CHEYENNE – As expected, Republican U.S. House candidate Harriet Hageman came out of the general election victorious Tuesday night, along with many other Republicans in the state.
She easily defeated three other contenders in the race, as called by the Associated Press before 9:30 p.m. According to final unofficial results reported by county elections officials through the Wyoming Secretary of State’s Office, Hageman received 132,172 votes statewide.
Democratic candidate Lynette Greybull earned the second-largest amount of votes, 47,241, followed by Libertarian Richard Brubaker with 5,420 and Constitution Party candidate Marissa Joy Selvig at 4,503. There were 4,521 write-ins.
“I am humbled and grateful for the confidence placed in me by the people of this great state,” Hageman said in a statement after the race was called. “I am a fourth-generation Wyomingite, I grew up on my family’s ranch outside Fort Laramie, and this state is in my blood. I know what it means to ‘Ride for the Brand,’ and I will always stay loyal to the outfit that hired me – the citizens of Wyoming.”
Hageman was congratulated by Republican Sens. John Barrasso and Cynthia Lummis. They said they looked forward to working with her in the U.S. Congress, and being a “reliable, conservative and effective team.”
“Harriet Hageman has spent a lifetime defending Wyoming’s natural resources while championing our people, businesses and rural way of life, and I am pleased she will be taking this experience and commitment to Wyoming to Congress,” Lummis said in a statement. “She is the conservative fighter our state needs in the U.S. House of Representatives, and will be an excellent teammate for Senator Barrasso and I in Washington.”
After casting her vote Tuesday morning at the Kiwanis Community House in Cheyenne, Hageman told the Wyoming Tribune Eagle that she was optimistic because of the results of the primary. She defeated incumbent Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo, with 66.3% of the vote, as well as two other Republicans vying for the lone U.S. House seat.
Wyoming’s future
“I know the people of Wyoming want a change. We want a change for our representative in Congress,” Hageman said Tuesday morning. “But we also recognize that on a national level, we need to retake our country, and we need to block the radical Biden and Pelosi agenda.”
Hageman said she has had a phenomenal campaign this year, which included being endorsed by former President Donald Trump in the fight against Cheney. She said she has covered 50,000 miles in the last 14 months, and held hundreds of public events to visit with residents of the state. She said she loves talking about the issues and trying to find solutions.
The Cheyenne attorney has also spent the past few weeks traveling around the country to campaign for fellow Republicans. She said it doesn’t matter where you are in the nation, people are focused on the same issues. They want to stop attacks on the energy industry, address inflation and close the borders.
It is those same issues she wants to address first when she gets into office in Washington, D.C. Hageman outlined a few of her priorities, such as repealing any funding for 87,000 Internal Revenue Service agents. She said the IRS doesn’t need to double in capacity or size, and it’s an important issue nationally.
She also plans to protect the industries that are important to Wyoming and rein in the administrative state.
“We’ve got to control what’s going on in the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Education, the Department of Commerce, CDC, NIH – I could go on and on – EPA, Fish and Wildlife Service, Forest Service. These agencies are out of control,” she told the WTE. “Congress needs to reclaim its rightful responsibility of legislating, and we need to substantially reduce the power and the reach of these administrative agencies.”
State races
Incumbent Gov. Mark Gordon easily won his second term in office against Democratic candidate Theresa Livingston and Libertarian Jared Baldes. Gordon received 143,664 votes to Livingston’s 30,676 and Baldes’ 8,154. There were 11,460 write-ins.
Gordon said he was humbled when the AP called his race minutes after the polls closed. He said he and his wife, first lady Jennie Gordon, were honored to have the confidence of the Wyoming voters so clearly.
“The next four years are going to be pivotal for Wyoming,” he told the WTE. “And I know Jennie and I are both completely committed to doing our best to lead this state forward.”
His priorities include continuing to work to diversify the economy, and doubling down on the attractiveness of the state’s low taxes. He also plans to address natural resource conservation, mental health, expanding medical access and rethinking education.
“Under Governor Gordon, Wyoming is in a stronger position and voters were enthusiastic to continue his leadership for four more years,” Republican Governors Association Co-Chairs Govs. Doug Ducey and Pete Ricketts said in a prepared statement. “Mark delivered on his promises by cutting taxes and taking on the Biden administration to defend Wyoming’s oil and gas industry. With Governor Gordon, Wyoming is destined for success.”
Not only did Gordon face two contenders on the ballot, a write-in campaign was conducted for Republican primary candidate Brent Bien.
The military veteran said in the weeks preceding the election that he was not funding, nor leading a write-in campaign against Gordon.
The only other competitive race at the state level was for state superintendent of public instruction, which has been held by appointee Brian Schroeder for the past year. Republican Megan Degenfelder won easily with 142,511 votes, defeating Democratic candidate Sergio A. Maldonado Sr., who got 43,251. There were 4,156 write-in votes.
Republican Rep. Chuck Gray, R-Casper, Kristi Racines and Curt Meier all won their uncontested races. Gray will be the next secretary of state after earning 147,368 votes (13,574 write-ins), while State Auditor Racines (161,508 votes; 2,205 write-ins) and State Treasurer Meier (159,592 votes; 3,216 write-ins) will remain in office.
State Senate
This year, there will be 93 seats in the Wyoming Legislature, and 15 of those races took place in Laramie County. Nine were contested by Republicans, Democrats, Constitution Party candidates and Independents, while the other six consisted of primary winners facing no challengers.
Republicans swept the general election, and no Democrats or third-party candidates were elected.
Senate District 5 featured incumbent Sen. Lynn Hutchings, R-Cheyenne, facing off against Democratic candidate Ted Hanlon. Hutchings assumed office in 2019, after serving in the state House of Representatives from 2013 to 2015.
Hutchings defeated Hanlon with 3,285 votes (70.58%), according to unofficial Laramie County Clerk election results. Hanlon received 1,354 votes (29.09%).
Hanlon told the WTE that it wasn’t an unexpected result, but that he felt he could have helped the state of Wyoming significantly if he had won. He was proud of his advocating for women and residents’ need for health care.
“I feel good about staying true to what I believe,” he said.
Another incumbent was up for re-election in Senate District 7, and faced Democrat Marcie Kindred. Sen. Stephan Pappas, R-Cheyenne, has been a member of the Senate since 2015, and won with 3,239 votes (56.80%).
Kindred earned 2,439 votes (42.77%).
She told the WTE earlier Tuesday night that she was confident in the campaign that she ran, but despite connecting with many constituents, it is difficult to get them to flip the district blue.
“It’s overwhelming,” she said. “I am so proud and grateful for how many people stepped up and made this thing possible.”
Senate District 31 is a new seat created from the redistricting process in the last budget session. Republican Evie Brennan won her primary, and was uncontested in the general election. She won with 3,807 votes (96.21%).
State House
House District 4 was a seat both Laramie County and Platte County voters weighed in on. Incumbent Rep. Jeremy Haroldson, R-Wheatland, was challenged by Independent candidate Dan Brecht following his first term in office.
Haroldson won Laramie County’s portion, with 44 votes (80%). Brecht had 11 (20%). The incumbent also easily won Platte County’s larger portion of the district with 2,493 votes (63.05%) to Brecht’s 1,425 (36.04%).
The longtime Joint Appropriations Committee co-chair and member of the House since 2011 campaigned for re-election in House District 7. Rep. Bob Nicholas, R-Cheyenne, faced first-time Democratic candidate Jordan Evans. Nicholas defeated him with 2,043 votes (60.88%), while Evans earned 1,282 (38.2%).
Although there was no incumbent in the House District 8 race, former state representative Dave Zwonitzer threw his hat back into the ring. He and Independent candidate Brenda Lyttle faced off for the seat, and Zwonitzer won with 2,716 votes (68.38%). Lyttle received 1,214 (30.56%).
Zwonitzer’s son, Rep. Dan Zwonitzer, R-Cheyenne, defeated his challenger in the primary, and was uncontested for House District 43. The two will serve in the 67th Wyoming Legislature together after Dan Zwonitzer received 2,193 (94.57%) of the votes Tuesday.
Rep. Landon Brown, R-Cheyenne, won re-election in House District 9. This is his fourth campaign for the state House, and he faced Democratic candidate Stephen Latham. Brown won 2,015 votes (71.2%), compared to Latham’s 777 (27.46%).
Another legislator with more than a decade of experience was re-elected in House District 10. Rep. John Eklund, R-Cheyenne, defeated Republican Lars Lone in the primary and had no contenders in the general election. He received 3,195 votes (97.44%).
Laramie County School District 1 trustee Marguerite Herman challenged incumbent Rep. Jared Olsen, R-Cheyenne, for the seat in House District 11. She narrowly lost to Olsen, who received 1,144 votes (52.62%) to Herman’s 1,013 (46.6%).
Prior to the polls closing, Olsen said he was feeling very confident about the results. He said he was anticipating his biggest win to date, and his priorities are to focus on “real and tangible property relief, greater diversification of our economy, and reforms to our charter school laws.”
In the 2020 election, he received 54.96% of the votes cast.
“I have represented House District 11 for six years, and as we made our way through the district, we received overwhelming support from my constituents,” he said in a statement.
Republican incumbent Rep. Clarence Styvar was the only name on the Laramie County ballot for House District 12. He won with 1,378 votes (96.09%).
Rep. Bill Henderson, R-Cheyenne, has served as House District 41’s lawmaker since 2017. He faced no contenders in the Republican primary, but defeated Democrat Jen Solis and Constitution Party candidate Matt Freeman in the general election. He received 1,384 votes (49.32%), Solis received 1,163 (41.45%), and Freeman earned 252 (8.98%).
Republican candidate Ben Hornok was unopposed Tuesday night. He received 2,413 (94.96%) of the votes in House District 42.
Former Democratic state representative Sara Burlingame lost to Republican primary winner Tamara Trujillo in House District 44. Trujillo defeated incumbent Rep. John Romero-Martinez, R-Cheyenne, who led a write-in campaign following his loss in the primary.
Trujillo kept the seat Republican after receiving 937 votes (59.95%). Burlingame received 616 votes (39.41%).
Trujillo told the WTE that her victory was the greatest gift from God, and she looks forward to representing her district to the best of her ability. She said the day that she put her name in the race, she expected to win.
