Big Horn Basin legislative candidates shared their perspectives on a range of issues Wednesday at the 2022 Candidate Forums Wednesday. The Park County Republican Women, which hosted the event, asked the candidates questions about critical race theory, gun control, and loyalty to the Republican Party. 

All the legislative candidates were asked if they would support an affidavit requiring Republican legislators to vote in alignment with the Republican Party at least 80% of the time, or be prohibited from running as Republicans in future elections. 

There was a mixture of support and opposition on the question. 

Rep. Sandy Newsome, R-Cody, the incumbent for House District 24, argued that she was voted into her office by all constituents. While the primary election may be Republicans voting for the candidate who best represents the party, the general election is determined by voters of all political parties. 

“I don’t know if I should be forced in any way to have the Republican Party determine if I can be a Republican or not,” Newsome said. 

David Northrup, who is running for House District 25, argued that bills that come before legislators during the session sometimes have “convoluted language,” which can make it difficult to serve both the interests of constituents and those of the party. 

Dalton Banks, who is running for House District 26 — which covers the eastern portion of Park County and much of Big Horn County — said he supports the affidavit but thinks 80% is too low. 

In the Senate District 19 race, candidate Ray Peterson said a glance at his voting record would show a commitment to the party’s values, but he doesn’t believe the affidavit is a good idea. 

“Is the Republican Party right all the time? I don’t know. Most of the time, yes,” Peterson said. 

Rep. Dan Laursen, R-Powell, is running in the SD19 race. He voiced complete support for the proposal. 

SD19 incumbent R.J. Kost, R-Powell, has been criticized for instances in which he voted against the party. Kost said he’s in office to represent the 18,000 people in the district and not just the party. 

Along the same lines, a question was posed about restrictions to crossover voting, as it’s called. This happens when voters switch parties before the primary election in order to vote for their preferred Republicans, only to switch back to Democrat for the general election. 

Troy Bray, who is running for House District 25, said he recognized that crossover voting is a problem but questioned if a ban on the practice was a good idea. 

“There are solutions that don’t infringe on our rights. I think we’ve been trapped in thinking we have to give up a right to find a solution,” Bray said. 

Northrup said that, with so few Democrats in many state races, Wyoming is a “one party state.” He said a restriction on crossover voting would limit voters’ participation in state elections. 

“If Democrats want to have a voice, they have to switch parties,” Northrup said. 

Banks said crossover voting has the ability to influence elections that would undermine conservative values. 

“We see voters in the Jackson area switch parties so they can vote for [U.S. Rep.] Liz Cheney,” only to switch again after the primary, Banks said. 

Nina Webber, who is running against Newsome in HD24, agreed. The primary, she explained, is about selecting the right candidate to support the party’s platform. 

“You’re running as a Republican, be a Republican and defend the party platform. If you don’t want to defend the Republican platform, get out of our race,” Webber said. 

Tim Beck, who is running for HD26, said he helped develop the Big Horn County Republican Party platform. Beck said the party opposes crossover voting because it undermines the primary process, which is to advance the ideals of the party. 

Laursen said he favored a law like those in New York, which prevents people from switching parties within four months of the election. 

Kost, on the other hand, pointed out there were 53,000 registered Republicans in the last election who didn’t vote, in a state with 22,500 registered Democrats. 

“We don’t have a problem with switching parties. We have a problem with apathy within our own party,” Kost argued. 

Peterson didn’t think restricting crossover voting would infringe on anyone’s rights. 

“If the Democrats don’t have a candidate, I’m sorry,” Peterson said. “Why should we allow Democrats to run as Republicans? Then we scratch our heads and wonder why we get RINOs. No brainer.” 

The House district candidates were asked if they’d support a ban on teaching critical race theory (CRT) in schools. The theory was a previously obscure field of study utilized by far-left legal scholars and sociologists, who argued that white supremacy was ingrained within every institution in America. It aims to create a framework of analysis, proponents argue, that can uncover how these institutions are the cause of all inequalities in American society. 

Over the past few years, teaching curriculum based on CRT has been controversial, with many conservatives arguing that, since CRT effectively blames whites for all these problems in the country, it’s an inherently racist idea. 

“Anything that causes us to become more racist is wrong, and critical race theory does just that,” said HD25 candidate Rex Rich. 

Chris Good, who is also running for HD25, suggested people refer to the writings of economist Thomas Sowell, a black conservative who has been outspoken against the theory. 

Newsome said she was opposed to CRT being taught in schools, but supported teaching kids about those ugly parts of American history. She pointed to the history of the Heart Mountain Internment Camp as an example of history students should be taught. 

Banks said, “It teaches kids to not be proud of being an American.” 

“I think we have other things to focus on. It’s called education,” Webber stated.

She noted recent proficiency testing showed Wyoming high school students had a 54% proficiency in English, and a 48% proficiency in math.

The House district candidates were uniformly opposed to gun control and allowing biological males who transition into females to compete in girls’ sports. 

Senate district candidates were all opposed to gun control, but were not asked about critical race theory. They were asked if they support vaccine mandates and all three said no. 

Another candidate forum will be held in Cody on Wednesday, June 8, at 6 p.m., in the Grizzly Room of the Cody Public Library. The event will be live-streamed on the Park County Republican Women Facebook page. 

The primary election is Aug. 16.