The Wyoming County Party was a political party active in the state of Wyoming in the early 2010s. It was formed by former Libertarian Party members who were unhappy with the state party's electoral chances and its policies. It supported eliminating the state's sales tax and rejecting federal education funding.[1] It stood several candidates in the 2012 Wyoming elections for both state and federal office. The party pledged not to run any candidates against "favorable" Republican incumbents in 2012, as to not split the vote.[2] It was certified as a state political party in May 2012, but lost its recognition after the 2012 elections.[3] The party chairman was Don Wills, former chair of the Wyoming Libertarian Party.[4] The party website has been defunct since 2018.
Wyoming Country Party | |
|---|---|
| Abbreviation | CTRY |
| Chairman | Don Wills |
| Membership (2012) | 69 |
| Ideology | Conservatism |
| Colors | Green |
| Website | |
| wycountryparty | |
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Platform
editThe Country Party outlined four "fundamental principles" for the 2014 election:
- Reduce the control exerted by the federal government over Wyoming and its citizens;
- Reduce government expenditures;
- Reduce taxes;
- Reduce regulations.[5]
Election results
editThe Country Party planned to recruit upwards of twenty candidates in 2012, but only six ended up standing for election. In 2014, the party pledged to recruit candidates for all seventy-five state legislative races, but never ended up standing a single candidate.[5] Don Wills stood as an independent candidate in the 2014 gubernatorial election, as by then the Country Party lost recognition.
2012
edit| Race | Candidate | % | Votes | Place | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Senate | Joel Otto | 6,176 | 3rd of 3 | [6] | |
| U.S. House | Don Wills | 3,775 | 5th of 5 | ||
| Senate 6 | William R. Hill | 1,663 | 2nd of 2 | [7] | |
| Senate 14 | John Vincent Love | 978 | 2nd of 2 | ||
| Senate 24 | Bradley Edward Kramer | 1,112 | 2nd of 2 | ||
| House 9 | Perry Helgeson | 194 | 4th of 4 | [8] |
2014
edit| Race | Candidate | % | Votes | Place | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governor | Don Wills (as independent) | 9,895 | 3rd of 4 | [9] |
See also
editExternal links
edit- Wyoming Country Party at the Wayback Machine (archived November 28, 2012)
References
edit- ^ Pelzer, Jeremy (December 7, 2011). "Wyoming Country Party submits petitions to be on 2012 ballot". Casper Star-Tribune. Retrieved December 7, 2024.
- ^ "Won't voting for a third party candidate just split the vote and elect a Democrat?". Wyoming Country Party. Retrieved December 7, 2024.
- ^ Cournoyer, Caroline (May 3, 2012). "Wyoming Ballot Has Record Number of Political Parties". Governing. Retrieved December 7, 2024.
- ^ "Contact Us". Wyoming Country Party. Retrieved December 7, 2024.
- ^ a b "Wyoming Country Party Adopts New Strategy". Wyoming Country Party. Retrieved December 7, 2024.
- ^ "Statewide Candidates Official Summary Wyoming General Election - November 6, 2012" (PDF). WY SOS. Retrieved December 7, 2024.
- ^ "Statewide Senate Candidates Official Summary Wyoming General Election - November 6, 2012" (PDF). WY SOS. Retrieved December 7, 2024.
- ^ "Statewide House Candidates Official Summary Wyoming General Election - November 6, 2012" (PDF). WY SOS. Retrieved December 7, 2024.
- ^ "Statewide Candidates Official Summary Wyoming General Election - November 4, 2014" (PDF). WY SOS. Retrieved December 7, 2024.