Republicans swept Wyoming’s statewide races, a third party earned major-party status, and Park County voters agreed to raise their sales tax during Tuesday’s general election.
A total of 12,193 voters participated in Tuesday’s election in Park County, with 191,688 voters casting ballots across the state. Compared with the 2022 midterm, Park County saw about a 6% reduction in participation, while statewide ballot totals fell about 3.3%.
In statewide races, Republican Harriet Hageman will replace outgoing Sen. Cynthia Lummis. Hageman beat her Democratic opponent James Byrd by 30 points.
Chuck Gray will be Wyoming’s next representative in Washington. He defeated Democrat Lisa Kinney by 20 points.
State Sen. Eric Barlow will replace outgoing Gov. Mark Gordon, as Barlow comfortably beat Constitution Party candidate Rebecca Bextel by 51 points.
Bextel’s 16% of the vote clears the 10% threshold the Constitution Party needed to join Republicans and Democrats as a major party. That sets the stage for the Constitution Party to hold a primary election in 2028.
To round out statewide results, Proposition 1, the property tax relief measure, failed by a margin of 13.6 points.
Local Races
Scott Steward and Lloyd Thiel were reelected to the Park County Commission and will be joined by newcomer Barb Poley. The three Republican candidates ran unopposed in the general election, after winning a crowded 10-candidate Republican primary in August.
Republicans Quin Blair and David Hill will be Cody’s next representatives in Cheyenne. Blair ran unopposed in House District 24, and Hill beat Libertarian Carrie Satterwhite by 71 points in House District 50.
The following Republican candidates all ran unopposed in the general election: Cody Gortmaker for county coroner, Ericka Smith for county attorney, Darrell Steward for sheriff, Hans Odde for county clerk, Anne Lawler for county treasurer, Terry Call for county assessor, and Lynell Preston for clerk of the district court.
Rounding out local election results, the specific purpose tax, which will raise the sales tax in Park County from 4% to 5% until $19.28 million is collected — a process expected to take about two years — passed by a margin of 12.4 points. As such, the city of Cody will receive $9.8 million to renovate the Cody Auditorium, the city of Powell will receive $7.9 million to build a new senior center, and the town of Meeteetse will receive $1.6 million to purchase a new garbage truck and upgrade its senior center, pool and visitor center.
