A questionnaire was sent to the following candidates’ for the 2020 election consisting of these questions:
- How should Wyoming address the COVID-19 pandemic for the rest of 2020 and 2021?
- What do you think the role Wyoming has in providing free COVID-19 testing and vaccines to its citizens?
- How will you keep college students here in Wyoming once graduated?
- How will you make education as free as possible in Wyoming according to the constitution?
- What is the common ground between Black Lives Matter and Blue Lives Matter? How do we get there?
Here are each of the candidates responses:
(R) Liz Cheney
- We need to protect Wyoming families, our way of life, and get the economy growing again. The CARES Act provided a path towards economic recovery as well as lifesaving resources for healthcare workers and hospitals in Wyoming and across the country. The Paycheck Protection Program helped over thirteen thousand Wyoming businesses with over one billion dollars in relief to keep workers on the payroll. The CARES Act provided 1.25 billion dollars to the state of Wyoming to assist with the impact of the pandemic. We must continue to invest in development, manufacture, and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics.
- I’ve worked closely with our Governor, county commissioners and public health experts to bring testing capabilities to different areas across our state, and having enough testing is critically important as we fight to defeat the virus. The Administration has undertaken Operation Warp Speed to develop, manufacture, and distribute a vaccine. Any vaccine approved by the FDA will be safe and effective for the public. In September, the Administration released a vaccine distribution strategy and I will work with them to ensure people in Wyoming – particularly those who are high-risk for the virus – have access to the approved vaccine.
- We will keep graduates in Wyoming by having a strong economy and promoting innovation. Lower taxes and fewer regulations will allow businesses to expand. We must continue to champion our ag and energy industries which are crucial for our economy. Wyoming has been a leader in carbon capture technology, which not only mitigates the environmental effects of coal, but improves the efficiency and longevity of Wyoming’s most valuable industry. The University is working with the Department of Energy to accelerate research in this field and I will do everything in my position to continue to support and foster that relationship.
- Article 7, Section 16 of our state’s constitution says that instruction at the University of Wyoming should be as nearly free as possible. In Wyoming, we have worked to make sure college education at UW and at our community colleges is as affordable as possible, and have offered support for various scholarships, like the Hathaway Scholarship available at varying funding levels for Wyoming high school students who attend college in-state. We also have a range of programs intended to expand educational access and opportunities for tribal students and others to ensure access to educational opportunities at UW and our community colleges.
- I stand with our law enforcement who put their lives on the line for us all. The Justice Act drafted by Sen. Tim Scott – which I co-sponsored – included key reforms that would support police departments across the country in training, accountability, and transparency. We must strive to live up to our founding values. Peaceful protests are constitutionally protected. Violent riots are not, and our communities must be safe and secure.
(D) Lynette Grey Bull
- No submission
(L) Richard Brubaker
- No submission
(CP) Jeff Haggit
- No submission
