Normally Republicans endorsing Republicans isn't newsworthy, but the vastly different GOP nominees Eric Barlow and Chuck Gray appeared in the same endorsement video Wednesday.
U.S. Sen. John Barrasso endorsed both Gray and Barlow Wednesday, for U.S. House and governor, respectively.
Sen. Cynthia Lummis and Rep. Harriet Hageman also called for voting Republican, in a video montage with Barrasso.
Neither mentioned Gray nor Barlow in the endorsement video, but spokesmen for both Hageman and Lummis confirmed in later emails that the two congresswomen endorse both Barlow and Gray.
In the primary election Hageman had supported Barlow’s frontrunning opponent, Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder in the primary election and was open in her criticism for Barlow.
Gray and Barlow both won the Republican Party nomination in their races Aug. 18. They are dissimilar Republicans in many respects: Gray was an early founder of the Wyoming Freedom Caucus, and Barlow has never been part of the caucus.
First, Barrasso’s Video
Barrasso’s campaign page posted the video montage featuring all three congressional delegates, to Facebook on Wednesday.
“Wyoming’s future and our freedoms are on the ballot this November,” says Barrasso in the video. “That’s why I support Chuck Gray. He’ll take the fight right to the halls of Congress.”
Barrasso says Gray would ensure border security, target fraud and ensure people’s constitutional rights are protected.
Next Barrasso says he supports Barlow.
“Eric is standing strong. He’s going to support our rural hospitals. He’s going to fight for local concerns, he’s going to build a resilient economy, and he’s going to make sure Washington stays out of our way,” says Barrasso.
Gray vies for the state’s lone House seat against Libertarian Shawn Johnson, Democrat Lisa Kinney and Constitution Party nominee Jeff Haggit.
Barlow vies for governor against Democratic nominee Ken Casner and Constitution Party nominee Rebecca Bextel.
Stopping Just Short Of A Name-Drop
The state’s other two congressional delegates, Republicans Sen. Cynthia Lummis and Rep. Harriet Hageman, spoke in the video montage as well.
Lummis called for electing knowledgeable candidates, and Hageman called for electing Republicans all the way down the ballot.
The two women stopped short of endorsing either Gray or Barlow by name in the video.
Lummis’s senior communications advisor Joe Jackson confirmed to Cowboy State Daily in a Wednesday email, however, that Lummis “fully supports the entire Republican ticket here in Wyoming.”
Cowboy State Daily has asked Hageman’s team for clarity as well.
Her campaign spokesman Tim Murtaugh, in response, sent Cowboy State Daily a slate of Hageman quotes in which she congratulated both Gray and Barlow, and said she supports Barlow.
“I wish Eric Barlow the best and will work with him for the betterment of Wyoming. He has my full support to lead Wyoming for the next four years,” says the Hageman’s quote about Barlow.
“I congratulate Chuck Gray on his victory and look forward to collaborating with him on delivering the real conservative results for Wyomingites,” says Hageman’s quote about Gray. “Chuck has a long record of conservative victories and I anticipate he will help me deliver many more victories for Wyoming.”
The Post-Primary Battlefield
On election day Barlow won every county to clinch the nomination.
None of Wyoming’s three congressional delegates endorsed a candidate in the U.S. House race during the primary election.
Both major races are fraught with relative controversy for a general election cycle in deep-red Wyoming.
Bextel has been criticizing Barlow to numerous state audiences for weeks, accusing him of not being a Republican.
A national election analyst group last week moved Wyoming’s House seat from “solid” Republican to “likely” Republican, which it called a reflection of Trump’s waning popularity and Gray’s “divisive” approach.
Clair McFarland can be reached at clair@cowboystatedaily.com.
