Out-of-state money and a governor splashing cash - who spent big on Wyoming races

Wyoming's state primary promised and delivered a referendum on the direction of the Cowboy State's deeply divided Republican party .

When the dust of the down-and-dirty campaign season settled, Wyoming's political representation moved further to the right ahead of November's general election. And while turnout was at its lowest level since 2016, spending was high.

USA TODAY examined state campaign finance filings between January 1 and August 20 to determine who pays for power in the Cowboy State's increasingly expensive races.

The results show a deluge of often untraceable, out-of-state political action committee (PAC) money and that Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon reached deep into his pockets in a largely unsuccessful effort to bolster Wyoming's more moderate, establishment Republicans.

Which PACS and organizations spent the most money in Wyoming?

The biggest spender was Make Liberty Win (MLW), a Young Americans for Liberty affiliate that splashed over $370,000 on races across the Cowboy State. MLW has no year-round Wyoming staff, and attracted criticism for inaccuracies in its mailers. Its endorsements correlated mainly with those of the Wyoming Freedom Caucus.

According to OpenSecrets , the Virginia-based political action committee has received zero Wyoming-based donations since its creation. The bulk of its funding comes from Texas-based libertarian activist organization Young Americans For Liberty (YAL), including $7.9 million between June 2023 and April 2024. Many of the organization's key targets, such as 19-year incumbent Rep. Dan Zwonitzer (MLW spent $11,333.69 against him) and Speaker of the House Albert Sommers (MLW spent $9,195.69 against him), were successfully ousted from office.

Make Liberty Win Executive Director Barrett Young was more than pleased with the results.

"Liberty has won in Wyoming, and the Establishment and their allies in the media are hanging their heads in defeat. Make Liberty Win came out of Wyoming with a winning record despite engaging in the toughest races in the state," Young wrote in an email to USA TODAY.

Americans for Prosperity (AFP), founded by billionaire Charles Koch, spent over $343,000 on the Wyoming primary.

AFP faced harsh criticism from far-right legislators for its out-of-state connections and emphasis on "civility" in endorsements and in the end, out of the 17 candidates AFP endorsed, a dozen won their races.

"With everyone on our team born-and-raised here and our powerhouse network of community-based grassroots activists, ... we showed that real change for the better starts in Wyoming, not in Washington," AFP State Director Tyler Lindholm said.

Governor Mark Gordon's Prosperity and Commerce PAC spent just over $260,000 during the 2024 primary, including dozens of donations directly to Wyoming Caucus-aligned candidates ranging from $1,000 to $2,500.

Other federal PACs and organizations that spent big include the AFC Victory Fund, which spent $81,854.28, and the Convention of States Action, which spent $70,112,59.

In-state PACS that ran up a high tab include Wyoming Hope, which spent over $76,000 , and the Wyoming Realtors PAC, which spent over $147,000.

How much did Governor Mark Gordon spend?

Although Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon is not running for re-election this year, that didn't stop him from bankrolling his political allies. Gordon backed his commitment to supporting more moderate, establishment candidates and opposing the Wyoming Freedom Caucus with tens of thousands of dollars of his own money.

Gordon contributed $150,000 to his Prosperity and Commerce PAC, $30,000 to the Wyoming Caucus PAC, and over $33,000 in direct donations to candidates.

Aligned with the more moderate, establishment Wyoming Caucus, Gordon has faced harsh criticism from the further-right Wyoming Republicans, including a censure at the state Republican Convention and a spat with Secretary of State Chuck Gray over voter registration policies.

Gordon's involvement in the primaries has drawn similar scrutiny. A recent Wyoming Freedom Caucus Facebook post accused Gordon of attempting to "buy the Wyoming legislature."

Wyoming Caucus vs. Wyoming Freedom Caucus

The divide in Wyoming's Republican Party is best signified by the struggle for power between the state's more moderate, establishment Wyoming Caucus and the state's further-right Freedom Caucus, who ultimately emerged victorious in the primary. While the Freedom Caucus raised more money this election cycle, it was outspent by the Wyoming Caucus.

The Wyoming Freedom PAC raised over $168,000 during the election cycle, including a $25,000 donation from the Crook County GOP that was ultimately returned after allegations of impropriety. The PAC used money from prior years to spend over $179,000 during the 2024 election season.

Nearly all donations to the Wyoming Freedom PAC came from in-state sources, and the PAC recorded only $450 in corporate contributions. Most of the money spent went towards Las Vegas-based consulting firm McShane LLC.

The Wyoming Caucus PAC raised over $104,000 and pulled on money raised in prior years to spend just under $200,000 during the 2024 election cycle.

Similarly to the Wyoming Freedom Caucus, most of the Wyoming Caucus PAC's donations came from in-state-based donors. Still, the Wyoming Caucus notched larger average contributions and donations from businesses and other PACs. The majority of the PAC's money was spent on contributions to candidate campaigns and advertisements.

Cy Neff reports on Wyoming politics for USA TODAY. You can reach him at cneff@usatoday.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @CyNeffNews

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Out-of-state money and a governor splashing cash - who spent big on Wyoming races