Make Wyoming WYOMING Again

Checkgate” became a symbol of a bigger problem in Wyoming politics: major out-of-state groups and donors pouring money into Wyoming races to shape Wyoming elections from the inside out. Wyoming voters must stand up in the primary and protect the…

Scott Ortiz

March 26, 2026

Photo: Rebecca Bextel of Jackson hands a campaign check to Republican Representative Darin McCann. Photo courtesy of WyoFile, https://wyofile.com/conservative-activist-hands-checks-to-lawmakers-on-wyoming-house-floor-controversy-erupts/.

Wyoming has always prided itself on being small enough that people know their lawmakers, their neighbors and their communities. That is part of the state’s political identity. It is also why the “Checkgate” scandal hit such a nerve. When voters saw reports that campaign checks were handed to lawmakers on the House floor during the 2026 budget session, it looked like the kind of thing that should never happen in a state that values straightforward government.

The basic facts are now well documented. On the first day of the 2026 legislative budget session, Rebecca Bextel, a Teton County Republican committeewoman and fundraiser, handed out checks from Jackson donor Donald Grasso to lawmakers after the House had gaveled out. The incident led to a House investigative committee, public testimony, and a criminal investigation by the Laramie County Sheriff’s Office into whether the conduct may have crossed legal lines.

Importantly, “Checkgate” did not happen in a vacuum. It landed after years of growing political spending in Wyoming, much of it from outside the state. In 2024, Wyoming Public Media reported that Make Liberty Win, a Virginia-based PAC, spent just over $370,000 in Wyoming primary races. That spending included nearly $7,500 supporting Representative Rachel Rodriguez-Williams and about $9,200 opposing Albert Sommers. The same reporting tied Make Liberty Win to misinformation in Wyoming races, including mailers that listed incorrect election information. Make Liberty Win is a Virginia-based operation whose funding was tied heavily to Texas-based interests, while no Wyoming donors were listed in the reporting cited by WyoFile.

Americans for Prosperity also spent heavily in Wyoming’s 2024 primary season. Reporting cited by Wyoming media said AFP spent more than $343,000 on the Wyoming primary. AFP itself described 2024 as an “unprecedented political engagement” effort in the state. Whether one agrees with AFP’s goals or not, that level of outside organizational spending shows how attractive Wyoming has become to national political operations.

This is where principle and reality collide. The Wyoming Republican Party platform says: “The citizens of the United States are the ultimate authority. Governments possess powers derived only from the consent of the governed.” If that principle means anything, it should mean Wyoming citizens come first in Wyoming politics. It should mean local voters, local communities and local accountability matter more than outside PACs, national networks and donor-driven pressure campaigns.

That is why “Checkgate” resonated so strongly. It was not just a scandal. It was a warning. It showed what happens when money gets too close to power and when political culture starts to shift away from open civic trust and toward transactional influence. Outside spending, misinformation, rising campaign costs and hand-delivered checks all point in the same direction: Wyoming risks becoming a place where political power is shaped less by neighbors and more by networks.

Checkgate was not an isolated embarrassment. It fit into a broader system in which outside money, outside organizations and political machinery helped build power for Freedom Caucus candidates in Wyoming. Whether that influence came through PAC mailers, national advocacy networks or checks delivered at the Capitol, the result is the same: Wyoming voters are left wondering whether their state is being governed by hometown judgment or by imported political pressure.

This election, voters should remember that the primary is where Wyoming’s future will be decided. If you want government that answers to Wyoming citizens instead of outside interests, then vote in the primary. And when you vote, send a message that Wyoming is not for sale.

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