Mon. Nov 25th, 2024

Three Albany County Democratic lawmakers face concerted challenges from the right, setting the stage for a slate of races that stand to determine the scope and influence of Wyoming’s minority party in the next Legislature. 

A record-low number of Democrats ran for the statehouse this year, so most of the Legislature’s makeup was determined in the primary election, when the hard-line Wyoming Freedom Caucus gained ground against traditional Republicans. It’s now up to voters in the general election to decide the final composition and control of the Legislature. 

Seven Democrats now serve in the statehouse, with five in the House and two in the Senate — all of which represent either Albany or Teton counties. Neither democratic senator is up for reelection, and Jackson’s two representatives are running uncontested. That leaves 16 Democrats on general election statehouse ballots — Albany County’s three reps and 13 Democratic challengers vying for Republican-held seats across the state. 

In Laramie, Reps. Ken Chestek, Karlee Provenza and Trey Sherwood are running against Republican challengers Shane Swett, Paul Crouch and Joe Giustozzi respectively. 

While the Freedom Caucus did not endorse Swett, Crouch nor Giustozzi — as it did with other Republican newcomers in the primary — campaign finance reports indicate all three have ties to its allies or members. That included outgoing Rep. Mark Jennings (R-Sheridan) who gave $1,000 to Crouch, and Rep. Allen Slagle (R-Newcastle) who gave $1,000 to both Crouch and Giustozzi. The Crook County Republican Party donated $2,000 to all three. 

That local GOP donated $25,000 to the political action committee associated with the Freedom Caucus in June, but the PAC returned the money after Senate President Ogden Driskill raised concerns about the legality of the donation. 

Meanwhile, the local Albany County Republican Party is also pushing to flip seats in Laramie, one of Wyoming’s last remaining left-leaning areas, with negative billboards and attack mailers. 

The Albany County Republican Party is using billboards and attack mailers in its push to flip legislative seats currently held by Democratic incumbents. (Albany County Republican Party Facebook page)

“VOTE REPUBLICAN,” says one billboard in downtown Laramie, paid for by the Albany County Republican Party. The word “Democrat” is slashed out in red above “Increased Spending,” “Defunding the Police,” and “Dictating Education.” 

The party’s mailers have included inaccurate information about lawmaker voting records and state law. One mailer, for example, said a “proof of residency (utility bill)” was needed to register to vote in Wyoming. However, state law simply requires identification to do so. 

Albany County Chairman Roxie Hensley did not return multiple requests for an interview by WyoFile. The party’s campaign finance report is due Nov. 15. 

House District 14

Of the three races, House District 14 leans the least to the left, encompassing some north Laramie neighborhoods and the northern section of Albany County and the rural communities of Bosler, Garrett and Rock River. 

Sherwood, who works as the director of Laramie Main Street, has represented the district since 2021 and has earned the support of not just Democrats. This year, some of Sherwood’s rancher constituents asked that her campaign make “Republicans for Sherwood” signs. The lawmaker obliged. 

“[They] have just been so warm and welcoming to me, and being able to sit with them at their kitchen table, or go shoot with them on the Fourth of July, just being in dialogue has been so amazing,” Sherwood told WyoFile. “One, for me to gain more understanding about their lifestyle and their needs, but then for them to offer support for my campaign and not wanting to compromise why they are registered Republicans.” 

Rep. Trey Sherwood (D-Laramie) during the Wyoming Legislature’s 2023 general session. (Megan Lee Johnson/WyoFile)

Sherwood’s fight for $300,000 in the 2024 budget session for a one-room schoolhouse in Garrett, as reported by The Laramie Reporter, is a point of pride for the lawmaker. Education alongside affordable housing will remain priorities for Sherwood if reelected, she told WyoFile. 

“Housing will be my number one focus heading into this session, and either removing regulatory barriers or providing financial incentives to local communities to overcome some of these hurdles,” Sherwood said. 

As for campaigning, Sherwood said she’s been focused on going door to door in order to “listen more than talk, and then be able to kind of take away common themes that I hear at the door regardless of political affiliation.”

One thing in those conversations that has surprised Sherwood has been the number of homeowners who “did not know about the property tax relief programs that we had passed,” she said.

“So it’s really rewarding to be able to be like, ‘Oh, this is a concern. I have an immediate solution for you,’” Sherwood said. 

If reelected, Sherwood said she’s eager to use her experience as a member of the Joint Appropriations Committee to help new lawmakers learn the budget process. 

Joe Giustozzi, Sherwood’s opponent, did not respond to WyoFile’s request for an interview or return the WyoFile Election Guide candidate questionnaire. 

Joe Guistozzi, a Republican, is running for House District 14 in Albany County. (Joe Guistozzi campaign)

“My family and I left Connecticut and the East Coast and moved here to Wyoming four years ago to escape the high taxes, the high cost of living in general, and to escape the liberal mindset and the oppressive local and state government that permeates everything back East,” Giustozzi said in a video on his website

Giustozzi’s college education was in engineering and mathematics, according to his website, while his professional career “was spent working on numerous military and commercial aircraft programs.”

His campaign goals, as stated on his website, are to “reduce property taxes responsibly,” “improve education and teacher pay,” “increase business development by reducing regulations” and “increase transparency in government decisions.” 

Giustozzi is endorsed by the National Rifle Association, Wyoming Right to Life, Gun Owners of America and Wyoming Family Alliance, according to his Facebook. 

Giustozzi has enlisted McShane LLC, for campaign help, according to campaign finance records. The Nevada-based media consultant known for its bare-knuckled tactics was used by the Freedom Caucus’ WY Freedom PAC ahead of the August primary and Secretary of State Chuck Gray during his 2022 campaign. In 2021, the business was reported to have an employee linked to the Proud Boys, a far-right, extremist group. 

House District 45 

Like Giustozzi, Paul Crouch moved to Wyoming for political reasons, according to his website.

Paul Crouch, a Republican, is running for House District 45 in Laramie. (Paul Crouch for Wyoming House District 45 Facebook page)

He has a computer science degree from Ohio State University, works for a trucking company as an “IT Infrastructure Architect” and “came to Laramie seeking adventure, lower taxes, and more personal freedom,” according to his website. 

“As a husband, father of four, and church leader, I have learned to approach challenges with wisdom, fairness, and a focus on the common good,” Crouch wrote in a League of Women Voters ballot guide. “These roles have instilled in me a deep sense of responsibility, integrity, and service to others. I pride myself on being not only a good listener but also an action-based, take-charge person.”

Crouch opted not to answer questions in the guide related to whether he would support backfilling losses to cities and counties if property taxes are further reduced, what the Legislature’s role should be overseeing the University of Wyoming and community colleges and what can be done to address specific Wyoming issues. 

On his website, Crouch said he’s in favor of “lower property taxes for the life of owning your home,” “transparent budgeting,” “parental rights,” “school choice,” and “maintaining low cost energy sources as we transition to improve our electric grid infrastructure.”

Like the local GOP, Crouch’s campaign has gone on the offensive, sending out attack mailers against his opponent, Rep. Provenza. 

Albany County Republican Party signs dot Snowy Range Road in Laramie on Nov. 1. (Maggie Mullen/WyoFile)

Provenza is “inaccessible to many constituents, focusing on a personal agenda that represents a selected group rather than the entire community,” one of Crouch mailers reads, while also stating his commitment to “being accessible and listening to the concerns of all Albany County residents.” 

Crouch did not respond to WyoFile’s request for an interview or return the WyoFile Election Guide candidate questionnaire.  

“If my opponent is claiming that I’m inaccessible, it’s just because he hasn’t been here long enough to know,” Provenza told WyoFile. “I think everyone, for the most part, sees me as accessible.”

Provenza said she’s constantly meeting one-on-one with constituents, including a recent sit-down with a local hunter to discuss successful legislation she brought in 2023 to ban bogus “no trespassing” signs on public lands. 

Provenza said her campaign has been phone banking, sending handwritten postcards and has “knocked well over 1,000 doors. I’ve hit hundreds myself. So we’ve got a really strong ground game.”

Provenza speaks into a microphone on the House floor
Rep. Karlee Provenza (D-Laramie) talks on the House floor in 2024. (Ashton J. Hacke/WyoFile)

The concerns Provenza said she’s heard from voters include affordable health care and housing, economic opportunity and reproductive freedom. That’s also where Provenza said her priorities will be. 

“If we’re going to create opportunities for young people, we need to have an economy that works here,” Provenza said. “And to have an economy that works here, we need to do things like make sure that we have affordable housing, that we have affordable health care and education. You know, economic development — businesses look at those things when they are trying to decide where to bring their business.”

Provenza works as a research scientist and has a Ph.D. in experimental psychology and law from UW. She’s served two terms in the Legislature and been a member of both the House Education Committee and the House Judiciary Committee.

As House Minority Whip, it’s often up to Provenza to push back against the supermajority. 

“Dissenting opinions are good because they help make for better ideas, or they make bad ideas less bad potentially,” Provenza said. 

“The role that I’m going to play this upcoming session, that Democrats are gonna have to play, is articulating the harm that is being caused,” Provenza said.  

House District 13

Rep. Ken Chestek, a retired faculty member of the College of Law at University of Wyoming, is seeking a second term in the House. He’s served on the House Journal, House Judiciary Committee and the Select Committee on Tribal Relations.

Individual freedoms will be his top priority if reelected, Chestek told WyoFile. 

Rep. Ken Chestek (R-Laramie) during the Wyoming Legislature’s 2024 budget session. (Ashton J. Hacke/WyoFile)

“The so-called Freedom Caucus tends to be in favor of policies that reduce freedom,” Chestek said, pointing to Wyoming’s abortion bans — which are on hold pending a court decision — and restrictions on gender-affirming care and transgender youth’s participation in sports. 

“[The Democrats] are all about freedom, and we’re all about protecting individuals and letting them be who they need to be, who they are, who they want to be, because that’s freedom to us,” Chestek said. 

Chestek is optimistic about Democratic incumbents holding on to their seats in Laramie, and even adding representation in races elsewhere. 

“I think Democrats have a chance to pick up some more seats,” Chestek said. “I really do think that we’ve got opportunities.”

Chestek has been focused on going door to door to reach voters in his district, which covers a south-east section of Laramie. 

“One thing that comes up frequently is that the tenor of political discourse today is so negative,” Chestek said, adding that he doesn’t think the attack mailers the local GOP has sent out against him are helping his opponent. 

“People don’t like it,” Chestek said.

Shane Swett, a Republican, is running for House District 13 in Laramie (Courtesy)

Shane Swett, Chestek’s opponent, did not respond to WyoFile’s request for an interview. 

Swett is a business owner and lifelong resident of Laramie, according to his response to WyoFile’s election guide. 

As co-owner of a local towing company, Swett and his family have a long tradition of offering free rides on New Year’s Eve, according to the Laramie Boomerang. The tradition has been a way to discourage community members from driving under the influence and to honor a family member who died because of a drunk driver. 

Swett’s campaign does not have a website or social media presence. Instead, his campaign has mostly utilized radio advertising, according to his campaign finance report. Those filings also indicated he’s received support from State Treasurer Curt Meier, the Wyoming Republican Party and Dan Brophy, a prominent conservative donor from Teton County. 

In his response to WyoFile’s election guide, Swett kept his answers brief. 

He said he’d be willing to compromise with legislators and other officials with different perspectives.  Asked how, within the framework of a lawmaker’s powers and duties, would he address the biggest challenges and opportunities facing Wyoming today he answered “property taxes.” 

Early voting is underway in Wyoming. The general election is Nov. 5. 

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