Liberal donors and business groups topple Freedom Caucus incumbents in Wyoming primaries

A coordinated campaign by liberal donors, business-friendly advocacy groups and newly created political action committees targeted Wyoming’s Freedom Caucus in the August primaries, financing “Trojan horse” Republican candidates who opposed the caucus’s agenda. The effort, organized by the Wyoming Donor Alliance and supported by groups such as Americans for Prosperity, Common Sense Republicans for Wyoming and the Civil Leadership PAC, raised roughly $839,500 and deployed independent expenditures to recruit and promote candidates.

High-profile defeats included House Speaker Chip Neiman’s loss in a Senate race, the ousting of Freedom Caucus incumbent Ann Lucas by Jessica Crowder, and the victory of Eric Barlow over Trump-backed Megan Degenfelder for governor. Overall, 13 incumbent Freedom Caucus members lost House seats and four Senate candidates were defeated, ending the caucus’s majority in the state House. Media proprietor Wayne Hughes Jr. contributed $15,000 to the Civil Leadership PAC, which spent over $200,000 backing anti-Freedom Caucus Republicans. The campaign highlighted internal GOP divisions, with some Republicans labeled “liberal” for their stances on energy, abortion and fiscal policy.