In dispute over local elections, Wyoming Republican Party attorney says law, court ruling don't apply

Legal counsel for the Wyoming GOP advised county parties to disregard state statute and a Wyoming Supreme Court ruling when considering who should be allowed to vote in local party elections, according to a letter obtained by WyoFile. Instead, the attorney advised county Republicans to follow a contested party bylaw since the matter involves a private organization.

“I understand some have alleged county officers who are no longer precinct persons may not vote in your upcoming elections,” attorney Brian Shuck wrote in a March 17 letter to Weston County Chairman Karen Drost. “They argue that, if there is a conflict between a GOP bylaw and a state statute, the statute controls,” Shuck wrote. “I disagree.”

Shuck’s letter arrived in the midst of victories for Republicans less aligned with state party officials in several county GOP leadership elections. Former Speaker of the House Albert Sommers, for example, was elected chair in Sublette County, while former representatives Tony Niemiec and Lorraine Quarberg were selected to lead their parties in Sweetwater and Laramie counties respectively.

In recent years, harder-line Republicans, including Shuck and Chairman Frank Eathorne, have dominated the party, while infighting and legal battles sapped its coffers. But some pundits and political observers see the recent victories by more moderate Republicans as a sign of the party turning back toward its big-tent ethos of the past.