These are updating stories and will be added to as the week goes on.
Albany County State Representatives -Rian Zimbal
For the 2024 Primary Election, Albany County had eight State House Representatives appearing on the ballot across four districts. These four districts include District 13, District 14, District 45, District 46.
Within District 13, Ken Chestek, a recent retiree from the University of Wyoming College of Law, ran for reelection. In the past, he has sponsored bills surrounding the Hathaway scholarship program and increasing the award amounts, abortion and reproductive rights, hazing policies on the University of Wyoming and community college campuses, and many more.
The District 13 Republican candidate Shane Swett is a born and raised Wyomingite. He was running using his experience as a lifelong Laramite and being a business owner as a way to support the people. He does not have a large media presence and has turned down interview requests from news sources, however, he did address a few issues in the 2024 WyoFile Election guide.
Within District 13, Representative Ken Chestek came out on top with 1,937 votes against Shane Swett’s 1,711 votes.
“I am grateful to the voters of House District 13 for having the confidence in me to return to Cheyenne and continue working on their behalf,” Representative Chestek said. “I will continue to evaluate issues I am voting on based on what would provide the most help for the people who need help. I will represent every resident of the district whether they voted for me or not, and welcome all future conversations with voters about their views on how I can best serve them and the State of Wyoming.”
Incumbent Trey Sherwood, for District 14, expressed her passion for addressing the issues of affordable housing and is focused on a diverse economy along with conservation. On her campaign website, she has also shared her support that small businesses, farms and ranches, gig and remote workers, and creative makers are the backbone of our economy.
Sherwood’s competition, Republican Joe Giustozzi said on his campaign website that his goals were to “reduce property taxes responsibly, improve education and teacher pay, increase business development by reducing regulations, and increase transparency in government decision.” He had endorsements from the Gun Owners of America, Wyoming Right to Life, Wyoming Family Alliance, and the NRA.
The Incumbent Trey Sherwood won her re-election term for the 14th District with 2,472 votes against Joe Giustozzi’s 2,277 votes.
“I’m super excited to continue to serve the community,” Representative Sherwood said. “I’m hyper focused on local issues. The things I heard at the door were concerns about rent and renter’s rights and the increased cost of property tax that leads to the increased cost of housing… My constituents really value K through 12 public education and the University of Wyoming. Those things are going to be my priorities… I want to make sure that the bills I’m bringing, the amendments I’m bringing are reflective of the values of our community.”
For District 45, the Incumbent Karlee Provenza was the democratic candidate. She had an adverse upbringing but persevered and obtained a Ph.D from the University of Wyoming. She said on her website that she looks forward to “listening to members of [her] community on their ideas about criminal justice, healthcare, economic instability, public lands, and more.
Paul Crouch, a Republican running against Provenza for District 45, came to Laramie for “adventure, lower taxes, and more personal freedom.” He ran on “Common Sense Wyoming” and had a focus on budgeting, school choice, taxes, parental rights, school choice, and energy policy.
The county’s third incumbent representative to win re-election is Representative Karlee Provenza. The Democrat received 2,493 votes against Republican Candidate Crouch’s mere 1,477 votes.
The Democrat running for the 46th District was Chris Lowry. He is a strong supporter of the 2nd amendment right and believes “the public must have continued access to public lands.” He also believes that in the rural state of Wyoming, there should be local control and has also voiced his support for women to maintain the right to make their own reproductive choices.
Republican Incumbent Ocean Andrew was running for re-election in District 46. He is an entrepreneur and a graduate of the University of Wyoming. He claimed on his website that he is proud to have served on the education committee during his time in the legislature and that “It’s time to take a bold stand and fight for education choice.”
Ocean Andrew won the election and will serve another term for House District 46. The democratic candidate, Chris Lowry received a total of 1,479 votes against Andrew’s 3,406.
Albany County Commission Seat -Karter Murfitt
Local locksmith Thad Hoff has won the election for Albany County Commission. Hoff has lived in Laramie for 21 years and is the owner of the local locksmith company Wyoming State Safe & Lock Co. Hoff will take over for former commissioner Sue Ibarra, a Democrat who decided not to go up for re-election.
The Albany County Commission has three seats; only one was on the ballot in 2024. The other two seats are split between one Democrat and one Republican, this means that the party that wins the seat will also win control of county leadership. Hoff’s win means that the commission balance swings to Republican for this term.
Hoff campaigned on several pressing topics, including managing Albany County’s budget and expanding the rare earth mining business, specifically in the northern part of the county. He hopes that this business will stimulate the county’s economy into something bigger than it has been in the past few years. Hoff wants to increase infrastructure so that this developing business can grow further.
“I’m hoping that has some benefit. If there’s lithium or anything that can be used in electric vehicles or that kind of thing … then the state or the county should get involved and try to cultivate that,” Hoff said to the Laramie Reporter back in July.
Hoff’s website also says he wants to “Work with State Legislators to Stabilize taxation for property owners and forecast future adjustments for planning” and “Ensure the smooth flow of government, work with (not against) existing commissioners and elected officials for the benefit of all.”
Hoff did not respond to the Branding Iron when asked for a comment about his win.
US Senate Race -Mason Riding
The U.S. Senate race for one of two Wyoming senate seats has completed, as incumbent Republican senator John Barrasso won by a landslide against the Democratic candidate, Scott Morrow.
Barrasso, for the second year in a row, easily won the race as the primary Republican candidate. Reid Rasner and John Holtz ran against Barrasso in the Republican primary with little success, as Barrasso took home a winning 67.9% of 103,789 votes. Rasner won 24.5% of votes and Holtz won 7.6% of the votes.
Barrasso then won with a heavy majority of the votes against the uncontested primary Democratic candidate mentioned earlier, Scott Morrow.
Barrasso has been a part of the U.S. Senate since 2007, and recently won the 2018 U.S. Senate election with more than 67% of the votes that year. Before his time in the U.S. Senate, Barrasso served as a representative of Natrona County in the Wyoming State Senate and was an orthopedic surgeon before becoming involved with politics.
Within the U.S. Senate, Barrasso serves on committees concerning Wyoming’s economy, energy interests, public lands, national parks and trade.
In his announcement for re-election, Barrasso criticized current president Joe Biden and his “spending and border policies.” Barrasso hopes that in his next term he will have a better platform to promote Wyoming energy.
Laramie City Council -Charles Vaughters
Along with the rest of the nation, Laramie decided some of its leaders on Tuesday, November 5. The election, part of a contentious election cycle, saw significant ad presence within Laramie.
Winning in City Council Ward 1 are William Bowling, Sharon Cumbie, Paul Montoya, and Roxie Hensley. Bowling, an employee of the University of Wyoming, has stated that housing is currently the greatest crisis facing Laramie, and that his primary concern for his tenure as city councilman will be to reduce housing costs for all Laramites. Sharon Cumbie is an incumbent member of the city council and can be expected to largely follow her previous policy positions. Cumbie has also noted a special need for more infrastructure upkeep in Laramie, in order to keep the city safe and aesthetically pleasing. Montoya wishes to examine and repeal recent pay increases for the mayor and other city council members and wishes to promote fiscal responsibility within the Laramie government and community as a whole. Hensley has advocated for several things, including infrastructure upkeep and timely snow removal, a large issue for many Laramites.
In Ward 2, Jim Fried, Melanie Vigil, Brett Glass, and Brett Kahler were the victors. Fried has stated his dedication to public transportation for all citizens in Laramie and hopes to get a consistent system up where residents can get around town without having to use a car. In addition to this, Fried is an advocate of parks and green spaces around the town, advocating for increased funding to the various parks around the city of Laramie. Vigil has stated that her top three priorities for city council will be an increase in housing availability, conserving Laramie’s outdoor recreation areas in and outside of town and spurring economic growth within the community. Glass has run on a platform of increasing the availability of affordable housing, and also advocates for a more personal and open relationship between the citizenry and city government. Kahler, a graduate of UW and former ASUW student president, wishes to prioritize economic development in the community as well as community engagement.
In Ward 3 there were only two winners, Matt Lockhart and Bryan Schuster. Lockhart, like many on city council, advocates for an increase in the availability of housing throughout the community, and also advocates for much more transparency within the local government and much more parking downtown. Schuster is committed to economic development within Laramie and is expected to generally continue his prior policy stances, being an incumbent.
In the months to come, Laramites will look to these officials to enact meaningful reforms, hopefully helping to shape a more livable and vibrant future for our city.
