Park County GOP Sends Candidate No Confidence Letter Over Voter Registration Ad

The Park County Republican Party Central Committee voted Thursday to send Republican state Senate candidate RJ Kost a letter of no confidence over a newspaper advertisement Kost placed telling people how to change their party affiliation, and to “be aware” that “your voting options are limited if you’re not registered Republican.” The letter states that “encouraging individuals to change their political affiliation solely for the purpose of influencing the outcome of an election undermines the foundational principles of a constitutional republic.”

The ad, which Kost funded in the Powell Tribune last month, urged people to vote for him. It listed county clerks’ phone numbers and noted that May 13 is the last day to change party affiliation due to a 2023 Wyoming law barring changes after the candidate filing window opens. “Be Aware,” the ad continued, “Many Primary Election ballots have only Republicans to consider, so your voting options are limited if you’re not a registered Republican.”

Park County GOP Chair Vince Vanata told Cowboy State Daily that he interprets the ad as a pitch for Democrats to masquerade as Republicans and vote for Kost. “If that isn’t saying change your party and vote in the Republican primary, I don’t know what the hell else does,” he said. Vanata asserted that crossover voting is already happening in Park County. “I can say there are a large number of people who are registered as Republicans in Park County who would typically not be registered Republicans. They register as Republicans to participate and have an influence on the Republican primary.”

Kost countered that the ad was meant especially for unaffiliated voters. “There are 387 unaffiliated voters in the Powell area, which is part of my district. There are 671 unaffiliated voters in District 19,” he said. “I wanted to make sure they understood the change in the date to become affiliated, so that they could vote in the election.” He also noted that “a lot of the candidates for different positions are all Republicans, and not Democrats. Which is a fact.”

The no-confidence vote came after Sen. Dan Laursen, the incumbent in the district Kost seeks to represent, raised the motion. Laursen is not seeking reelection and has endorsed Rep. Paul Hoeft in the Senate race against Kost. Kost held the seat for one term prior to Laursen, starting in 2019; Laursen defeated Kost in a three-person primary in 2022.

The meeting also saw a failed attempt to censure Powell City Councilman Troy Bray over his April 28 Facebook comment that “The only way Wyoming is going to have freedom is to start hanging bad judges.” The party’s parliamentarian ruled the motion out of order since it referred to a member rather than a topic of debate. The party then entered executive session, where an effort to remove a different committeeman ultimately failed.

Kost said his run is about representing constituents, not party leadership’s opinion. “This really doesn’t have any bearing on what they’ve done,” he said. “My whole intent is to represent the people, the constituents of District 19 to the best of my ability.” Vanata countered that if Kost wants the Republican brand, “he should be at least abiding by 80% of the (state GOP) platform. What he did in his ad is not what a conservative person does.”