Laramie County primary legislative candidates make their case

Aug. 6—CHEYENNE — As the primary election in Laramie County approaches on Aug. 16, the Wyoming Tribune Eagle gave candidates a chance to make their case to constituents.

The first six legislative races featured today are from Senate Districts 7 and 31, as well as House Districts 7, 8, 9 and 10. This and two additional articles will be published with their responses.

There are 12 races for seats in the Wyoming Legislature in Laramie County, following redistricting. Overall, voters will give their input on 16 races in the county during the primary, including the nonpartisan City Council election.

To learn more, visit https://elections.laramiecountyclerk.com.

Residents who are unsure of their voting districts and where they fall in the new boundaries can go to https://tinyurl.com/wyoleg-districts.

Senate District 7

Rachel Bennett and JC Manalo are the two Republican candidates campaigning to unseat incumbent Sen. Stephan Pappas, R-Cheyenne. Democratic candidate Marcie Kindred will face the winner of the primary, in the general election on Nov. 8.

Pappas has represented District 7 since 2015. He wants to address deficits, create a healthy business environment and find stable revenue, and to ensure government is the right size.

In speaking with the WTE, he cited his goals to make the state better for his grandchildren and that he is a military veteran.

One of his rivals is a vet, as well, and she served in the Wyoming National Guard. Bennett has spent the last 20 years as a Wyoming resident. She is pro-Second Amendment, hunting and fishing rights and transparent government, and is anti-federal overreach. Bennett said she has made efforts to address wrongdoing in the Guard.

Her campaign website is rachelforwyoming.com. She did not comment.

Manalo has previously run for a Laramie County commissioner seat. He told the WTE that he decided to run for the Legislature to provide an accessible lawmaker to the community. His priorities include rebuilding the economy, inviting investors to do business in Wyoming and promoting tourism.

The newly designed Senate District 7 encompasses the Cheyenne Regional Airport and a portion of Frontier Park. It follows Pershing Avenue and the northeastern portion of Dell Range, down to Green Meadow Drive.

Senate District 31

Evie Brennan and Janet Marschner have no incumbent to challenge, nor a Democratic contender in the general election. They are among the candidates who will take one of the three new legislative seats.

Brennan is pro-life, pro-Second Amendment rights, is for education freedom and is for fiscal responsibility, according to her campaign site, eviebrennanforwyosenate.com.

"I will also consider not just how (each) bill will affect us today, but how it will affect the next generation. I will work hard to leave a better legacy for Wyoming's next generation," she told the WTE.

Marschner has worked in health care for 30 years, and says she will push back against federal mandates there. Her campaign website, jmarschner.com, emphasized her pro-business, pro-vets and military and Second Amendment stances. She did not comment.

Senate District 31 is the newest addition to the Legislature, along with the two House districts. It starts along the southern border of Dell Range, follows South Greeley Highway and spreads all the way to the Colorado state line. Laramie County Community College is included in the district.

House District 7

Rick Coppinger is on the ballot with incumbent Rep. Bob Nicholas, R-Cheyenne, in the Republican primary. The winner will face Democrat Jordan Evans.

Nicholas has served House District 8 since 2011. Due to redistricting, he now is in House District 7. He has worked as a businessman and attorney. When he announced his candidacy for re-election in May, he said his top priorities include solutions for property tax payers, balancing the budget and conserving tax dollars. He did not comment.

Coppinger did not comment, nor does he have a campaign website.

The newly-drawn House District 7 starts at the Airport Golf Course and goes north to West Four Mile Road. Its eastern border is Powderhouse Road, and it ends on the west side at Hawthorne Drive.

House District 8

Stephen Neal Johnson, Lily Sharpe, Brian Tyrrell and Dave Zwonitzer are Republicans vying for the seat held by Rep. Bob Nicholas, R-Cheyenne. Nicholas is running for a seat in District 7, so there will be no incumbent in the House District 8 race.

Johnson does not have a website, and he has sent out mailers announcing endorsements from GOP lawmakers, including Sen. Lynn Hutchings, R-Cheyenne. He is against expanding Medicaid, increasing real estate taxes and critical race theory.

Sharpe has lived in Laramie County for three decades after growing up in Lander. She wants true conservative leadership to support the state's existing workforce, while creating an economically friendly environment to encourage businesses to locate and expand in Wyoming. More is at lilysharpeforwyoming.com.

"I am deeply concerned for our state's working families and seniors on fixed incomes in the face of costs that seem to rise daily when it comes to food, fuel and property taxes," she said. "We need solutions."

Tyrrell was born and raised in Cheyenne, and he said he decided to run for office after seeing legislators waste taxpayer money during the special session. He wants the state to support people and businesses of Wyoming, not the other way around, says tyrrellforwyoming.com.

His priorities include addressing property rights and taxation, K-12 funding, transparency and communication between state agencies.

"I'm a big believer that we need to get Medicaid expansion," he told the WTE. "We, as a state, have left $600 million roughly on the table. That's hurting the most vulnerable people in our state, and it's putting pressure on all businesses."

Zwonitzer has been a local businessman in Laramie County for 40 years. He has been an avid volunteer. He previously was a member of the House, representing District 9 from 2007 to 2017, and his son is up for re-election in House District 43.

He considers the top issues in the state to be water, education, economic development, civility, the mineral industry and finances. Zwonitzer did not comment. Information is at davezwonitzer.com.

House District 8 falls along the northeastern portion of Laramie County, including Yellowstone Road, East Four Mile Road and the Ranchettes area. Its farthest eastern point is Bell Ranch Road, bordering House District 10.

House District 9

The House District 9 race features incumbent Rep. Landon Brown, R-Cheyenne, who is campaigning against Dean Peterson and Alan Sheldon. The winner of the Republican primary will move on to the general election to face Democratic candidate Stephen Latham.

Brown has held office since 2017. His priorities include continuing to advance K-3 literacy, working to balance the state's fiscal profile through economic diversification and broadening the tax base and lowering taxes, and decreasing regulation on businesses to encourage development.

He said he encourages civility among legislators, and focuses on constituents, rather than attacking fellow Republicans. See facebook.com/lbrownHD09.

"I've lived in this district for 30 out of the 35 years I've been alive, and I know the people that I'm representing," Brown told the WTE.

Peterson decided to run after Brown sponsored a failed bail to legalize marijuana in 2021. He criticized Brown's support of Medicaid expansion and COVID-19 vaccines.

"His voting record does not match up with the needs and wants of the people I know and am meeting in our district," Peterson said.

He said he wants to help enact legislation to improve quality of life, and make businesses and workers feel safe. He plans to protect the Second Amendment and property rights. Peterson is a 40-year-old Army veteran who promised constituents he would fight against a state income tax, and diversify Wyoming's economy through outdoor recreation, independent agriculture and cottage industries.

Sheldon said he decided to run because he is unhappy with the way Brown has been voting since 2017. He is pro-life, opposes critical race and LGBTQA+ theories, Medicaid and Medicare expansion and unnecessary taxation. For more, see sheldonforwyoming.com.

"I believe that the majority of our district is conservative, and our current representative has voted with the Democrats 84% of the time," Sheldon wrote. "In the 2022 budget session, only one Republican representative was more liberal."

House District 9 is located on the north side of Dell Range Boulevard, and stretches from Converse Avenue to Gysel Place. The top of the district ends at Storey Boulevard, and there is a small sliver of neighborhoods south of Dell Range that goes until East View Street.

House District 10

Incumbent Rep. John Eklund, R-Cheyenne, and former House District 12 representative Lars Lone are on the Republican ballot for House District 10.

Eklund assumed office in 2011, and chairs the House Agriculture, State and Public Lands and Water Resources Committee. He spent his life working as a rancher prior. He didn't comment, and he has no campaign website.

Lone moved to Wyoming in 2000, and works for the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality. He failed to respond to the WTE, and he has no campaign site.

House District 10 is in the farthest east corner of the state, bordering Colorado and Nebraska. Its western border is on Road 138 outside of Cheyenne, and it meets up with House District 4 and 5 outside of Laramie County.

Jasmine Hall is the Wyoming Tribune Eagle's state government reporter. She can be reached by email at jhall@wyomingnews.com or by phone at 307-633-3167. Follow her on Twitter @jasminerhphotos and on Instagram @jhrose25.