There was no doubt that Wyoming was going to go for former President Donald Trump in the 2024 general election. The only question was by how much.
Polls leading up to the election suggested the race would be tight, and maybe the nation would know the results by the end of the week.
On Tuesday night, Donald Trump was declared the projected winner of the presidency in a paradigm-shifting political comeback, winning the White House in an election shaped more by Americans’ dissatisfaction with the direction of the country than by Democrats’ dire warnings of the threat the 45th and soon-to-be 47th president posed to our very Democracy.
Wyomingites overwhelmingly chose former president Donald Trump by a stunning margin: 72% to 26%, according to ABC News.
Not surprisingly, Wyoming has always supported Republican candidates, but Tuesday night’s tally was the largest margin for Trump in the country.
Senator John Barrasso congratulated Trump for winning a second term as President, saying in a media release, “President Trump’s victory today is a mandate from the American people to get this country back on track. Millions chose a new President who puts America first. We chose a President who values our freedom, not the heavy-hand of Washington bureaucrats. We chose a President who will unleash American energy, secure the border, lower prices, and restore peace through strength. Working together, we will deliver for the American people.”
Other Races
Speaking of Senator Barrasso, he handily won his re-election bid and will serve a fourth consecutive term in the Senate, beating Democrat Scott Morrow. In a statement, he thanked the voters of the Cowboy State, ““Thank you to the people of Wyoming for your overwhelming support this year. Not just in the election, but for me personally throughout the year. It is an incredible honor to represent you in the U.S. Senate.”
Representative Harriet Hageman also won a second term as Wyoming’s lone representative, defeating Democratic challenger Kyle Cameron, Libertarian Richard Brubaker, and Constitution candidate Jeffrey Haggit on election night. Hageman released a statement, saying that she was “humbled” by the voters re-electing her to represent the state of Wyoming.
“I reiterate my solemn pledge to always represent the views and best interests of the people of our great state in Washington, D.C. [Wyomingites] are a fiercely independent people, and I will always stand up for the rights of Wyomingites and fight against any attempts to encroach upon our liberties or our way of life.”
She also was happy that Donald Trump was re-elected as well to a second term in office saying, “I am also thrilled that Wyoming voters have again overwhelmingly voted for President Donald Trump to be the 47th president of the United States. For the third time, we have loudly expressed our desire to Make America Great Again, and we know that only President Trump can restore our economy, solve inflation, unleash our domestic energy supplies, secure our southern border, and bring calm to a world on fire. I look forward to his inauguration as president once again this January.”
Cody elected a new mayor as Lee Ann Reiter defeated Chuck Struemke, 2064 to 696 votes.
For Park County Commissioner, Kelly Simone and Scott Mangold were the top two vote-getters.
In the race for the Wyoming state house of representatives, Nina Webber won over write-in candidate and current Cody Mayor Matt Hall in the race for HD-24. Paul Hoeft won easily over incumbent David Northrup in HD-25. Dalton Banks ran unopposed in HD-26. Incumbent John R. Winter almost received double the votes as challenger Kevin Skates in the HD-28 race. And incumbent Rachel Rodriguez-Williams received over 62 percent of the vote versus challenger David Hill in the HD-50 race.
Issues
Constitutional Amendment A also won in Tuesday night’s election by a tally of 8,966 “Yes” to 6,486 “No” votes in Park County and a statewide total of 146,300 “Yes” votes to 100,375 “No” votes. The approved Amendment to Wyoming’s Constitution will create a separate category for property taxes on residential housing. It will be its own separate category from the commercial and industrial tier when it comes to assessing property taxes.
Park County residents also voted for the 2% Lodging tax that has some opposition, but ultimately had 68% support. That tax will be included to the existing 5% charged on lodging, hotels, Vrbo’s, Air B&B’s, across the state.
Voter Turnout
Park County voters turned out for the general election, which was in contrast to the primary election.
6,132 residents (a record number) cast their ballots early at the Park County Courthouse in the weeks leading up to election day, while 2,879 submitted absentee ballots, according to the clerk’s office. Another 7,860 voters cast their ballots on election day, for a combined total of 16,871 votes.
