At a Cheyenne bar where Americans for Prosperity was hosting a primary election night watch party, Kale watched results roll in.
Kale, who declined to give his last name, is a young Wyomingite who said a Freedom Caucus defeat was an economic green flag for young people. The hard line voting bloc of the Republican Party has used its majority in the state House to push for stricter voting requirements, ending diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs at the University of Montana and cutting property taxes.
“Owner occupied residences leaves out owner-not-occupied residences, like rental properties. So a big concern I had with a lot of the way those cuts were structured … was driving up rent and making it even harder for young people to stay in the state,” Kale said.
A number of prominent Wyoming Freedom Caucus members lost their primaries on Tuesday night, threatening the bloc’s House majority and undercutting the group’s goal to expand its numbers in the state Senate and higher office.
Former caucus chair Rep. John Bear (R-Gillette) lost to challenger Douglas Moore in House District 31 by more than 15 points.
Founding member Rep. Scott Heiner (R-Green River) was defeated by Kenneth Roberts by 10 points.
And Speaker of the House Chip Neiman (R-Hulett) narrowly lost in his bid to unseat Sen. Ogden Driskill (R-Devils Tower).
Melissa Butcher, who beat Rep. Ken Pendergraft (R-Sheridan) in his Senate bid by nearly 1,000 votes, said she thinks people are looking for more “community minded” candidates.
Jessica Crowder beat her opponent, Freedom Caucus member Rep. Ann Lucas (R-Cheyenne), with roughly 63% of the vote. Crowder said that “Are you part of the Freedom Caucus?” was a common question she heard on the campaign trail.
“So [the caucus] certainly is on everyone's mind,” said Crowder. “And it looks like there's a shift across the state just based on the results of the night.”
Jennifer from Cheyenne, who declined to give her last name, said she doesn't know individual caucus members by name, but thinks Wyoming could use some “fresh blood to represent us” in Cheyenne.
Former state Rep. John Romero-Martinez was also in attendance at the AFP watch party. He said Tuesday’s primary results were a signal of big changes in the state GOP.
“Pluralism doesn’t have a place in the Republican Party. They were pushed out before and it’s time to push them out again,” said Martinez. “They’re the RINO [Republican in name only.] The real Republicans are returning.”
A number of reliable Freedom Caucus voters held onto their seats due to a lack of challengers.
At the federal level, current Secretary of State Chuck Gray, a founding member of the caucus, squeaked by in winning the Republican ticket for the U.S. House race in November. And U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman, who is not a member of the caucus but often shares its priorities, handily won the Republican primary for U.S. Senate.
She’ll face former state Rep. James Byrd in the November general election.
“Let's put it this way,” Byrd said from a different watch party in Cheyenne. “If you've watched and you've been in tune with the Republican Party for the last six months, they are very vocal about their disdain for particular individuals in that party who are elected. So if you draw connected dots between those, you'll know who I'm talking about.”
The full strength of the caucus likely won’t be known until the next legislative session starts in January when newcomers start casting votes on policy.
A number of Freedom Caucus candidates did not immediately respond to Wyoming Public Media's requests for comment on election night.
