Winner emerges in 9-candidate Wyoming House race

SALT LAKE CITY — Wyoming Secretary of State Chuck Gray beat out eight other candidates in a crowded GOP primary for the state's lone seat in the House of Representatives.

Gray shared online that he was honored and humbled by the victory in Tuesday's primary, saying he will "never forget the trust the people of Wyoming has placed in me."

Gray said that it was a "spirited race," but now that the primary is over, the people of Wyoming can come together because what "unites us is far greater than anything that divided us during this campaign."

He was competing against eight other challengers in the Republican primary after Rep. Harriet Hageman announced she'd run for the Senate when Sen. Cynthia Lummis shared she'd be retiring.

Hageman was the clear front-runner in the race for the Senate seat, but the race for the House was less clear.

Gray earned 25.4% of the vote and was trailed by businessman and conservative donor Steve Friess, who had 20.4% of the vote as of midday Wednesday.

Controversy in GOP primary

Gray was one of nine who threw their hat in to represent the state in the House.

Several candidates who spoke with the Deseret News last month acknowledged that they all had similar priorities: They want to strengthen the country's borders, ensure elections are secure, and if elected, they want to work for issues on committees in the House that are important to voters in the state.

Gray leaned heavily on his record of getting things done at the state level since 2023 and said he would continue to do the same in Washington.

"I've got a real record — fighting for voter ID, pro-life protections, and securing our elections as secretary of state," Gray said in a statement. "I deliver results, not rhetoric."

The race was filled with rhetoric — and money.

Campaign finance records showed that several of the leading candidates, including Gray, put in more than $1 million of their own money to their campaigns.

Gray's disclosures show he lent his campaign $1.14 million of a total $1.3 million raised.

Other candidates tried to lean on the finance records to show they're more in touch with voters.

Army veteran David Giralt said that his campaign wasn't like those "self-funders" and argued he was running a more grassroots campaign fueled by door knocking.

Former Wyoming and Virginia State Superintendent of Public Education Jillian Balow expressed the same sentiment. She argued that Wyoming voters "can't be bought."

Balow, speaking with the Deseret News, also said she tried to stay out of the candidate infighting.

While campaigning, businessman Reid Rasner, who once put forth a bid to buy TikTok, filed five defamation lawsuits against members of his own party. He alleged that a former Republican state senator launched a "whisper campaign" against him alleging he was a pedophile.

Rasner is openly gay and a staunch supporter of President Donald Trump. He said the legal battles have left him feeling unwelcome and uninvited from certain GOP events.

Other organizations disputed Rasner's claims and said he was either not included at an event for other reasons or didn't RSVP or show up.

Balow and other candidates tried to steer clear of the infighting. She said as a former teacher, it reminded her of students who would "just go at each other." She said the hostility has happened for months and she and others have been "taken aback" watching it unfold.

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