Wyoming Freedom Caucus chairman looks ahead to next legislative session as group gains seats

The Freedom Caucus had some major wins in the primary. WPR spoke with Chairman John Bear to hear what he thought about the results. Bear ran unopposed in the primary for House Seat 31, which he has held since 2021. He is also unopposed in the general election. Wyoming Public Radio's government reporter Chris Clements spoke with Bear.

Editor's note: This story has been lightly edited for brevity and clarity.

Chris Clements: How did you react to the news on Tuesday?

John Baer: Well, it really blew me away because it was much cheaper than I expected.

CC: What did the Freedom Caucus' success in the last primary tell you about the people of Wyoming? [and] how do you feel at the moment?

JB: I was not shocked that Wyoming residents actually supported the kind of legislators that the Wyoming Freedom Caucus represents. But I am grateful that the The voters really spoke out strongly in favor of it for these types of legislators. These candidates have worked really hard, so they deserve credit for making it into office. A lot of door-to-door work, a lot of communicating with voters and letting them know who they are. We've put in a tremendous amount of work to educate voters on voting behavior so they know which legislators to support and which ones really don't align with the core values ​​of Wyoming voters, we believe.

CC: And could you tell me something about these core values?

JB: I think one of the simplest ways to describe it would be that our legislators and our voters really believe in the 23 points of the Republican Party of Wyoming Platform. And these are just things that are really common sense and have actually been part of the platform for decades. Not much has changed, maybe a word here and there, but for the most part these are timeless principles. These principles are consistent with our Wyoming Constitution and the U.S. Constitution.

These include things like being smaller government, being pro-life, being pro-family — the traditional family — and of course being a Second Amendment advocate, understanding that our gun rights aren't really about hunting, they're about defending ourselves against a tyrannical government.

CC: What does the Freedom Caucus hope to accomplish in the next legislative session? Are there any priorities you hope to pass in 2025?

JB: I believe it is important that we respond to voters by giving them the kind of value for their votes that will give us a majority. I think what you will see is a serious effort to push for property tax reform and relief, Things that were rejected by the governor in this last session.

And you're also going to see gun-free zones being eliminated in the House. You're going to see DEI funding for the university and community colleges, funding for that kind of education, that “woke” education, if you will, being reduced, if not eliminated. And I don't think we're ever going to stop fighting for and protecting the unborn. So you're going to see efforts in that regard. The Governor just vetoed an attempt at the last session and you will see that we continue to work in this area.

We want to ban pornography from our libraries and simplify government funding. So this is a really big task. It's not really sexy for people, but it's going to take a lot of steps to reverse the complications that have developed over the last few decades.

I think that's unnecessary. It prevents our funding and our state budget from being transparent. And I think it's important that every voter knows where the money is going, what's happening with their tax money and how we're managing that money.

CC: Are you worried? I have heard of some losses and [many of those were aligned with] the Wyoming Caucus. Are you concerned that the incumbents' losses in the last primary could lead to a loss of institutional knowledge of the legislature?

JB:Let me tell you, Chris, why I'm not worried.

First, the people who run for office are very committed to this state. They are so dedicated that they really put in the work and learn everything they need to learn to make good decisions. The Wyoming Freedom Caucus has been doing that since its inception. They evaluate bills, study the impact of those bills, and educate legislators so they can make a good, informed vote.