
On the Issues
↑ TopThe answers below were solicited from candidates via a written questionnaire created by WyoFile reporters and editors in June 2026. Responses are presented exactly as submitted, without fact-checking, wordsmithing or editing for grammar, punctuation or spelling errors.
Legislative candidates were invited to respond to the questionnaire several times by email and by phone. Out of fairness to the candidates who met the deadline, WyoFile will not add responses after the guide's publication.
Where do you live currently? How long have you lived there? How long have you lived in Wyoming? Where were you born?
I have lived here in Albany County for over 23 years. My house is about 10 miles south of Laramie, in House District 46. That's been my home ever since I moved to Wyoming after retiring from the military.
What age will you be on Election Day, Nov. 3, 2026?
70
Please tell the voters about yourself including your background and qualifications.
Education: BS, MS, PhD in electrical engineering, licensed Professional Engineer (PE) in Wyoming
Experience:
30 years military service (Navy and Air Force, enlisted and officer). Retired as a Lieutenant Colonel. Leadership instructor, firearms instructor, R&D engineer, faculty member at the U.S. Air Force Academy.
23 years teaching as an engineering faculty member at the University of Wyoming, including 6 years as Dean of the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences. Recently retired from UW.
Skills: More than four decades of real-world leadership experience for both small and large organizations, managing people (as many as 300+ people), budgets (as much as $758 million), and efficiently achieving goals and objectives while balancing available resources.
My leadership training and experience have given me the ability to keep my ego and personal views out of decisions, avoid micromanaging, and trust competent people to do their jobs. And always---integrity first.
What are the biggest challenges and opportunities facing Wyoming today? As a legislator, how would you address them?
Wyoming has great opportunities. Our core industries (energy, agriculture, mining, tourism, etc.) are making great strides, small businesses are expanding, and entrepreneurs are starting new businesses in the state. Wyoming has the most attractive business environment in the country, and our economy is poised for growth. But there are challenges. We must pay close attention to public concern about proposals such as those for datacenters and windfarms, and closely evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of such proposals both individually and as part of the big picture of what we want for Wyoming. We also want our children to be able to stay in the state, which means both a growing economy but also affordable, available housing. As a legislator, I would learn about and listen to all sides of these issues and others, get input from my constituents, ignore any pressure from out-of-state groups or narrow, personal agendas, and work on legislation that benefits Wyoming and our people.
We asked WyoFile readers to rank issues that are important to them, and healthcare costs and access topped the list. What can the Legislature do to make healthcare more affordable and accessible to Wyomingites?
I recently spent an entire day at the 2026 Wyoming Healthcare Policy Summit, and learned a great deal about the challenges facing the Wyoming healthcare landscape. There are currently six rural hospitals in Wyoming that may have to close within a few years due to funding issues. We have both a shortage of healthcare professionals, and a structural challenge of our medical facilities facing significant fixed costs, low patient populations, and inadequate reimbursement from sources such as Medicaid and Medicare. We have to find innovative ways to attract and retain more healthcare professionals to the state (and this also involves the problem of insufficient affordable, available housing), and explore ways we can help medical facilities survive with low patient counts and low reimbursement. This is not an easy problem to solve, but it must be a high priority for the legislature. Quality of life in Wyoming depends upon it.
Do you support efforts to sell or transfer public land in Wyoming? How do you plan to ensure that state and federal land is managed in the best interest of the people of Wyoming?
In general, no I don't support that. There may be rare special circumstances that can be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, but overall I believe public lands should stay public, and they should be accessible to the public. Responsible use and stewardship of our public lands is something all citizens of Wyoming should expect and demand. We must work hand in hand with federal organizations such as the BLM and the Forest Service, and with our federal Congressional delegation, to ensure we protect our public lands.
No two Wyoming counties are the same when it comes to how they generate revenue. As a legislator, how would you approach the public's desire for property tax relief with local revenue needs?
Essential government services funded by property taxes cannot be allowed to wither and become ineffective due to loss of funding as a result of property tax reductions. While back-filling the losses incurred by cities and counties if property taxes continue to be reduced might seem to be a possible solution, it can’t be a permanent solution. Broadly disseminated, honest, and balanced communication to the population is essential on this topic. The voters must be made aware of the need for a reasonable level of property taxes, and convinced not to vote for an arbitrary reduction with little or no consideration to the unavoidable consequences. It's important for all of us to keep in mind that taxes are necessary to fund government services that can’t be funded or performed by individuals, but not more than that. Taxes should be broadly based, nondiscriminatory, and only at a level needed to fund those essential government services. Nothing more than that.
What role, if any, should the Wyoming Legislature play in economic development?
I agree that the legislature can help stimulate economic development, but we must proceed with caution. We don't want to get into the trap of picking winners and losers, but we must also be cognizant that so many other states actively engage in legislative programs to attract industry to their state. If we do nothing, Wyoming will lose out. That being said, keeping government out of the way, maintaining a favorable tax structure, and encouraging expansion of both our core industries and small businesses in general, along with enabling the creation of new businesses... all that together will lead to the best way to expand our economy. Over-regulation, regulatory overreach, unfunded mandates, and an encroaching “nanny state” (mostly from the federal level) are some of the biggest obstacles to economic prosperity for Wyoming. The legislature should be alert to these obstacles and find ways to reduce them whenever possible.
Explain your values when it comes to campaign donations. Does Wyoming's system for monitoring campaign donations and expenditures need reform?
Funding for political campaigns should be as transparent to the voters as possible. Big donors hiding behind anonymous, typically out-of-state, organizations that try to manipulate Wyoming politics can only hurt Wyoming in the long run. I would support whatever the Wyoming legislature can do to make campaign funding more visible to the voters. One possible problem currently is the deadline for reporting campaign donations is so close to the election (both primary and general) that few voters are able to use that information in time to consider that in their voting decisions. We should look into ways to make that information available in a more timely manner for the voting public.
Campaign Finance
As of Aug 17, 2026, per state filings.
Shown relative to the top fundraiser in the Wyoming House: Julie Jarvis, with $58,900 raised.
Top Contributors*
- WAY BACK PAC (SHERIDAN)$5,000
- WY EDUCATION ASSN. PAC FOR EDUCATION (CHEYENNE)$4,000
- WYOMING MINING ASSOCIATION PAC (WMA) (CHEYENNE)$2,500
- LAWYERS ACTIVE IN WY PAC (LAWPAC) (CHEYENNE)$2,000
- WY REALTORS PAC (CASPER)$2,000
* Contributions are grouped by donor name and reported ZIP code — two donors who share both could be counted as one, and the same donor could be split into separate entries if they were reported giving from two different addresses. Errors in how a candidate or committee reported a contribution may also make these totals inaccurate.
Full records, individual transactions, and filings for all Wyoming candidates are available from the Wyoming Campaign Finance Information System.
WyoFile Coverage of WRIGHT
About this Project
↑ TopWyoFile produced this guide with coding and web development by Thomas Musselman, editing by Tennessee Watson and production assistance by Calla Shosh. Contact Tennessee Watson with questions, corrections or suggestions at tennessee@wyofile.com.
WyoFile is a Wyoming 501(c)3 nonprofit, independent, member-supported, public-interest news service reporting on the people, places and policy of Wyoming. WyoFile's donor base is politically diverse, including some donors who are candidates in this year's election. We maintain separation between sources of revenue and editorial direction, decisions and oversight. Acceptance of financial support does not constitute implied or actual endorsement of donors or their products, services or opinions, and does not confer editorial influence, nor does donor support imply any endorsement of WyoFile's reporting, commentary or editorial position.
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