The wyoming delegation

congressional officials …

The Wyoming congressional delegation is small and electorally fluid but influential, thanks primarily to Senator John Barrasso’s leadership role in the upper chamber.

Of the three 2022-2023 class members, one is male, and two are female, but no minority representation. One of the two Senators is a physician, while the other two delegation members are lawyers.

None are veterans.

The average tenure for the delegation is only 1.7 terms, assuming everyone completes their service through the end of 2024. The longest-serving member has been in Congress since 2007.

When you look at these profiles, we have given each a letter grade for their effort this Congress, based on various factors, which you will find in What Is Thomas Looking For? These letter grades are probably pretty familiar to you if you have ever been a school student (we hope the answer to that is we all have!)

If you see a meager score for a particular member, it will probably be due to one or two key factors: ethics challenges or anti-democratic behavior.

• Republicans have been hit hard on their lack of pushback on former President Trump and their support of election denying in the 2020 presidential campaign. The unanswered soaring deficit on their watch, the dismantling of allied relationships around the globe, and opposition to funding anti-authoritarian initiatives. The denial of climate change weighs heavily on us as well. We make no secret that transparency and Government in the Sunshine are vital to us, and we further argue that some have been awful stewards of this category. Senator Cynthia Lummis voted to overturn the 2020 presidential election results on the same evening as Trump supporters stormed the United States Capitol and freshman Congresswoman Harriett Hageman intentionally ousted Congresswoman Liz Cheney, who was a staunch defender of American democracy at the hands of Donald J. Trump.

• Democrats have been hit hard for their lack of progress on critical matters because they control the United States Senate and have a razor-close margin in the U.S. House of Representatives. They have not been innovative or necessarily insistent on finding rational, reasonable solutions to the problems plaguing the American public today. We want to see more and better.

• Both have been dinged for being too partisan and not collaborative where evident. In our opinion, being too doctrinaire or an obstructionist to good government in the 21st century does not get one a good grade from Thomas.

We also indicate what we believe might be the outcome of these Members’ 2024 elections today. One of the two United States Senators is running for re-election.

Our prospect ratings fall into three categories:

• Safe Bet - which means what it means. These members of Congress are running strong and look to be overwhelming prospects for re-election at this time. However, we reserve the right to re-categorize their chances if necessary.

• It’s A Race - means this race is too close to call, and we can not reasonably predict who will win this seat.

• Nudging - means the seat is leaning one way or another for this candidate. We have just a small number of current members of Congress in this category. Stay tuned!

So, would you like to meet these fascinating Wyomingites? If so, keep reading on!

What is Thomas looking for?

There are no vulnerable races in Wyoming for Thomas to watch in 2024 but we will be watching how the state operates during the 2024 campaign cycle with two of three members having actively opposed the kind of American democracy we embrace.

the senators

United States Senator John barrasso (r)

John Barrasso is the third-ranking Republican in the United States Senate and also the ranking member of the Environment and Natural Resources Committee.  He is a physician who graduated with a Bachelor’s and a law degree from Georgetown University.  The Married father of three Senator also serves on the Finance and Foreign Relations Committees.  He was appointed to the Senate in 2007 and elected to three terms in 2008, 2012, and 2018. Barrasso is up for re-election in 2024.

Thomas Take: Safe Bet Republican

Thomas Rank: B

Website

United states senator cynthia lummis (r)

Wyoming’s junior senator was first elected to the Senate in 2020.  She serves on the Appropriations Committee; the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee; and the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.  From 2009 to 2017, Lummis was a member of the U.S. House.  A widowed mother of one, Senator Lummis holds a bachelor’s and a law degree from the University of Wyoming.

Thomas Take: Not up for re-election in 2024

Thomas Rank: D

Website

the representatives