"I believe that there is a path towards prosperity and freedom in our state (and in our country) that is attainable and worth fighting for; I believe that our best days can be before us rather than behind us; I believe in Wyoming and that our power and our brilliance comes NOT from government and those elected, but rather from our citizens and those who elect us. The best government comes from an educated, engaged, diligent and watchful electorate who holds the elected accountable."
KEY CAMPAIGN ISSUES
EDUCATION
I am a strong believer in education, at all levels. Our children are the future of our state and nation. I am a product of the public school system, and much of the success I have had in life is due to that. Good teachers (like my wife who taught for 30 years in the public school system) can positively mold and shape a young person and set them up for success throughout their life. A good education is foundational for them, as well as for Wyoming and the nation. To be very clear, I am a believer and supporter of school choice, the right to home school, and school vouchers. To me, the objective should be an educated, happy, well-rounded and motivated student (the OUTCOME), and not the METHOD by which that is achieved. I also believe we are spending too much of our state’s resources on education, to the point that it is unsustainable. Wyoming has proven that out-of-control spending on education does not translate into better-educated children. By most measures, we are currently in the top 10 of all the states in spending per student on education, but a recent 2024 study* which used 18 different metrics for its rankings, including adults with high school diplomas, college education, educational attainment, school quality, and beyond, ranked Wyoming below the middle of the country at 28th overall. In the same study, Wyoming ranked 23rd in “Educational Attainment” and 42nd in “Quality of Education.” It is obvious to me that simply spending more on education doesn’t translate to better-educated students equipped to go out into the world and compete and succeed. We owe it to both the taxpayers of Wyoming, as well as to our students and parents, that we deliver the best value in terms of educational outcome for every dollar we spend, and to make sure what and how we are spending taxpayer dollars is both economical and cost-effective. *McCann, Adam. "Most & Least Educated States in America (2024)." WalletHub, 12 February 2024, https://wallethub.com/edu/e/most-educated-states/31075
FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY
I am proud to state that I am a fiscal conservative. Government at all levels but particularly at the state, and most especially at the federal, has grown far beyond what is necessary and responsible. We must reduce the size of government. Elected representatives must be responsible to the taxpayers who elect them and should strive to utilize the hard-earned money taken by government in the form of taxes in a conservative, transparent, and responsible manner.
"RIDE FOR THE BRAND"
I am an unabashed and unapologetic Conservative. Because of that, I most closely align with the tenets and ideals outlined by the Republican Party. I believe in the principles set forth in the Wyoming State Republican Party Platform . It is easy for me to commit to supporting them, because they reflect, to a large and overwhelming percentage, my personal beliefs and ideals.
LIMITED GOVERNMENT
The foundation for limited government is not new….it is rooted in our Declaration of Independence when the founders wrote, and adopted on July 4, 1776, the following: ”We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.–That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, –That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.” Our founders established a system of government based on delegated, enumerated, and consequently limited, powers. The founders further assured limited government by establishing three branches of government, each with its own ability to hold the others in check and rooted in the concept of checks and balances. The most important factor built into our foundation is that all three branches are ultimately answerable and responsible to one overriding entity, and that is “we the people.” As a country, and as a state, we have drifted from our foundation. Due to what I believe is apathy and ignorance on our part as citizens, we have allowed all three branches of government to usurp our authority over them and from that, our liberties. This is exemplified here in Wyoming in many ways, whether it be legislators who proclaim their allegiance to the political party that most of us ascribe to yet vote with the minority party (and against us) the majority of time; to activist judges who thwart the will of the people by throwing out duly passed and implemented laws in order to meet and advance their own political philosophies; to the executive branch which vetoes duly-passed legislation of the legislative branch after the legislature has left town and returned home. I believe it is our responsibility as citizens to hold government accountable for the protection of our liberties. I will always be a staunch defender of our freedoms, and I will always come down on the side of freedom and liberty over convenience and manufactured crises.
THE CONSTITUTION
Other than the Bible, I believe the Constitution of the United States of America has been and always will be the most divinely inspired document ever created. Our founders created a framework for a country based upon freedom and individual liberty that has stood longer than any other in world history. Our nation was founded under the principle of being “One Nation, under God” and has served as a beacon in a world of darkness to those who desire to be free. With this freedom comes responsibility and we must fight to protect these rights. Many in our society have come to take for granted that the rights we enjoy will always be there. That is not so! The Left of this country are working tirelessly to strip away our Constitutional rights and freedoms and replace them with a totalitarian and socialistic form of governmental control. We must fight to preserve this union and the foundations of this nation. I will always support the Constitution fully and in its entirety. As to our state Constitution, I believe in it the same way as I do the US Constitution. Furthermore, it is my belief that a contract was created between Wyoming and the federal government when Congress ratified the Wyoming Constitution and President Harrison signed the bill admitting Wyoming to the Union on July 10, 1890. That contract set out terms between the federal government and Wyoming, and when those contract terms are broken by actions of the federal government, it is our right and incumbent upon us to seek redress for those grievances through the courts.