomes a poor substitute for telling us what you'll do next.
Then a woman asked about children separated from their parents during immigration enforcement. She wasn't blaming anyone. She'd seen the videos and wanted to know how those children were being cared for.
Hageman interrupted: “We take care of them.”
“How?” the woman asked.
Rather than explain, Hageman called what the woman had seen “propaganda.” When the woman objected that it wasn't a single child, Hageman repeated the dismissal.
I don't know the full story behind those videos. Neither did the audience. But I know what I heard: a constituent asking a fair question, and a representative brushing her off.
That's not how you build trust, especially with someone who doesn't already agree with you.
You can stand firm and still treat people with respect. Wyoming has elected plenty of people who did both.
But campaigns increasingly reward candidates for identifying enemies.
Someone's too liberal, not a real conservative, secretly a Democrat. Those labels draw cheers. They tell us little about how anyone intends to govern.
Chuck Gray, now the Republican House nominee, called fellow Republican Kevin Christensen “too liberal for Wyoming.”
Constitution Party gubernatorial candidate Rebecca Bextel has called Republican nominee Eric Barlow a Democrat. Neither label explains how the accuser would solve Wyoming's problems.
And here's what bothers me. If you spend your campaign teaching voters to distrust everyone who differs from you, how do you work with those people once elected?
A governor needs 32 votes in the Wyoming House and 16 in the Senate to pass a budget. A secretary of state can't run an election without 23 county clerks. Insult enough of them on the campaign trail, and you'll find out how hard the job gets.
Barlow has taken another approach.
For 15 months, he's traveled Wyoming, meeting residents face to face and listening to their problems.
He's faced harsh attacks on his character without making retaliation the centerpiece of his campaign. He talks about the work ahead.
Republican secretary of state nominee Robert Short has done his homework, too.
He's built relationships with the county clerks who run our elections.
He's also prioritized problems with registered agents, the firms that have helped make Wyoming a favorite home for anonymous shell companies.
Democrats Jim Byrd, running for Senate, and Lisa Kinney, running for the House, have taken their “Roaming Through Wyoming” campaign to voters.
They've pledged to work across party lines on affordability, public lands and rural healthcare.
Pledges are easy. I'll be watching whether they keep that one.
I don't agree with them on every policy. I don't need to.
For the first time since 1974, I won't vote for the Republican nominee for U.S. House or U.S. Senate.
That's not an easy decision, and it doesn't mean I've abandoned my principles. It means I'm applying them.
I'll support Republicans who demonstrate a commitment to governing, and Democrats who demonstrate the same.
There's another cost to making politics a permanent fight.
The neighbor beside you at community cleanup day might vote differently.
So might the business owner sponsoring the local hockey team. We still need each other, and Wyoming works better when disagreement doesn't become contempt.
A candidate can win applause by promising to fight enemies. We ought to ask what happens after the applause stops.
So the next time a candidate promises to fight for you, ask the question that woman asked in Sheridan.
How?
I don't need someone to fight political enemies. I need someone to work for me, for my neighbors and for Wyoming.
Gail Symons can be reached at GailSymons@mac.com
