Trump Endorses Wyoming Senator for Next Senate GOP Whip

John Barrasso

Former President Donald Trump endorsed Republican Sen. John Barrasso of Wyoming to be the next Senate GOP whip Thursday.

Barrasso, who currently serves as the Senate Republican Conference chair, threw his hat in the race after current Minority Whip John Thune announced he’d vie to succeed Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. Trump threw his support behind Barrasso for the position in a Truth Social post after the chairman endorsed the presumptive Republican presidential nominee in early January for 2024.

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Commentary: When the State Turns Against Parents

Montana Family

A 14-year-old Montana girl has been taken from her family by the state’s child protective services after deciding to identify as a boy and will soon be sent to Canada, according to the family.

The harrowing story of Todd and Krista Kolstad’s custody battle for their troubled teen—who is Todd’s biological daughter and Krista’s step-daughter—was recently told at length by news site Reduxx.

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Liz Cheney Considering Third-Party Presidential Bid

Former Wyoming Republican Rep. Liz Cheney is considering running as a third-party presidential candidate in 2024, citing her commitment to do “whatever it takes” to prevent former President Donald Trump from returning to the White House, The Washington Post reported Tuesday.

Cheney, who lost her 2022 reelection bid to the Trump-backed Harriet Hageman by over 37 points, warned of what she views as dangers a second Trump administration could bring during an interview with the Post. The former congresswoman would add to an already crowded field of third-party candidates, including independents Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Cornel West, Green Party candidate Jill Stein and a potential No Labels ticket with West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin.

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Blue State Residents Are Paying Much More for Energy than Red States, New Report Shows

Residents of blue states with aggressive climate policies are paying significantly more for electricity and fuel than red states, according to a new report by the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC).

California, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Vermont, New York and New Jersey are seven of the top eight continental states in terms of highest average retail electricity prices in 2023, according to ALEC’s report. Each of these states have some sort of green energy mandate, which the ALEC report refers to as a Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS), or participates in a greenhouse gas cap-and-trade program, or both.

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Senate Republican Conference Chair Endorses Kari Lake, Predicts She ‘Will Shine Brightly for Arizona’

Arizona Senate candidate Kari Lake received a key endorsement on Monday from Senator John Barrasso (R-WY), the chair of the Senate Republican Conference, after officially announcing her candidacy for the U.S. Senate last week. In a statement to The Arizona Sun Times, Lake said she looks forward to working with Barrasso and other Senate Republicans with whom she shares priorities.

Barrasso said “Kari Lake will shine brightly for Arizona,” according to a statement obtained by German-owned Politico. Barrasso called lake “a generational communicator who is giving voice to Arizona citizens,” and said she “is in this race to make Arizona and America stronger.”

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California Adds Missouri, Nebraska, Wyoming to Those Banned for State-Paid Travel, over LGBTQ+ Bills

California is adding Missouri, Nebraska and Wyoming to its list of states to which government-paid travel is restricted, over legislation considered to be anti-LGBTQ+.

A 2016 California law banned state-funded travel to any state determined by the California Justice Department to be discriminatory against the LGBTQ community. And state Attorney General Rob Bonta must maintain and post a list of such states whose total numbers is now at or nearing 26, according to The Center Square.

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Judge Blocks Wyoming Abortion Pill Ban, Pending Lawsuit

A Wyoming judge has temporarily blocked the state’s ban on abortion pills, pending legal arguments.

The state is the only one to have specifically banned abortion pills, though numerous others have effectively done so by banning abortion almost entirely, the Associated Press reported. Wyoming law generally bans the procedure, though that law is also the subject of a judicial block from the same judge.

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Wyoming Passes Bill to Ban Men from Women’s Sports, Becoming 19th State Overall to Do So

A new bill has passed in the Wyoming state legislature forbidding biological men from competing in women’s sports, thus making Wyoming the 19th state in the country to pass such legislation.

Breitbart reports that the bill will become law without the signature of Governor Mark Gordon (R-Wyo.), who refused to veto it but also would not sign it. In a letter to Secretary of State Chuck Gray (R-Wyo.), Gordon described the legislation as “discriminatory” and “overly draconian.” Gordon also claimed that the bill “pays little attention to fundamental principles of equality.”

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Sinema Leans on California to Join Colorado River Water Pact

As six states wait for California to join its Colorado River Basin water use agreement, Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema called on the state to be willing to seal the deal.

In a letter to the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Reclamation on Tuesday, Arizona, Nevada, Wyoming, New Mexico, Utah, and Colorado all agreed to work toward finding the best way to distribute the water source, which is facing drought conditions, but California was the missing signature.

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Wyoming Bill Would Allocate Resources to Fund Border Wall

Republican lawmakers in Wyoming are advancing legislation that would appropriate more than $5 million toward border security efforts in Texas, Arizona and Florida.

SF0166, “Border wall and sanctuary city transport,” was filed by Republican state Sen. Larry Hicks, with Sens. Dave Kinskey, John Kolb and Cheri Steinmetz cosponsoring. Republican state Reps. John Bear, Donald Burkhart, Mark Jennings, and Ember Oakley filed the House companion bill.

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North Carolina, North Dakota, Among States Phasing Out Income Tax

Americans in search of economic freedom and opportunity are flocking to Florida, Tennessee and Texas, and at least part of the attraction is that these three states, along with six others (Alaska, Nevada, South Dakota, Washington, Wyoming and New Hampshire), don’t levy an income tax.

Other states may soon follow.

“There are 10 states that are in the process of moving their personal income tax to zero,” President of Americans for Tax Reform Grover Norquist said on the John Solomon Reports podcast.

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Wyoming Library Board Cuts Ties With American Library Association Over Support for Sexually Explicit Books for Children

A Wyoming library board has cut its ties with the American Library Association (ALA) and its state affiliate over support of sexually explicit books in the children’s sections of local libraries that include indoctrination in gender ideology and other aspects of radical LGBTQ activism.

The Campbell County Library Board in Gillette, Wyoming, voted 4-1 to break ties with the ALA after months of parental outcry about the books, promoted by the national organization, that have been viewed as pornographic and an attempt to normalize a transgender lifestyle, The Epoch Times reported last week.

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Liz Cheney Says She Will Leave GOP if Donald Trump Is 2024 Nominee

Rejected by her own voters in Wyoming, Rep. Liz Cheney says she won’t remain a Republican if Donald Trump is the GOP presidential nominee in 2024.

“I’m going to make sure Donald Trump, I’m going to do everything I can to make sure he is not the nominee. And if he is the nominee, I won’t be a Republican,” Cheney told the Texas Tribune festival on Saturday.

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Lesko Congratulates Hageman After Cheney Defeat

A U.S. Congresswoman applauded the next member of Congress from Wyoming, who won her primary Tuesday night all but guaranteeing that she will win her November general election in the deep red state.

“The people of Wyoming have clearly spoken. I want to congratulate Harriet Hageman on her victory in Wyoming, and I look forward to working with her in the U.S. House next Congress to fight for the American people and hold President Biden accountable for his terrible policies,” said Rep. Debbie Lesko (R-AZ-08).

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After Losing Primary, Liz Cheney Hints at Presidential Run

Republican Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming said she was considering a run for president in 2024 during a Wednesday morning appearance on “The Today Show.”

“I’m not going to make any announcements here this morning, but — but it is something that I — I’m thinking about and I’ll make a decision in the coming months,” Cheney said when asked if she would run for president by host Savannah Guthrie.

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Al Franken Endorses Liz Cheney, Quips It Will ‘Carry a Lot of Weight’ with Wyoming GOP

Former Minnesota Democratic Sen. Al Franken endorsed Wyoming Republican Liz Cheney for reelection ahead of the primary this week.

“I’ve decided to endorse @RepLizCheney for the Republican nomination for the House seat In Wyoming it’s my first time endorsing in a GOP primary. But I think Al Franken’s support will carry a lot of weight with WY Republicans,” the former senator wrote Saturday in a tweet that garnered more than 100,000 likes, 12,000 retweets and 14,000 comments.

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Wyoming U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney Still Trails by Double Digits to Trump-Backed Challenger Harriet Hageman in Upcoming Republican Primary

Wyoming GOP Rep. Liz Cheney is trailing her Trump-endorsed GOP primary challenger by over 20 points, according to a poll released over the weekend.

Ahead of the Aug. 2 primary, challenger Harriet Hageman, a natural resources attorney, leads Cheney 52% to 30%, according to the Casper Star-Tribune poll.

No other Cheney challenger had more than 5% support and just 11% of voters were undecided.

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Wyoming State Senate Passes Amendment to Defund University’s Gender and Women’s Studies Program

The Wyoming State Senate passed an amendment to the budget Friday that would eliminate funding for the University of Wyoming’s Gender and Women’s Studies program, with those who voted in favor of defunding arguing the program is lacking in academic rigor and offers students only “biased” education.

The amendment passed, in a 16-14 vote.

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Wyoming GOP Votes to No Longer Recognize Liz Cheney as a Republican

On Saturday, a meeting of the Wyoming Republican Party led to the passage of a resolution expelling Congresswoman Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) from the party and no longer recognizing her as a member, as reported by CNN.

The resolution was passed by the Wyoming GOP Central Committee, by a vote of 31 to 29. Although the measure does not actually wield any direct power over Cheney, it marks the latest symbolic blow to the incumbent representative as a result of her frequent anti-Trump statements, which have all but eroded her popular support in her own state.

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Wyoming Governor Signs Bill Funding Legal Defense Against Federal Vaccine Mandate Challenges

Mark Gordon

Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon on Friday signed legislation prohibiting public entities from enforcing the federal government’s COVID-19 vaccine mandates.

House Bill 1002, which was the only piece of legislation passed during the Wyoming Legislature’s special session, also provides $4 million in funding for any legal challenges against federal vaccine mandates.

“No public entity shall enforce any mandate or standard of the federal government, whether emergency, temporary or permanent, that requires an employer to ensure or mandate that an employee shall receive a COVID‑19 vaccination,” the bill reads.

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Pro-Trump Cheney Opponent Speaks Out Against Mask Tyranny in Schools

After a battle over masks at Laramie High School in Wyoming ended with a 16-year-old student being arrested for trespassing at her own school, Harriet Hageman, a pro-Trump challenger to Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY-01) issued a statement condemning mask mandates in schools. 

Grace Smith was first suspended for two days from Laramie High School for refusing to wear a mask. After serving her suspension, she returned to school, again maskless. She then politely refused to leave school grounds, and was arrested by officers from the Laramie Police Department. The arrest even triggered a brief lockdown at the school. 

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Biden Gears Up for Renewed Fight Against Oil and Gas

A federal judge has ruled the Biden administration must resume allowing oil and gas leasing on federal land and waters, but the administration is saying it will not go down without a fight.

The Biden administration said it will appeal a court ruling allowing the leases, the latest development in a months-long battle between President Joe Biden and the oil and gas industry, even as gas prices continue to rise.

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Former U.S. Sen. Mike Enzi Dies Following Bicycling Accident in Wyoming

Former U.S. Senator Mike Enzi

Former U.S. Sen. Mike Enzi (R-WY) passed away on Tuesday following complications from a bicycling accident in Wyoming.

The Wyoming Republican, who served 24 years in the Senate before retiring last year, was 77.

“His family expresses their deep appreciation for all of the prayers, support and concern. They now ask for privacy and continued prayers during this difficult time,” a tweet from the former senator’s account said.

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Army Veteran Denton Knapp Announces Bid to Challenge Rep. Liz Cheney for Wyoming House Seat

Denton Knapp

Army veteran Denton Knapp has announced a bid for Wyoming’s one and only House seat, meaning that sitting Rep. Liz Cheney will face yet another challenger in the GOP primary.

Knapp, who graduated from Campbell County High School in Gillette, Wyoming, lives in California but is returning to the state, according to the Gillette News Record. He will face-off against multiple other Republicans who will also be competing in the contest.

Cheney, the House Republican Conference chairwoman, has been a vocal critic of former President Trump’s claim that the 2020 election was tainted by fraud. She was also one of 10 House Republicans to vote in favor of impeaching Trump in the wake of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.

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Wyoming Becomes Latest State to Ban Vaccine Passports

People walking in airport

Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon on Friday issued a directive blocking state agencies from using vaccine passports.

The directive requires state agencies, boards and commissions to “provide full access to state spaces and state services, regardless of a constituent’s COVID-19 vaccination status.”

The directive also urges local governments and private businesses to align their policies and practices with the state.

“Vaccine passport programs have the potential to politicize a decision that should not be politicized,” Gordon, a Republican, said in a statement. “They would divide our citizens at a time when unity in fighting the virus is essential, and harm those who are medically unable to receive the vaccine. While I strongly encourage Wyomingites over the age of 16 to get vaccinated against COVID-19, it is a personal choice based upon personal circumstances.”

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Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney Faces Another Republican Who Wants to Challenge Her in the State’s GOP Primary

  Another Wyoming Republican is throwing his hat into the GOP primary race in an effort to unseat Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY-At Large District). Darin Smith, a Cheyenne-based businessman, announced his candidacy Friday, according to a press release. The Wyoming native describes himself as “pro-God, pro-family, pro-life, pro-gun, pro-veteran, pro-oil and gas, and pro-agriculture.” Smith told The Cowboy State Daily that Cheney is “more vulnerable” to a primary challenge in 2022 than she was back in 2016. “Obviously, her national stature is going down the tubes,” he told the State Daily. “She does not share the same worldview of the Republican Party.” In his campaign video, Smith said Liz Cheney “voted against Wyoming” when she voted to impeach former President Donald Trump. Three months ago, the Wyoming GOP censured Cheney over her impeachment vote of former President Donald Trump. This will not be the first time Smith has faced off against Cheney in an election. Previously, Smith ran against her back in 2016 in the GOP primary. However, he came in fourth out of nine places five years ago. The practicing lawyer told the State Daily that he has learned a lot since 2016. “Back then (in 2016), my wife…

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Wyoming Governor Signs Born Alive Act

Mark Gordon

Republican Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon has signed the Born Alive Act into law, legislation that requires doctors to care for babies born alive in botched abortions.

Senate File 34, which passed the Wyoming House 48-11, requires doctors to use “commonly accepted means of care” for “the treatment of any infant born alive.”

“Any physician performing an abortion shall take medically appropriate and reasonable steps to preserve the life and health of an infant born alive,” the legislation said. It will go into effect in July.

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21 States Sue Biden Admin for Revoking Keystone XL Permit

A group of red states sued President Biden and members of his administration on Wednesday over his decision to revoke a key permit for the Keystone XL oil pipeline, The Hill reported.

The lawsuit is led by Montana and Texas, and backed by 19 other states, including Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, and Wyoming.

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Public Notice to GOP Senators, Congressman: State Parties Will Rebuke You for Disloyal Votes Against Trump

Republican lawmakers, who voted to impeach or convict President Donald J. Trump, earned rebukes from their home states – a new trend of holding GOP legislators accountable for their actions in Washington.

“Wrong vote, Sen. Burr,” Tweeted former congressman Mark Warner. “I am running to replace Richard Burr because North Carolina needs a true conservative champion as their next senator.”

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Rep. Matt Gaetz Travels to Wyoming to Criticize Liz Cheney at Rally

Congressman Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) traveled to Wyoming for a rally on Thursday at the state capitol, where he denounced the state’s At-Large Representative Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) for her vote in favor of President Donald Trump’s second impeachment, as reported by Fox News.

Speaking to a crowd of Wyoming Trump supporters, Gaetz declared Cheney to be a member of the “establishment in both political parties [that] have teamed up to screw our fellow Americans for generations.” Gaetz also slammed Cheney’s hawkish approach to foreign policy, saying that “there’s basically two things that Liz Cheney has done in the United States Congress: Frustrate the agenda of President Trump, and sell out to the forever war machine.”

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Voter Survey: Rep. Liz Cheney’s Support Plummeting After Trump Impeachment Vote

A survey of Wyoming voters by a national consulting group shows Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) hemorrhaging support after voting to impeach former president Donald J. Trump.

“Liz Cheney’s decision to vote to impeach President Trump makes her extremely vulnerable according to a Wyoming poll conducted among 500 likely general election voters,” a memo from McLaughlin & Associates said. “It is evident her ratings are in bad shape among general election voters and have collapsed among Republicans and Trump voters. The strong voter sentiment in this survey suggests there could be similar results for other Republicans who voted for impeachment.”

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Exclusive: Wyoming State Senator Explains His GOP Primary Challenge to Rep. Liz Cheney

  A Wyoming Republican state senator told the Star News Network why he is challenging his state’s only Member of Congress and the most senior House Republican, Rep. Elizabeth L. “Liz” Cheney in the 2022 GOP primary. “Liz Cheney’s long-time opposition to President Trump and her most recent vote for Impeachment shows just how out-of-touch she is with Wyoming,” said state Sen. Anthony Bouchard in his Jan. 20 announcement of his candidacy. “Wyoming taxpayers need a voice in Congress who will stand up to Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats, and not give them cover.” Bouchard’s 6th State Senate District is just east of Cheyenne, the state capital. The owner of a septic tank and system cleaning service, first won his seat in 2016, after his first two tries in 2012, 2014. The businessman, who founded Wyoming Gun Owners in 2010, said he has never met nor supported Cheney. “Before she entered into Wyoming politics, Liz Cheney founded and led a group called ‘Keep America Safe,’ an organization that peddled deep state misinformation,” he said. “I never supported her, nor did I vote for her.” The House hopeful said when elected, he would utilize the skills he learned as a gun…

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Obama-Appointed Judge Blocks Wyoming Oil Lease Sale Over ‘Climate Change’

by Tim Pearce   A federal judge temporarily blocked new oil lease auctions in Wyoming on Tuesday after finding the Department of the Interior “did not sufficiently consider climate change” when proposing the lease sales, The Washington Post reports. Washington D.C. District Court Judge Rudolph Contreras ruled the government violated federal law and did not fully study the environmental impact of oil development on 300,000 acres of federal land. Contreras did not void leases already sold, but he ordered the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to redo the environmental reviews used to approve the leases. The BLM must include in the redone reviews the effects of each new oil well on overall emissions in the U.S., including the pumped oil’s downstream effects, Contreras’s ruling said. “Given the national, cumulative nature of climate change, considering each individual drilling project in a vacuum deprives the agency and the public of the context necessary to evaluate oil and gas drilling on federal land before irretrievably committing to that drilling,” he wrote, according to WaPo. Former President Barack Obama appointed Contreras to the federal bench in March 2012. Contreras’s ruling came after the activist groups WildEarth Guardians and Physicians for Social Responsibility sued the…

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Ranchers and Native Americans Battle at Supreme Court Over Hunting Rights

by Tim Pearce   A coalition of agricultural interests is backing the state of Wyoming in a Supreme Court Case over the hunting rights of Crow tribal members from a 150-year-old treaty. Eight agricultural groups filed a motion in support of Wyoming on Tuesday for arresting a tribal member, Clayvin Herrera, after he and several other Native Americans killed elk in Wyoming’s Bighorn National Forest in 2014. Herrera sued the state, claiming a right to hunt on “unoccupied” federal land secured in a 19th century treaty between the U.S. and the tribe. “We are not seeking to overturn the hunting rights the Crow Tribe reserved in their treaty with the United States,” Mountain States Legal Foundation (MSLF) attorney Cody Wisniewski said in a statement. “Quite the contrary, we are just asking the Court to treat the right as the both the tribe and United States understood it in 1868.” MSLF is representing the agricultural groups Wyoming Stock Growers Association, Wyoming Farm Bureau Federation, Wyoming Wool Growers Association, Montana Farm Bureau Federation, Idaho Farm Bureau Federation, Utah Farm Bureau Federation, Colorado Farm Bureau Federation and South Dakota Cattlemen’s Association. Herrera’s case against Wyoming rests on the meaning of the 1868 Fort Laramie Treaty that set up the…

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Trump, Trump Campaign Weigh In Late for Foster Friess in Today’s Wyoming GOP Primary for Governor

Foster Freiss, Donald Trump

As Wyoming voters head to the polls today a late endorsement from the Donald J. Trump for President campaign for mega-donor Foster Friess in the GOP Gubernatorial Primary could tip the scales.  The campaign endorsement follows President Trump’s endorsement tweet of Foster Friess earlier in the day.  Over 32,000 votes have been cast during early voting in the statewide primary races. To the incredible people of the Great State of Wyoming: Go VOTE TODAY for Foster Friess – He will be a fantastic Governor! Strong on Crime, Borders & 2nd Amendment. Loves our Military & our Vets. He has my complete and total Endorsement! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 21, 2018 “Throughout his career as a successful businessman, Foster Friess has always stood up for the forgotten American,” said Lara Trump, Senior Advisor to the Donald J. Trump for President campaign. “As President Trump said in his endorsement tweet today, Foster is ‘strong on Crime, Borders & 2nd Amendment’ and ‘loves our Military & our Vets.’ As Governor, Foster will support local businesses, open state taxes for complete transparency, and defend the Second Amendment. We’re pleased to support Foster for Governor and encourage all Wyomingites to get out and…

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