Wyoming Freedom Caucus poised for nation's first state-house takeover

by Maggie Mullen,

WyoFile.com,

from WNE

Wyoming is poised to become the first state in the nation to see a Freedom Caucus take the statehouse reins after Republican lawmakers on Saturday selected four members of the hard-line group for House leadership, several legislators told WyoFile.

Saturday’s vote at the GOP caucus in Casper was not entirely a surprise since all but one of the races were uncontested. The results, however, are significant — the national Freedom Caucus movement hopes to recreate its Wyoming success in other states.

Between the primary and the general election, the Freedom Caucus gained enough seats to win control of the lower chamber. Securing leadership positions was the last piece to fall into place for the group of hard-line Republicans that were once a small group in the House.

Rep. Chip Neiman (R-Hulett) was nominated for speaker, while Republicans chose Rep. Jeremy Haroldson (R-Wheatland) as speaker pro tempore, Rep. Scott Heiner (R-Green River) as majority floor leader and Rep. Ocean Andrew (R-Laramie) as majority whip.

Meantime, Republicans in the Senate rejected a leadership slate that publicly pledged to deliver on a “conservative agenda,” opting instead for a mix of traditional and hard-line lawmakers to lead the upper chamber.

The selections for some positions are only nominations at this point, since the entire body — Democrats included — must vote to affirm them. But with just two Democrats in the Senate and six in the House, the nominations will likely win approval when the session kicks off in January in Cheyenne.

Sen. Bo Biteman (R-Ranchester) was selected as the next Senate president, with Sen. Tim Salazar (R-Riverton) as Senate vice president and Sen. Tara Nethercott (R-Cheyenne) as majority floor leader.

Leadership positions hold significant power in both chambers, particularly the speaker and the president. They decide the makeup and chair of each committee as well as what legislation goes to which of those committees, and in what order. Leadership also has the tools to kill legislation before it’s even considered by the larger body.

The House

Neiman ran unopposed for the speakership, and made his plans to pursue the top position known after the primary election.

“The state of Wyoming through this last election obviously has got an agenda or a mind involved here that they want to see things moved in a more conservative direction,” Neiman said in September.

He currently serves as House majority floor leader — a second-in-command post that has long been a stepping stone to the speakership.

Neiman did not return WyoFile’s request for comment.

Taking up Neiman’s post, Heiner will serve as majority floor leader, which comes with the responsibility of deciding the order of bills lawmakers work on the floor, among other things.

The one contested leadership race in the House came down to two Freedom Caucus members — Haroldson and Rep. Rachel Rodriguez-Williams (R-Cody).

“One of the beauties about the Freedom Caucus is we don’t tell anyone how to think,” Haroldson, who won, told WyoFile. “We don’t want to do that. We’re all independent thinkers. We all have our own voice and our own constituents.”

Haroldson said he had “the utmost respect” for Rodriguez-Williams, and “at the end of the day, it’s way bigger than one of us.”

Moving forward, Haroldson said “there’s a unity that’s very much visible and palatable. You can feel it.

“I believe that there’s an anticipation for a unified Legislature moving forward and addressing a lot of issues that need to be taken care of,” he said.

The Senate

Headed into this weekend’s vote, lawmakers were tight-lipped about what to expect in the Senate, but one slate of Republicans had made their plans known.

In September, Sens. Larry Hicks (R-Baggs), Cheri Steinmetz (R-Lingle) and Brian Boner (R-Douglas) joined together to announce their bids for president, vice president and majority floor leader respectively.

“Collectively we have over 34 years of experience in the Wyoming Legislature with significant experience in every aspect of the Legislature,” the three lawmakers wrote in a press release at the time.

Meanwhile, other lawmakers kept their ambitions from the public and maneuvered behind the scenes.

“I congratulate our winning slate of new leadership for the 68th Senate,” Boner told WyoFile. “I wish them the best of luck.”

Steinmetz declined WyoFile’s request for comment. Hicks did not return a phone call.

“As President, my mission is to empower every member to rise to their full potential, fostering collaboration and mutual respect,” Biteman said in a press release circulated by the Sheridan County GOP.

Incoming leadership in the Senate has its work cut out for itself following the 2024 session when the upper chamber struggled with dysfunction, including a day-one leadership shakeup, tense budget negotiations and accusations of bad-faith decisions.

Sen. Cale Case (R-Lander), the Senate’s second-most senior member, said Saturday’s vote was a rejection of that turmoil and a turn towards a more cordial and collaborative body.

“Biteman, when he called me [to ask for my support], he was just a nice man. He wanted to work this out. He wants to work together,” Case said. “I never did hear from Larry Hicks or anybody else on his team.”

Case also characterized the Senate’s incoming leadership as a “coalition” with Nethercott representing “more of the moderate side.”

“I’m really proud of the Senate,” Case said. “It’s supposed to be cooperative and effective.”

Biteman now serves as chairman of the Senate Revenue Committee and was first elected to the Legislature in 2017. He and Salazar typically vote alongside the further-right members of the upper chamber.

Neither Biteman, Nethercott nor Salazar returned WyoFile’s request for comment by publication time Saturday.

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