BOISE, Idaho — Republican Sen. Jim Risch remains the clear favorite to win another term in one of the nation’s most reliably Republican states, but independent Todd Achilles is trying to turn Idaho’s Senate contest into a more competitive race by appealing to voters dissatisfied with both political parties. The contest has attracted unusual attention Read More…
South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden’s anti-doxxing bills, House Bill 1084 and House Bill 1298, will take effect July 1. “Protecting our law enforcement officers and public servants from doxxing is of utmost importance,” Rhoden said. “They are on the frontlines every day, working hard to keep us strong, safe, and free, and they should never Read More…
Britney Tennant, chief executive of the Cheyenne Animal Shelter and longtime nonprofit leader, announced her candidacy for the Wyoming House of Representatives in District 11, running as a Democrat on a platform centered on unity, public education and economic opportunity. Tennant brings deep Wyoming roots to her campaign. A fifth-generation Wyomingite and graduate of Cheyenne Read More…
Sam Mead, a Jackson rancher and fifth-generation member of a prominent Wyoming political family, has announced his campaign for the U.S. Senate, becoming the latest Republican to enter the open-seat race. Mead is the fourth candidate overall and the third Republican seeking the seat after Cynthia Lummis announced in December that she would not seek Read More…
The executive director of Wyoming’s $8.5 billion pension fund will retire in July. Ruth Reyerson is departing after almost six years, staying on to help the transition as the Wyoming Retirement System searches for her successor. Staff praised Reyerson’s accomplishments, such as her “focus on building a strong management team at every level of the Read More…
BISMARCK, N.D. — The North Dakota Legislature wants to make sure that when consumers buy meat, they know they’re buying “the edible flesh of an animal born and harvested for the purpose of human consumption,” and not something developed in a lab. The Senate on Monday, March 4, passed House Bill 1400, which defines meat Read More…
A new bill introduced in the Idaho legislature Tuesday would allow people with an enhanced gun permit to carry a handgun in public schools without first telling administrators. State Rep. Chad Christensen (R) told the Idaho State Journal he introduced the bill because he doesn’t want schools “to be a soft target.” The bill would Read More…
Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon late Tuesday afternoon announced line-item vetoes of 29 items in the supplemental budget passed by Wyoming lawmakers earlier in the 2019 Legislative Session. The governor outlines the items being vetoed and his rationale for doing so in a letter to the Wyoming House of Representatives (see below). In response to the Read More…
CHEYENNE, Wyo. It would give community colleges money to increase access for workers looking for job training who want to switch fields or learn a new skill and increase their pay. One representative says it will give some a chance they otherwise couldn’t get on their own. “This’ll be kind of for unmet needs, quite Read More…
CHEYENNE, Wyo. Governor Mark Gordon signed the bill Wednesday. It comes in response to tactics used during last years campaign when mailers were sent out from independent groups trying to sway voters. Wyoming Secretary of State Edward Buchanan says it is about transparency. READ FULL STORY
BOISE — Idaho’s most populated cities and counties appear to be big winners under a new revenue sharing proposal that was introduced Wednesday in the House Revenue and Taxation Committee. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Jason Monks, R-Nampa, revises the formula used to distribute sales tax revenues to local jurisdictions. Barring any major decreases in Read More…
CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — Repealing the death penalty, a non-starter in Wyoming each of the past five years, got a serious look Wednesday from a legislative committee that voted to advance the idea to the full Senate for what could be a last dash to the governor’s desk. Repeal proponents significantly outnumbered opponents in over Read More…
BISMARCK, N.D. — A bill passed by the North Dakota Senate would remove “the growing or processing of marijuana” from the definition of “farming or ranching,” which would mean growing marijuana would not be included under the state’s ban on corporate farming. North Dakota’s existing corporate farming law limits corporate farming to entities that consist Read More…
The State of Wyoming’s legislature is considering moving away from Daylight Saving Time and efforting a measure that would allow the state to stay in standard time all year. Republican Rep. from Park County, Dan Laursen is helping to push the bill forward, he says the bill would send a message to the federal government Read More…
CHEYENNE – One day, Casper Republican Jerry Obermueller wanted to test whether Wyoming’s low tax rate had an effect on prices across the state. Phoning friends in Seattle and Nebraska, he asked them to buy a number of products from chain stores that he had purchased in Wyoming. Obermueller wanted to see if there were Read More…
Two conservative lawmakers introduced a measure this week to cap growth in state budgets in anticipation of the next boom — during which they say Wyoming could save enough money to avoid any future tax increases. The proposal is being carried in mirror House and Senate bills by Sen. Bo Biteman (R-Ranchester) and Rep. Chuck Read More…
Wyoming may soon become the first state in the U.S. to provide clear banking permissions for cryptocurrencies and digital assets. A bipartisan group of state legislators introduced SF0125 to the government on Friday, which, if passed, would classify digital assets as property within existing laws. It would also establish “an opt-in framework for banks to Read More…
CASPER — A bill to increase Wyoming’s wind tax blows through Cheyenne nearly every year, and every year it dies. Some lawmakers don’t support the increase because they are afraid of depressing wind investments in Wyoming. For some the tax is unattractive on principle, or because they believe the current wind product tax — unique Read More…
CHEYENNE –- The Wyoming Legislature could act this year to make the state one of only three in the country that prevents any child under the age of 18 from getting married. Currently, Wyoming law sets the legal age for marriage at 16, but allows for a child younger than that to get married, if Read More…
Pat Arp and Gale Geringer will serve as co-chairs of the transition team. Arp is currently serving as Wyoming Deputy State Treasurer, and Geringer was helping manage Gordons campaign. The two will guide staffing decisions, administrative procedures, and initial policy rollouts. READ FULL STORY
In his first news conference as governor-elect last Wednesday, Wyoming treasurer Mark Gordon outlined his ambitions for the first year of his administration, his immediate plans for the office and how he hopes to set the tone for his agenda in Cheyenne. Less than 24 hours after a landslide 40-point victory in last week’s election, Read More…
CHEYENNE, Wyo. — The Wyoming State Canvassing Board met today to certify the results of the election. With the newly elected and re-elected getting ready to take office in a few months, Governor Mead is preparing for his last few months as governor. He said, “This is a time of many last times for me Read More…
Republican congressman Kevin Cramer leads Democratic senator Heidi Heitkamp by 16 points in the latest poll of the North Dakota Senate race — the biggest lead that Cramer has held so far. According to the survey of 650 likely voters, Cramer leads Heitkamp 56-40 percent. The poll was conducted by Strategic Research Associates from October Read More…
By CJ Baker Last week, the Wyoming Secretary of State’s Office answered one of the lingering questions about August’s election: Just how many voters switched their political affiliation to participate in the Republican primary? According to the data, a total of 367 people in Park County switched over to the Republican party for the primary. Read More…
The six Republican candidates for governor found more agreement than disagreement at a forum at Gillette on Monday night as they echoed stances on many issues. Other times, they used humor that drew laughter from the large crowd at the forum sponsored by Campbell County Republican Party. Candidates Bill Dahlin, Foster Friess, Sam Galeotos, Mark Read More…
Jackson Hole News&Guide reporter John Spina has set aside his journalistic ambitions to try to get Republican Jackson billionaire Foster Friess elected as the next Wyoming governor. Friess announced Spina’s appointment as his campaign’s director of communications Friday. His two-year stint covering the town of Jackson and Wyoming Legislature came to a close the week Read More…
Wyoming Republican Sen. John Barrasso introduced a discussion draft of the Endangered Species Act that elevates the role of states, increases transparency and prioritizes resources. “When it comes to the Endangered Species Act, the status quo is not good enough,” said Barrasso, chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. “We must do Read More…
READ THE FULL STORY.
BISMARCK — A panel examining North Dakota’s ballot measure system forwarded four proposals Tuesday, May 22, but efforts to amend the policy-by-petition process may just be getting started. The Initiated and Referred Measures Study Commission wrapped up its work at the state Capitol Tuesday. Its recommended changes now move to Legislative Management, the committee that Read More…
RAWLINS— Trying to gain momentum for his U.S. Senate run, Democratic candidate Gary Trauner visited with folks at the Jeffrey Memorial Community Center Thursday. There were less than 10 people in attendance. Despite this, main issues Trauner highlighted were education, health care and public lands. Regarding school safety, Trauner said communities need to focus more Read More…
Rep. Mike Gierau, D-Teton, announced this weekend that he will vacate his seat in the state House of Representatives for a chance to join the Wyoming Senate. While switching chambers and flipping a Senate seat blue would be a major victory for the Democratic Party, it’s a big risk. With only three Democrats in the Read More…
Rep. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., claimed his party’s endorsement for the U.S. Senate race on Saturday in front of a packed ballroom at Grand Forks’ Alerus Center, where delegates at the GOP state convention voted for him unanimously. In an address moments before the vote, Cramer laid out the high-stakes race, which could decide control of Read More…
GRAND FORKS, N.D. – Crews are cleaning up here, throwing away political posters that hours ago held so much hope. And with that, North Dakota Republicans named Kelly Armstrong their choice to fill Kevin Cramer’s seat in the House. “Thank you everyone, thank you so much,” said Kelly Armstrong, GOP Nominee for U.S. House. But Read More…
GRAND FORKS — U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke rallied North Dakota Republicans here Saturday, April 7, and boosted Rep. Kevin Cramer, his former congressional colleague who was endorsed as the party’s pick for the U.S. Senate earlier in the day. Zinke, a former Republican congressman from Montana, avoided direct mention of his current role in Read More…
Gordon’s platform highlights three priorities for the state. The first is reducing the size of the state government so that it will “live within its means.” The second priority is to reduce government regulations to attract new businesses to the state and the third is ensuring the state has a strong education system. Reducing the Read More…
CHEYENNE – Wyoming Superintendent of Public Instruction Jillian Balow made her re-election campaign announcement Tuesday in her hometown of Gillette. Balow was elected in 2014 in her first bid for public office, overcoming Democrat Mike Ceballos by more than 37,000 votes. This followed the tumultuous tenure of former Republican State Superintendent Cindy Hill, who became Read More…
Get ready for a title fight. Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, D-N.D., and Rep. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., look highly likely to be their parties’ nominees for a Senate seat. Both are big names in North Dakota politics, and with control of the U.S. Senate on the line this November, observers say it makes for an equally big Read More…
We’ve noted on several occasions how favorable the 2018 Senate map is for Republicans, even if the national electoral environment ends up with a deep blue tint (the GOP’s fortunes have ticked up, thanks to tax reform and good economic news, which the president’s foolish trade war gambit threatens). Losing Alabama was an entirely avoidable Read More…
The 2018 Budget Session of the Wyoming Legislature officially passed the midway point on Wednesday. In reality, lawmakers may be more than halfway finished, since it isn’t known yet whether the legislature will use the full 20 days allotted for the 2018 session. Wednesday was also the crossover period for the session, meaning that any Read More…
CHEYENNE – Gov. Matt Mead on Thursday selected a former Wyoming secretary of state candidate and Laramie County prosecutor as the next secretary of state. Ed Buchanan will serve the remainder of Ed Murray’s term as the state’s election and business registration authority after Murray stepped down in early February following sexual misconduct allegations. READ Read More…
CHEYENNE — By the end of the first day of the 2018 legislative session, state lawmakers had proposed three different constitutional amendments to tackle the deficits facing school funding. The proposals — two from the Senate and one from the House — come as the full Legislature begins to grapple with a two-pronged education funding Read More…
BISMARCK—North Dakota was given a grade of “C,” in a report released Monday by the Center for American Progress that provides an overview of election security and preparedness in each state. The report has garnered the attention of politicians in the state, including U.S. Sen. Heidi Heitkamp…. READ THE FULL STORY.
Washington (CNN)North Dakota’s Rep. Kevin Cramer said Tuesday he hasn’t made up his mind about whether he’ll challenge Democratic Sen. Heidi Heitkamp in this year’s midterm elections — but will decide by “the end of the weekend.” “There’s certainly a growing snowball of encouragement coming out of the state,” Cramer told reporters on Tuesday evening Read More…
Bucking a recent trend of failed measures to shift Wyoming from its reliance on fossil fuels, one lawmaker is proposing a bill that looks to generate money from a traditional source of revenue — coal. House Bill 80 hinges on a potential reduction in federal fees on Wyoming coal, the sunset of the Abandoned Mine Read More…