Leo Wolfson
Leo Wolfson is the State Government and Politics Reporter for Cowboy State Daily and is based in Cheyenne. He is responsible for covering Wyoming politics on a federal and statewide level.
Leo led Cowboy State Daily's coverage of the 2022 Wyoming primary election, including the highly contentious race between former congresswoman Liz Cheney and her successor U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman. He also managed CSD's coverage of the 2023 State Legislature, which was by far the most extensive and timely media coverage of a legislative session in the state's history.
Before joining Cowboy State Daily, Leo was a general assignment reporter for the Cody Enterprise Newspaper in Cody from 2018-2022. Prior to that, he reported for a suburban newspaper outside Denver.
Latest from Leo Wolfson
Wyoming Candidates Angered Over Mudslinging Pre-Primary Mailers
Wyoming candidates who are targets of a recent wave of mudslinging political mailers, text messages and phone calls say they cross the line. They claim the campaign materials are deliberately misleading and outright libelous.
Leo WolfsonJuly 22, 2024
Biden Out: Barrasso Says Exit Is Proof Dems “Admitting Failures Of Last Four Years”
Wyoming's congressional delegation said they weren't surprised with Biden's announcement Sunday to drop out of the race. Sen. Barrasso said the Democrats have "admitted their failures of the last four years" while Harriet Hageman said Biden has "no business running a popsicle stand."
Leo WolfsonJuly 21, 2024
Dozens Of Wyoming Government Agencies Hit In Global Cybersecurity Crash
A global crash of cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike on Friday wreaked havoc on governments and systems worldwide, including the state of Wyoming. The glitch impacted the 49 executive branch agencies, including the governor's office.
Leo WolfsonJuly 19, 2024
Wyoming Legislature Explores Using State Lands For Affordable Housing
The Regulatory Reduction Task Force advanced a bill on Thursday that would allow Wyoming to lease and sell its land for affordable housing projects. State governments in Colorado, Washington, and New Mexico have done the same thing through private-public partnerships.
Leo WolfsonJuly 19, 2024
Laramie State Senate Candidate Calls Out Opponent For Soft Stance On Gun Control
Senate Dist. 10 GOP candidate Keith Kennedy is accusing his Laramie opponent Gary Crum of being in the “squishy middle” on Second Amendment issues in Wyoming. Although Crum wouldn't comment, his website says he is in favor of "responsible gun control policies."
Leo WolfsonJuly 19, 2024
Barrasso Sits With Trump Family At Nomination, Delegation Thrilled With Speech
U.S. Sen. John Barrasso sat in Donald Trump’s family box at the Fiserv Forum before the former president gave his speech Thursday. Barrasso said Trump commended his efforts on grilling the director of the Secret Service over her agency’s handling of Saturday’s rally.
Leo WolfsonJuly 19, 2024
Wyoming Democrats Split On Whether President Biden Should Stay In Race
While Wyoming Democratic chairman Joe Barbuto said he is supporting President Biden to stay in the presidential race because he's done a "phenomenal job," other Wyoming Democrats like Cheyenne's Marcie Kindred says it's time for Joe to go.
Leo WolfsonJuly 18, 2024
Barrasso Chases Down Secret Service Head About Attack on Trump, Demands Answers
U.S. Sen. John Barrasso chased down and confronted the head of the Secret Service on Wednesday demanding answers to security breakdowns that allowed an assassination attempt on former President Trump.
Leo WolfsonJuly 18, 2024
Why Won't Anyone Debate This Year? They Don't Trust Who's Hosting It.
There’s a trend among Wyoming candidates running for office to not attend debates hosted by organizations they don't trust-- like the League of Women Voters in Fremont County. Candidates don't believe they are as non-partisan as the group says.
Leo WolfsonJuly 17, 2024
Florida Group Influences Wyoming Election, ESG Rules With Chuck Gray’s Help
A trove of emails show that Secretary of State Chuck Gray pushed forward bills and rules on elections and ESG over the past two years that were almost identical to the model legislation brought to him by a Florida lobbying group.
Leo WolfsonJuly 17, 2024
Powell Baseball Player Set To Return After Suffering Life-Threatening Rattlesnake Bite
Powell baseball player Jhett Schwahn was deep in the backcountry when he was bit by a rattlesnake. It took a rescue helicopter 2 1/2 hours to get to him. By that time, his legs were numb and he was unable to communicate.
Leo WolfsonJuly 17, 2024
Hageman’s Primary Opponent Knows He’s A Long Shot But Believes She Needs Challenger
Casper attorney Steve Helling has no illusions about his chances of beating Wyoming Rep. Harriet Hageman in the upcoming Republican primary election, but he still believes it's the right thing to do so voters can have a choice.
Leo WolfsonJuly 16, 2024
Chuck Gray Announces Wyoming GOP Delegates Vote Unanimously For Trump
Wearing an oversized cowboy hat, Wyoming Sec. of State Chuck Gray on Monday announced at the Republican National Convention that all of the state's 29 delegates were cast for former President Donald Trump.
Leo WolfsonJuly 15, 2024
Wyoming Congressional Delegation Excited About Trump’s Running Mate Pick, JD Vance
Wyoming's congressional delegation said they were pleased with former President Trump's decision to pick JD Vance as his running mate. Harriet Hageman said she "couldn't wait" to see him debate Kamala Harris.
Leo WolfsonJuly 15, 2024
Barrasso, Lummis Applaud Dismissal Of Trump’s Classified Docs Case
U.S. Sens. John Barrasso and Cynthia Lummis celebrated the dismissal of a classified documents case against former President Trump on Monday, saying they had always viewed the allegations as a politically motivated attack by the Justice Department.
Leo WolfsonJuly 15, 2024
Wyoming Delegation Hopes America Will Come Together After Assassination Attempt
Wyoming's congressional delegation on Sunday told Cowboy State Daily they hope the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump over the weekend will cause the country to come together.
Leo WolfsonJuly 15, 2024
Decades After Visiting As A Kid, Cheyenne Man Gets Wish For Yellowstone Return
Paul Terry visited Yellowstone National Park as a kid and always longed to return, but never did. That is until this week, when the 78-year-old Cheyenne man had his wish granted by AARP.
Leo WolfsonJuly 14, 2024
Detective: Coin Shop Suspect, Neighborhood Not Searched After 2015 Double Murder
A Cheyenne police detective testified during a Friday hearing that the man now suspected of killing two men during a 2015 robbery wasn’t searched at the time. He also testified the neighborhood around The Coin Shop also wasn’t searched.
Leo WolfsonJuly 12, 2024
Dept. Of Education, Former Agency Head Must Pay For Illegally Withholding Records
A judge ruled Wednesday that the Wyoming Department of Education and former Superintendent of Public Instruction Brian Schroeder have to each pay $700 for illegally withholding public records.
Leo WolfsonJuly 11, 2024
Cheyenne State Senate Candidates Divided Over Gigantic Facebook (Meta) Data Center
Republicans running for state Senate Districts 4 and 6 clashed Wednesday night over a massive $800 Million Meta (Facebook) data center. The 715,000-square-foot facility will be built in south Cheyenne.
Leo WolfsonJuly 11, 2024
Conservative Movement: Freedom Caucus Could Gain Control Of House In ’24
The Wyoming Freedom Caucus has been growing in numbers and influence. Now the group, and candidates aligned with it, feel 2024 could be the year it gains control of the Wyoming House.
Leo WolfsonJuly 11, 2024