Democratic lawmakers fear that a possible majority in the Freedom Caucus could harm the state

Mike Yin of Jackson, the minority leader in the Wyoming House of Representatives, said he was disappointed with the turnout in the primary election and said it was a sign that the state's primary system needed to change.

“We really shouldn't be using our primary system to decide who the elected representative is,” he said. “I think it leads to results where the decisions for an entire district of 10,000 people are made by less than a thousand people.”

In some districts, he said, even fewer voters turned out for the primaries. Many Republican winners will face no opposition in the Nov. 5 general election.

Yin said he was particularly surprised by the defeat of moderate Republicans in Laramie and Sublette counties, attributing this to the number of negative emails directed at those lawmakers.

Yin said there are still a few races where Freedom Caucus candidates will face a Democrat or independent in the upcoming general election, such as the race between Sarah Penn and Ivan Posey in Fremont County and the race between Ocean Andrew and Chris Lowry in Albany County. He said it is crucial that the general election sees higher voter turnout than the primary.

“I have been told that [Wyoming is] “It's becoming a place where they don't want to raise children. They don't think they can have a job there. They're afraid for their neighbors and friends,” Yin said. “And that's why I hope people will vote in the general election.”

This primary had the lowest voter turnout since 2016.