Jeff Victor, Laramie Reporter

The Albany County Commission is the county’s highest level of government, wielding decision-making powers on every issue from public health to energy development to law enforcement. Democrats flipped the commission this election, with newcomer Sue Ibarra defeating incumbent Terri Jones in a race so close it triggered an automatic recount . Ibarra will join fellow Democrat Pete Gosar in the commission’s majority party. The flip is likely to impact how the county deals with aquifer protection, wind regulations and, perhaps most pressingly, the pandemic. While new cases and other metrics are not as high as they were in the weeks surrounding the election itself, the virus continues to rage in Albany County. The Commission consists of just three members, so whenever it considers a divisive issue, a two-person coalition is enough to win the day. Since the last election, the commission has been clearly divided between the two Republicans — Chair Terri Jones and Commissioner Heber Richardson —...

Democrat Karlee Provenza won both a hotly contested primary and a hotly contested general to take Wyoming’s 45th House District. She will inherit the seat from its current holder, Rep. Charles Pelkey, who declined to run this cycle, instead endorsing Provenza. Provenza’s opponent in the general election was Republican Roxie Hensley, the owner of Roxie’s on Grand in Downtown Laramie. The two candidates could scarcely be more different. Hensley is vocally right-wing and co-sponsored a militia-recruiting event in Albany County earlier this year . By contrast, Provenza entered the public eye as leader in the local fight for police accountability and reform. In the wake of the police killing of Robbie Ramirez in 2018, Provenza and others formed Albany County for Proper Policing . ACoPP fought for the removal of Derek Colling, the sheriff’s deputy who shot Ramirez following a traffic stop as the victim fled for the safety of his home. ACoPP was unsuccessful in removing Colling, who is still ...

Republican Ocean Andrew handily defeated Democrat Tim Chesnut in the contest for Wyoming’s 46th House District — with nearly a 60/40 vote split (Andrew’s 57.3% to Chesnut’s 39.1%). The seat was open this election cycle because current Rep. Bill Haley (R) did not file to run for a third term. While Chesnut is a former Albany County Commissioner, Andrew was most recently a University of Wyoming student. Andrew, 26, launched and led UW’s Young Americans for Liberty chapter. Young Americans for Liberty — a group that keeps finding itself in bed with white nationalists — endorsed three successful Wyoming candidates during the 2020 election, including Marshall Burt , a man with a Three-Percenters tattoo. Andrew has not voiced any allegiance to such groups, but did speak during a militia-recruiting event before the election. At that event — which was hosted by HD-45 candidate Roxie Hensley and featured County Commission Chair Terri Jones — other speakers downplayed the pandemic and shared...

After narrowly beating out a crowded primary, Republican Matthew Burkhart lost to Democrat Trey Sherwood in the contest for Wyoming’s 14th House District. It was a somewhat close race; Sherwood won by less than 100 votes. Sherwood will succeed current Rep. Dan Furphy, who left the seat open to pursue another open seat in the Wyoming Senate (a contest Furphy won) . Drawing on data from the Wyoming Secretary of State’s office, the following is a breakdown of both campaigns’ contributions during the 2020 race for House District 14. Trey Sherwood raised a total of $17,227 with an average donation of $124.83. Sherwood spent $500 of her own money in her successful house bid. Her top donors include individual Laramie residents, as well as labor, education, lawyer and public servant PACs. Matthew Burkhart raised a total of $16,231.79, with an average donation of $601.18. Burkhart spent $2856.79 of his own money on his unsuccessful bid for the seat. His top donor was Wyoming Hope, a new PAC tha...