Opinion | Liz Cheney, Wyoming’s Republican Primary and Donald Trump: 13 Voters Discuss

Tera,


46, Democrat, white, volleyball coach

I’d say more and more divided, as opposed to just accepting one another.

Michelle,


40, Republican, white, administrative assistant

Uncontrolled inflation.

Paul,


53, Republican, white, retired

Inflation.

Mark,


62, independent, white, engineer

Misinformed.

Troy,


35, Repbulican, white, dietitian

Hyperpolarization.

James,


61, Republican, white, economic development

I think we lack a common purpose.

Tara,


45, Republican, white, bus driver

Selfish and one-sided.

James,


61, Republican, white, economic development

I think that we feel a little bit as if we don’t have control of our own destiny. Government regulation comes down on oil and gas in every part of the state of Wyoming. They make the rule in Washington, and this dramatically changes our tax base and who we are as a community.

Paul,


53, Republican, white, retired

Yeah, a war on fossil fuels.

Troy,


35, Repbulican, white, dietitian

Just increased unaffordability. It’s like, my area of Wyoming where I’m at, we’re just constantly being inundated with move-ins, mostly from California and other rich areas. And it’s just thrown the housing market way out to left field, where all the locals that grew up here can literally no longer afford to live here.

Jessica,


43, Republican, white, child care provider

I don’t feel like we have a voice because we don’t have as many people as some of the bigger states. And that’s been since I’ve been in high school. I just don’t feel like we have a voice.

Jackie,


63, Republican, white, retired

Well, my favorite thing, personally, is lack of people. I was born and raised here. We give up a lot of advantages, restaurants, shopping, even medical care. But to me, the biggest advantage is being autonomous as people and knowing the people that we do know, knowing them closer.

Kristi,


53, independent, white, I.T. consultant

I would echo Jackie. I moved to a town of 75 from a town of seven million. I got tired of feeling like my whole life and work life was crushing me and that my only escape was a couple of weeks a year during vacation. So I decided to move to where I preferred to vacation and see if I couldn’t start a business and make a go of it. Community really means something here.

Mark,


62, independent, white, engineer

Clean water and clean air.

Travis,


37, Republican, white, physical therapy

I’m actually surprised I don’t recognize someone in this focus group. Just the fact that I can pretty much go anywhere in Wyoming and know someone. It’s a small-town feel even when you live in Cheyenne or Casper or the bigger towns.

Susie,


52, Republican, white, paraprofessional

If you don’t know somebody, you know somebody who knows somebody. And I really like that.

Mark,


62, independent, white, engineer

Well, I think what you’re seeing with Liz Cheney shows that a voice of Wyoming is heard. John Barrasso is quite influential, and I see him involved in a lot of things. Another thing I like about Wyoming is I get to go visit with our congressional delegation pretty often. They have open-door policies, for the most part. It seems like Wyoming actually has an outsize voice compared to our population.

Travis,


37, Republican, white, physical therapy

Love her or hate her, Liz Cheney has put Wyoming on the map.

Paul,


53, Republican, white, retired

I don’t think we have representation there. Just look at the last several presidential elections. How many candidates actually visited Wyoming?

Adam,


23, Republican, white, self-employed

Just because there is a voice being heard doesn’t mean it’s representative of Wyoming. I mean, a lot of it goes against our core values with what’s going on now, where somebody will go and choose to do something against most of the state’s wishes. Just because you’re elected as a representative doesn’t mean your opinion is the only one that matters. You should be backed by your state.

Tara,


45, Republican, white, bus driver

I think that that’s a loaded question. I think Republican views have changed vastly over the last decade. I think a lot of being a conservative is really accepting and valuing your constitutional rights and being accepting of other people’s ideas and also being able to come to a common ground and not be so divisive on issues, to learn to be accepting and try to find the common ground. And our government does not need to be telling us what we need to be doing all the time.

Michelle,


40, Republican, white, administrative assistant

It’s more conservative and less government regulations. So I got my big girl panties on. I’m perfectly capable of making sure that I can do what I’m supposed to do. I don’t need someone to legislate that. So yeah, less government, conservative, good family values — that’s what Republican is to me.

Travis,


37, Republican, white, physical therapy

The first president I got to vote for was George W. And the politics from then to now has changed drastically with the Tea Party in the middle there. And right now it’s essentially, it’s who can Republican one-up each other? And RINO is a big term and those type of things. But there is absolutely no standard of what a Republican is. And it’s actually forcing people, myself included, to ask: Am I even a Republican? Even though I am. Sometimes I feel like the Democratic Party is actually almost more welcoming to different viewpoints.

Troy,


35, Repbulican, white, dietitian

I don’t think voters have really changed as much as the media portrays them to. I think the media and maybe individual politicians have gone to a length to portray Republicans as being far ultraright, Make America Great Again, Trumpism and things like that. But I think when you look at the voters as a whole, I think they’re still right there, middle-of-the-line, conservative, good, everyday people.

James,


61, Republican, white, economic development

It seems like we have this pendulum swinging. And when a Republican won, it swung that direction. And then when a Democrat won, it swung the other direction. And it’s swinging farther each time.

Paul,


53, Republican, white, retired

The only thing has really changed for me is that when it comes to this Jan. 6 committee, it’s really upset me that she is not — I don’t know if it’s more of a personal vendetta, but I don’t think she’s representing the people who elected her. If you’re going to represent someone, you need to represent them. And with this Jan. 6 committee, I just feel that she has just left us.

Tera,


46, Democrat, white, volleyball coach

I’m afraid I’ll be the black sheep, but I’d say brave.

Jessica,


43, Republican, white, child care provider

Self-serving.

Adam,


23, Republican, white, self-employed

Unattached.

Travis,


37, Republican, white, physical therapy

I’m going with guts.

Troy,


35, Repbulican, white, dietitian

I’m going to go with committed, dedicated.

Kristi,


53, independent, white, I.T. consultant

I would echo that too, dedication. Asterisk.

Michelle,


40, Republican, white, administrative assistant

Unrepresentative.

Paul,


53, Republican, white, retired

I want to say experienced.

Jackie,


63, Republican, white, retired

Lack of integrity.

James,


61, Republican, white, economic development

Ambitious.

Susie,


52, Republican, white, paraprofessional

Self-focused.

Mark,


62, independent, white, engineer

Integrity.

Tara,


45, Republican, white, bus driver

Self-centered and riding off the coattails of her father.

Tara,


45, Republican, white, bus driver

I think there was a point in time where she did represent some kind of core Wyoming value. But I also think, to be a true Wyoming person and a Wyoming candidate and to represent us, that you need to spend the bulk of your time in the state that you’re representing. And she does not do that at all.

Susie,


52, Republican, white, paraprofessional

I couldn’t tell you that I’ve ever even heard her in this vicinity. I think she got where she got because of name recognition. But I definitely don’t think that she is voting the way that her constituents — regardless of what anybody in Wyoming believes or thinks is right, she doesn’t care. She’s just doing it her way.

Tera,


46, Democrat, white, volleyball coach

I think, probably what Susie just said — she’s doing exactly just that. She probably is going against what the constituents of Wyoming or a lot of Wyoming’s voice. But I think she’s truly doing what she thinks is right, and I think that’s courageous. And she has a platform to do something. She could have just kept quiet and probably been voted in again with no problems from the typical Republican Wyoming voters. But she’s not comfortable with that. I registered to be a Republican just so I can endorse her and support her. I’ve been here forever. And I’m proud that finally, I feel like my voice is being heard, for the first time ever, living in Wyoming.

Mark,


62, independent, white, engineer

She took an oath to the Constitution. And part of that, to me, is living by the truth and living by the law versus living by somebody’s story. And so getting at the root of the truth and the real story, I think, is laudable, and it lives to Wyoming values, which is: Let’s find out the truth and then let the chips fall where they may.

Troy,


35, Repbulican, white, dietitian

A co-worker of mine got a lot of the local political people in our community here in his home for a meet and greet with Liz. And they grilled her about her whole decision to support these Jan. 6 hearings and everything. And as she defended her position to them. It was really the position of: I did what I knew was right, I knew I was going to get political flak for it, I knew a lot of people would disagree with me, but I did what I honestly believed under God was the correct and right thing to do. And to me, that shows commitment and dedication. Now, there might be a lot of argument about whether that was an accurate representation of us here in Wyoming.

James,


61, Republican, white, economic development

I’d like to have somebody point out the U.S. representative who, within just a few years of being in Congress, elevates themselves to chair of their party’s House conference. She understands the process and certainly understands the Constitution. Shortly after the vote on impeachment, she held a focus group, and she had us from Northwest Wyoming on a call. And she spent quite a bit of time explaining to us why she did what she did. And I walked away from that thinking, “People have to be able to separate themselves from the pack.” Otherwise, you just become part of the herd, so to speak.

Adam,


23, Republican, white, self-employed

I hear everybody talking about her being on the insurrection committee, all that. But what about the vote with that most recent gun bill that went under a lot of people’s noses when Roe v. Wade was being overturned? There’s multiple instances where she doesn’t represent the general population of Wyoming. And while some people may think it’s brave that she’s going by her values, who is she representing besides herself?

Jackie,


63, Republican, white, retired

I chose the phrase “lack of integrity.” I agree when I hear people say she’s committed, dedicated, ambitious, but I think it’s not to the benefit of Wyoming citizens. She’s not representing the average Wyomingite.

Tara,


45, Republican, white, bus driver

I don’t know if any of you guys have seen her latest commercial with her dad. But it’s very hard to get onto somebody’s political side when it’s so angry and nasty. And you can either love or hate Trump. There’s lots of conservatives that love or hate Trump. But right now, I feel like she has such an ax to grind that she’s forgetting about everything else that she’s supposed to be representing in this state.

Travis,


37, Republican, white, physical therapy

I did not vote for Hageman for governor because I thought she was too extreme. I was automatically appalled when we have these people at the national level weighing in on politics they know nothing about, and this is my opinion, obviously, but Donald Trump picked Harriet Hageman because she was a woman and she ran for governor and she almost won. He knew nothing else about her. Liz Cheney has done a great job. In terms of oil and gas, she’s the first sponsor, co-sponsor, on pretty much anything federally.

Susie,


52, Republican, white, paraprofessional

I can’t say it changed my vote one way or the other, because I know the Hagemans personally, but because I think they do research on anybody they endorse before they endorse them. And I think his research solidified my thoughts.

Adam,


23, Republican, white, self-employed

It’s hard to say because, going back to the question before, what’s your definition of a conservative at this point? I mean, she really does stick to her guns and really does believe what she believes in and sticks to it. It’s just — it’s maybe not necessarily aligned with Wyoming’s core values. But I will say, she is conservatively aligned.

Paul,


53, Republican, white, retired

I’m still on the fence about who to vote for, but Adam brought up strike two against Cheney for her vote on the gun control bill. So I’m not sure. But I’m still on the fence.

Tara,


45, Republican, white, bus driver

I mean, on a piece of paper, if you look at her voting record and stuff — not just from the past couple of years but whenever — she would align with conservative values. But I think that she’s maybe moving more to the center left, maybe. I would say, six months to a year, the only thing you do hear from her on is Trump. And at some point, everybody’s got to move on from that. We still have a country to run.

Jackie,


63, Republican, white, retired

I feel like some have mentioned, again, you have to go back to your definition of “conservative.” How it started when I first started voting and the way it is now, I believe it’s gone more liberal. So I have to consider myself more conservative than the average conservative. But I think a lot of it, too, depends on what media outlet you’re listening to. We’re hearing all of the Jan. 6 information. You’re not hearing all of the other stuff that’s going on. So I think part of the problem is: What does the media focus on?

Michelle,


40, Republican, white, administrative assistant

What has made me stand so far away from Cheney and be so uninterested in voting for her is her constant anger, her mission to prove a point and to nail someone to a cross. And it really did not help her with her father doing an ad where he’s also attacking former president Trump. That felt like daddy’s swooping in to help his daughter trying to get votes. All of this anger — that energy could be better used on real issues today, like the amount of inflation, the divisiveness of our country.

Mark,


62, independent, white, engineer

My reaction to the sentiment that we ought to just move on and forget about the issue — if somebody had served an injustice or harm to your family, you would want the law to explore that as deeply as possible until the truth came out. You wouldn’t want to just say, “Enough time’s passed. Let’s forget about it.” Now, if we were the Hatfields and McCoys, we’d just feud about it for generations. But I feel like the Jan. 6 commission is bringing out a lot of information, facts and culpable information about illegal activity. And I want to know about those things. I don’t want to just say, “Enough is enough. Let’s move on.”

Travis,


37, Republican, white, physical therapy

Throughout her time in Congress, she’s very consistently voted for Wyoming values, whether that’s gun rights, whether that’s oil and gas, gaming and fish-type stuff. She’s right in line with that.

Troy,


35, Repbulican, white, dietitian

I guess my response really comes down to her years and years and years of experience in Washington, D.C., both as a politician herself but also her growing up with their dad. I want someone representing me in Washington that knows the Washington ropes.

Tera,


46, Democrat, white, volleyball coach

She has an oath, and she’s trying to find the truth. And I really think she’s taking a path that is not popular for Wyoming, but she’s doing what she thinks is right.

Jessica,


43, Republican, white, child care provider

I’ve just heard a lot of good things about her, that she wants to vote for us, the people, not just her own agenda. And that she’s trying to just get things back in order.

Susie,


52, Republican, white, paraprofessional

The fact that Harriet Hageman knows Wyoming, has always been a part of Wyoming and knows our economics and what makes Wyoming click would be the biggest reason I would vote for.

Adam,


23, Republican, white, self-employed

While Harriet hasn’t had the government positions that everybody’s referring to for these career politicians, she has represented Wyoming in her career as an attorney. I feel like she’s the next best bet.

Troy,


35, Repbulican, white, dietitian

A bully.

Kristi,


53, independent, white, I.T. consultant

Liar.

James,


61, Republican, white, economic development

Narcissist.

Michelle,


40, Republican, white, administrative assistant

Brash.

Travis,


37, Republican, white, physical therapy

Out for himself.

Tera,


46, Democrat, white, volleyball coach

Immature.

Adam,


23, Republican, white, self-employed

Controversial but effective.

Paul,


53, Republican, white, retired

Unpresidential.

Susie,


52, Republican, white, paraprofessional

Successful economy.

Mark,


62, independent, white, engineer

Charlatan.

Jackie,


63, Republican, white, retired

Successful businessman.

Jessica,


43, Republican, white, child care provider

Jackie took mine. I think he’s a successful businessman.

Tara,


45, Republican, white, bus driver

Bold and unapologetic.

Michelle,


40, Republican, white, administrative assistant

I’ll be honest. After a while, I tuned it out. I don’t get my news from TV. I choose it from social media and various news apps. And it’s just constantly angry, and it’s just unproductive.

Paul,


53, Republican, white, retired

I would call it one-sided. We’re only getting one side of the story. And so I’ve just tuned it out.

Troy,


35, Repbulican, white, dietitian

What I’ve seen doesn’t impress me. And it hasn’t been a lot. I don’t follow it. I really don’t even think it should be happening.

Susie,


52, Republican, white, paraprofessional

Well, No. 1, we’re responsible for our individual selves. Nobody made anybody do anything. And then I may be an oddball, but the only serious damage I saw in what happened at the Capitol was a woman that got shot by a police officer. So help me out. Where was the big issue? I can show you people that the federal government has harmed — I mean, let’s go back to Waco. I mean, they went in there, and they destroyed people by the tons. And it was OK. But yet we have some politicians that are sitting there and scared for their life from a group of people who were unarmed. I’m sorry. I don’t see that.

Troy,


35, Repbulican, white, dietitian

I think it’s really unfair and really political and biased to even bother investigating something like Jan. 6. Cut off of a summer of just huge, huge riots with lots of vandalism.

Adam,


23, Republican, white, self-employed

That could be considered a riot, but that wasn’t the first one over these last couple of years. And by far, the least damaging. So many people lost their lives, their businesses, their careers, everything over all the other riots and everything that were happening over the last couple of years. I mean, we didn’t hear anything about that, so why is this any different?

Tara,


45, Republican, white, bus driver

I am agreeing with a lot of people on the Jan. 6 thing being like we’re beating a dead horse. I agree with yes, we need to speak truth and justice and all that. And when I say we need to move on and get over it, that doesn’t necessarily mean necessarily move on from that. But there are other things in this country that need much more attention.

Susie,


52, Republican, white, paraprofessional

I’ve been talking to a Cheney employee. One of her comments was: How, if you thought that the riots that went on beforehand were wrong, how can you not say that Jan. 6 is wrong? I’m not saying I don’t think Jan. 6 was right, but to choose and pick the one that Trump had supposedly something to do with, to me, I mean, honestly, had it not been for the Jan. 6 committee and Cheney’s vendetta, I probably would have voted for her again.

Kristi,


53, independent, white, I.T. consultant

I’m not in love with either one of these candidates. So it’s a case of choosing maybe the most, least undesirable. They both have issues, I think, around integrity and self-servingness. But I think from a Wyoming standpoint, whatever the results of the election are, there’s a good story for Wyoming’s future path, regardless of who wins the primary or the election.

Tera,


46, Democrat, white, volleyball coach

I think one of the biggest things is people pigeonhole us and think because of where we live, what our value system is, that we are not informed, that we don’t know what we’re talking about. Because of where we’re at and how we are portrayed so much by the media, we strive that much harder to be informed and to make valid choices.

Jackie,


63, Republican, white, retired

I would just like people to understand that, right or wrong or otherwise, I do believe Liz Cheney stands up for what she personally believes, but that isn’t necessarily what her constituents would like. I would like people to understand that there’s more to Wyoming than just that person’s face.