Primary Election: U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives

Published by admin on Thu, 08/15/2024 - 12:20pm

John Barrasso for Senate

Please give a brief biography: where you were born, education, family, current employment, Wyoming ties, other offices and jobs held and political and service experience.

For more than 40 years, I’ve called Casper home. I raised my family there and all three of my children are proud graduates of the Natrona County School District. During my 24 years as an orthopedic surgeon in Casper, I served as president of the Wyoming Medical Society and was named Wyoming Physician of the Year. I’ve had decades of experience caring for patients and families across Wyoming.

Before serving in the U.S. Senate, I represented Natrona County in the Wyoming State Senate. The Wyoming Legislature trained me to effectively represent the interests and advocate for the issues that matter most to our state.

In the U.S. Senate, I’m proud of my strong, conservative record that puts Wyoming first. I serve on committees that directly impact our state’s energy industry, public lands, national parks and trade. With my leadership positions, I’ve successfully promoted Wyoming’s economy and natural resources, strengthened our national security, cut wasteful Washington spending and fought against overreaching regulations.

There is more work to be done. If re-elected, I will continue to fight for Wyoming every day.

What are THE most important issues facing our nation and Wyoming in 2024 and the years ahead, and how do you plan to address them?

My priority is the people of Wyoming and helping them create a better future. Whether it is coal, oil or natural gas, Wyoming’s energy powers the nation. The Biden-Harris administration has declared war on American energy. They’ve put in place barriers and restrictions to stop energy production and development. It is hurting our economy and jobs in Wyoming. In the Senate, I’m working on federal legislation to strike Washington’s stifling energy regulations and to expedite the federal permitting process.

In Wyoming, our livelihoods depend on preserving the health of our federal lands. Wyoming landowners and leaseholders have proven to be the best stewards of the land. Despite our incredible track record, the Biden-Harris administration continues to roll out rules and plans aimed at turning Wyoming’s federal lands from “multiple-use” to “non-use.” We depend on access to these lands for energy and mineral production, grazing and recreation. I’m leading the fight to stop this attack on our Wyoming way of life.

I’ll continue to do everything in my power to roll back the harmful rules and regulations that are blocking access to our federal lands and energy production across Wyoming.

With high inflation, supply chain issues and an evolving energy industry, it appears Wyoming’s economy finds itself in both a time of great peril but also great opportunity. How should Wyoming’s economy adapt and respond to the current economic situation? What are the opportunities for economic diversification and expansion, and what actions will you take to increase those opportunities and create jobs?

Wyoming has only begun to tap into the economic opportunities and possibilities available. Whether it is the Advance Casper’s Aerospace and Defense Conference or the Wyoming Federal Funding Summit, I have been working to promote and create new public and private sector partnerships in our state.  

Wyoming has the best people, with the strongest work ethic and the most business-friendly environment. We need to continue to encourage innovation and investment, as well as develop a skilled workforce. Economic development will create more jobs in Wyoming and make critical investments in small businesses, technology, education and public works.

I will also continue to introduce legislation aimed at increasing rural broadband access. Fast and reliable internet is vital to keeping rural communities, small businesses and emergency services connected and running smoothly. It also helps attract new businesses to Wyoming like data centers we have seen recently expand into our state.

Wyomingites and Americans are clearly losing trust in American institutions, most alarmingly the validity of elections. What do you feel is at the root of this distrust, and what work can you do to help restore the confidence of your constituents?

The right to vote in the United States is sacred. Americans deserve confidence that our elections will always be fair and transparent. I am committed to protecting the integrity of our election system.

In the Senate, I cosponsored the Save Democracy Act. The bill would make important reforms to increase efficiency, security and certainty in our voting process. It creates much needed national standards and guidelines to safeguard the accuracy and integrity of our election system and prevent fraud. 

Any time concerns are raised about an election, those allegations should be investigated and there is a process in place for any candidate to raise challenges to voting irregularities. In Wyoming, county clerks and the secretary of the state conduct primary and general elections. Historically, they have done an outstanding job in conducting fair and open elections in Wyoming.

What is your stance on America’s support for the war in Ukraine? Should the USA continue to support Ukraine’s efforts to repel Russia or pull back support?

Russia has continued its unprovoked war against Ukraine. President Putin’s war has brought death and destruction. Putin underestimated the resolve of the brave Ukrainian people. He also overestimated the ability of his own troops and weaponry.

We should continue our support to Ukraine, but NATO and our European allies need to do more. We cannot shoulder this burden alone, nor should we. 

The United States has provided a lot of support to Ukraine with technology, weapons and information. We can also make a difference by unleashing American energy, fully enforcing U.S. sanctions on Russia and working with our allies to strengthen our defenses.

The United States must continue to stand with our allies and partners in the face of brutal dictators. Our adversaries are carefully monitoring our response. The United States must act decisively and show strong leadership. 

Given the gridlock that has stymied work in Washington and the ever-increasing partisan divide that remains a concern for many voters, what is your position on working across the aisle in the Senate? What are the issues you believe you can work with the opposing party to solve?

My record proves that I am willing to work with anyone, regardless of party, who is ready to improve the lives of people in Wyoming and across the country. I’ve regularly sponsored bipartisan legislation to improve rural health care and support Wyoming’s energy workers.

In the last Congress alone, two of my bipartisan bills to jumpstart our nuclear fuel supply chain and support Wyoming’s uranium miners were signed into law. The Nuclear Fuel Security Act will help the Department of Energy and our commercial sector make a supply of American high-assay, low-enriched uranium available. This supply will be used to power advanced nuclear reactors across the country.

On May 13, 2024, my bipartisan legislation to ban Russian uranium imports into the United States was signed into law. Banning imports of Russian uranium will further defund Russia’s war machine and help revive American uranium production for decades to come. As our nation’s leading uranium producer, Wyoming is ready to do our part to power American reactors with American nuclear fuel.

 

Reid Rasner for Senate

Please give a brief biography: Where you were born, education, family, current employment, Wyoming ties, other offices and jobs held and political and service experience.

I was born in Wyoming and attended University of Wyoming. My education in finance has laid the foundation for my career as the CEO of Omnivest Financial. I am supported by a close-knit family. As a lifelong resident of Wyoming, I am deeply committed to our state’s values and future.

Although I have not previously held public office, my extensive experience in the private sector and active community involvement have prepared me to tackle the challenges we face.

What are THE most important issues facing our nation and Wyoming in 2024 and the years ahead, and how do you plan to address them?

The most important issues are border security and cutting government spending to protect our nation’s sovereignty and economic stability. I will aggressively push for policies that fortify our borders and implement stringent fiscal discipline to reduce the national debt.

With high inflation, supply chain issues and an evolving energy industry, it appears Wyoming’s economy finds itself in both a time of great peril but also great opportunity. How should Wyoming’s economy adapt and respond to the current economic situation? What are the opportunities for economic diversification and expansion, and what actions will you take to increase those opportunities and create jobs?

Wyoming must leverage its abundant energy resources and cut excessive regulations to ignite economic growth. I will relentlessly advocate for energy independence and champion initiatives that bring industries to our state, creating jobs and prosperity.

Wyomingites and Americans are clearly losing trust in American institutions, most alarmingly the validity of elections. What do you feel is at the root of this distrust, and what work can you do to help restore the confidence of your constituents?

Restoring trust requires decisive action to make government operations transparent and accountable. I will demand accountability and fight to eliminate any form of corruption or fraud in our institutions.

What is your stance on America’s support for the war in Ukraine? Should the USA continue to support Ukraine’s efforts to repel Russia or pull back support?

The U.S. should focus on securing our own borders and addressing domestic issues rather than involving itself in foreign conflicts. It is essential to prioritize American interests and ensure our resources are used to benefit our citizens.

Given the gridlock that has stymied work in Washington and the ever-increasing partisan divide that remains a concern for many voters, what is your position on working across the aisle in the Senate? What are the issues you believe you can work with the opposing party to solve?

I will not compromise on core values and will fiercely protect the interests of Wyoming and the nation. You can count on that. Working across the aisle is reserved for when it makes sense, not when it’s what the media wants.

 

Steven Helling for House

Please give a brief biography: where you were born, education, family, current employment, Wyoming ties, other offices and jobs held and political and service experience.

I was born on an Air Force base in Japan, and my first childhood memories are from living in the Washington, D.C., area, where my father was stationed. My wife and I were in Wyoming from 1977 to 2001 and then from 2022 to the present. We were married in a Baptist church on Pershing Blvd. in Cheyenne. We are both graduates of the University of Wyoming.

I have worked as a litigation attorney for over 40 years. This has included almost constant fighting followed by a resolution of the conflicts, either voluntarily or by a jury’s verdict. My experiences of fighting and resolution seem to be the perfect fit for the job of U.S. Representative. I also spent six years on the Independent Ethics Commission for the City of Colorado Springs and was chairman of the commission for over a year.

In Casper, I served on the board of directors for Legal Aid Services for nine years and was president of the board for two of those years. Legal Aid Services was an organization that provided civil legal services for low-income families. I also served on the Casper Junior Baseball Board for three years and coached teenage baseball for seven years.

What are THE most important issues facing our nation and Wyoming in 2024 and the years ahead, and how do you plan to address them?

There are many important issues facing our nation and Wyoming, including securing the border, abortion and energy independence. I support President Trump’s remain-in-Mexico policy and securing our southern border. I am pro-life and support national legislation restricting abortions. I am skeptical when it comes to climate change and fully support the use of fossil fuels. I note China issued 106 permits for coal-fired power plants in 2022, such that the closure of several coal plants in Wyoming would have almost no impact on the planet’s overall so-called carbon footprint. We need to extend the useful life of our coal-fired plants, and we need to “drill baby, drill,” as President Trump has said.

I am against any of President Joe Biden’s rapid expansion of the use of civil nuclear plans, as it would be very unfair to burden hundreds if not thousands of future generations with dealing with the highly radioactive and dangerous nuclear waste that would be created, at a time when there is no place to permanently store it.

With high inflation, supply chain issues and an evolving energy industry, it appears Wyoming’s economy finds itself in both a time of great peril but also great opportunity. How should Wyoming’s economy adapt and respond to the current economic situation? What are the opportunities for economic diversification and expansion, and what actions will you take to increase those opportunities and create jobs?

This country should continue to use fossil fuels while developing cleaner energy technologies. This should include hydrogen, electrolysis, geothermal and other truly clean energy sources. This should not include nuclear power plants, which is what Joe Biden is pushing for. Nuclear isotopes may be invisible, but they cause horrible cancers and other physical ailments. Nuclear waste is highly radioactive. It is not clean, even though its poison is invisible. There is no permanent storage site for nuclear waste, and we should not burden our future generations with such waste.

We are presently in a nuclear free portion of this country, and we should fight to preserve Wyoming’s pristine status. If Wyoming gets a reputation for harboring nuclear waste, sportsmen and other tourists will be less likely to come to Wyoming, thereby harming the economy. The people of Wyoming have the most to lose when it comes to nuclear, and we must not be the ones to do the least about it. We must fight to stop it. We must not trust Joe Biden. We must not sell out our future generations. Harriet Hageman supports the experimental nuclear plant in Kemmerer. It is a sellout of generations.

Wyomingites and Americans are clearly losing trust in American institutions, most alarmingly the validity of elections. What do you feel is at the root of this distrust, and what work can you do to help restore the confidence of your constituents?

I give kudos to Wyoming Secretary of State Chuck Gray for fighting to protect election integrity in Wyoming. We need voter ID laws throughout the nation. Judicial integrity has also suffered greatly with the persecutions of President Trump. We need judicial reform. Judges that do not recuse themselves from cases where they know they have clear conflicts of interest need to face prison time. We need to restore integrity, and this will help restore confidence in the American people.

What is your stance on America’s support for the war in Ukraine? Should the USA continue to support Ukraine/s efforts to repel Russia or pull back support?

The USA needs to honor its commitments to other nations. When Ukraine split from the Soviet Union and agreed to give up its nuclear weapons, they did so with assurances they would be protected. As such, we need to continue to support Ukraine. However, if I were advising President Zelensky, I would explain that people in the USA do not want to continue sending money into a bottomless pit and that any requests for support need to be accompanied with a detailed accounting of what the money has been and would be used for, along with proof of what the previous monies had been spent on. The American people deserve to know the details, even if it means revealing more information than Ukraine wants to reveal.

Given the gridlock that has stymied work in Washington and the ever-increasing partisan divide that remains a concern for many voters, what is your position on working across the aisle in the House? What are the issues you believe you can work with the opposing party to solve?

Washington is dysfunctional, and Harriet Hageman is part of the problem. She has called Kamala Harris the bottom of the barrel intellectually and a “DEI hire.” She has made fun of the City of Boulder, Colorado, which has reacted negatively to her comments. Her comments are hurting the reputation of the State of Wyoming, President Trump and the Republican Party.  There needs to be civility in order to work across the aisle. Civility is an issue both sides can work on. A vote for Ms. Hageman is a vote for the status quo.

Wyoming voters need to be willing to take a chance with their vote and vote for me. There is little to lose at this point, as it is hard to imagine Washington being any more dysfunctional than it already is. It is time for change.

 

Kyle Cameron for House

Please give a brief biography: where you were born, education, family, current employment, Wyoming ties, other offices and jobs held and political and service experience.

I was born in Cheyenne and earned a Bachelor of Science in social sciences from the University of Wyoming in 1992. After working in retail sales management, I became a stay-at-home mom for over 15 years, homeschooling my children and taking on part-time jobs.

Following my marriage’s end, I faced hardship and relied on safety net programs. I returned to school, obtaining a Master’s in organizational leadership and change from Colorado State University and a Master’s in Philosophy from Walden University. Now, I help small businesses secure non-dilutive funding, utilizing my extensive experience in grant administration.

Raised in a politically active family, my father served on the Cheyenne City Council, and my mother was the first woman to run for mayor. I have run for several offices and currently serve as the Wyoming Democratic Party Labor Caucus chair, a role I’ve held for 3½ years.

What are THE most important issues facing our nation and Wyoming in 2024 and the years ahead, and how do you plan to address them?

One of the most pressing issues is protecting bodily autonomy and reproductive rights. I will advocate for a new Women’s Health Protection Act that recognizes bodily autonomy as a fundamental right. Government should not dictate morality but rather protect individual autonomy. I will collaborate with colleagues in Congress to ensure everyone’s right to be secure in their persons, free from threats or violence.

Another critical issue is our broken healthcare system. Many face the fear of overwhelming medical debt, and while efforts to remove medical debt from credit reports are a step forward, we need comprehensive reform. High premiums, deductibles and copays make even basic care costly. I will push for reforms that reduce these financial burdens and ensure affordable healthcare for all.

Worker wages are also a significant concern. The minimum wage debate has lasted too long, and it’s time for action. I will work to raise the minimum wage so that every worker can afford a home with 30% of their income from one job.

With high inflation, supply chain issues and an evolving energy industry, it appears Wyoming’s economy finds itself in both a time of great peril but also great opportunity. How should Wyoming’s economy adapt and respond to the current economic situation? What are the opportunities for economic diversification and expansion, and what actions will you take to increase those opportunities and create jobs?

First and foremost, Wyoming must ensure access to clean water and affordable housing to support the influx of new residents drawn by the state’s open spaces and job opportunities. Addressing these fundamental needs is crucial for sustainable growth.

Investing in water infrastructure to meet federal health standards is essential, as many small towns face water quality issues from contaminants like nitrates and radium. Securing funds through federal grants and state programs can help ensure safe drinking water for all residents.

Developing affordable housing projects, including energy self-sustaining communities, can provide sustainable living solutions and address housing shortages. Wyoming’s natural beauty makes it an ideal tourism destination; expanding infrastructure, such as passenger rail services, can enhance accessibility and create jobs in the tourism sector.

Wyoming also has the potential to be a hub for rare earth element extraction, creating high-paying jobs while reducing dependence on foreign supplies. Encouraging Contracted Research Organizations (CROs) and Contract Development and Manufacturing Organizations (CDMOs) can foster innovation and high-tech jobs in collaboration with local universities.

With the growing popularity of tiny homes, Wyoming can lead in this market, promoting sustainable living while supporting local entrepreneurs. To increase job opportunities, we must invest in critical infrastructure, including water systems and transportation networks.

Providing tax incentives will attract businesses in emerging industries, fostering a favorable environment for innovation. Workforce training programs developed with local colleges will equip residents with skills for new industries. Sustainable tourism initiatives will highlight Wyoming’s attractions and improve infrastructure, attracting more visitors.

By addressing clean water, affordable housing and seizing opportunities in emerging industries, Wyoming can build a diversified and resilient economy that supports sustainable growth and job creation.

Wyomingites and Americans are clearly losing trust in American institutions, most alarmingly the validity of elections. What do you feel is at the root of this distrust, and what work can you do to help restore the confidence of your constituents?

The decline in trust within U.S. institutions is multifaceted, affecting both the federal government and interpersonal relationships. Many attribute this to the perceived performance of the government, with some believing it does too much and others arguing it does too little. Concerns about corruption and corporate influence further erode trust. The news media also plays a role; some people blame it for the decline, citing a focus on negative stories and sensationalism, which exacerbate public skepticism. Additionally, trust among people has waned, often attributed to societal issues like greed and dishonesty, compounded by political gridlock affecting citizens’ well-being.

To restore confidence, it’s crucial to ensure no violence or threats of violence at the polls, protect election workers from threats and reject rhetoric that undermines the legitimacy of elections. Increasing transparency can address concerns about secrecy and honesty, while encouraging collaboration and positive stories can inspire trust. Small gestures can foster trust at the interpersonal level, and finding common ground on national issues can help rebuild it. Promoting civic duty and accountability through education is also essential. Despite challenges, progress is possible, and many Wyomingites believe trust can be improved by working together to rebuild confidence in our institutions.

What is your stance on America’s support for the war in Ukraine? Should the USA continue to support Ukraine’s efforts to repel Russia or pull back support?

I believe the United States should continue to support Ukraine in its efforts to repel Russian aggression. While the situation is complex, Ukraine’s fight is fundamentally about defending its sovereignty and the principles of democracy that resonate globally. We must recognize that, without peace negotiations and a commitment to stabilizing the region, conflicts will persist.

It’s crucial that we also address military spending. The Department of Defense requested around $842 billion for fiscal year 2024, and while national security is important, we must ensure that funds are allocated efficiently. Advocating for a balanced approach means re-evaluating our defense priorities and focusing on emerging threats like cybersecurity and climate change.

As we support Ukraine, we should also encourage diplomatic solutions to conflict. Sanctions may be necessary for those unwilling to align with a global peace treaty. Ultimately, we live on this shared planet, and it’s our responsibility to promote peace and stability.

While military support is vital, it shouldn’t come at the expense of funding for crucial domestic priorities like healthcare and education. By fostering a dialogue about reallocating resources, we can strive for a more balanced approach that prioritizes both our national interests and the well-being of our citizens. Together, we can advocate for a future where peace is paramount.

Given the gridlock that has stymied work in Washington and the ever-increasing partisan divide that remains a concern for many voters, what is your position on working across the aisle in the House? What are the issues you believe you can work with the opposing party to solve?

Working across the aisle in the House of Representatives is essential for effective governance. Despite the increasing partisan divide, we can find common ground on important issues like reproductive rights, healthcare, workers’ protections, infrastructure and climate change.

To foster collaboration, we need to build relationships, even if personal connections from the past aren’t possible. Informal gatherings focused on specific topics can help create opportunities for dialogue. Additionally, we must recognize the pressures that drive partisanship and create incentives for cooperation.

Reforming congressional committees and modernizing ethics rules can encourage engagement and promote a culture of collaboration. By understanding opposing viewpoints and prioritizing effective governance, we can tackle the challenges our country faces.

Ultimately, finding shared solutions on issues such as clean drinking water and affordable housing will help us move forward together. With a commitment to dialogue and cooperation, we can bridge the divide and work toward a better future for all Americans.

 

 

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