The classic western movie “High Plains Drifter” hit the box office in 1973. One of the final scenes was quite memorable. After The Stranger (played by Clint Eastwood) has caused chaos in the town and ultimately burned down much it, the character Stacey Bridges (played by Geoff Lewis) shouts out, “Who are you?” In this case the Stranger was the ghost of the former Sheriff, a good guy.
A central theme of the movie, do we know who someone is. Think about our own lives and experiences. How many people have we been surprised with (and often disappointed with) after finding out something about them: friends, family, neighbors, politicians, others. We think things like:
- So and so said they are OK.
- They used to be the Town, County, State (fill in the blank).
- They said all the right things.
- They’re a member of . . .
- They sure were nice when we were dating.
As the saying goes, you can’t always judge a book by its cover. Or in a good mystery novel, you don’t know “who done it” until after you read the whole book with all its clues, twists and turns. A similar issue comes up with candidates running for election. Who exactly are they? What do they believe? Are any flying under false or partial colors?
To that end, the State and County GOP are asking candidates to fill out a questionnaire on where they stand on the Republican Party Platform. The Platform is the principles we hold dear as Republicans. You can find the platform here.
This process was added to the State and County By-laws by approximately 300 delegates from across Wyoming at the April 2026 State GOP Convention, and 82 county committeepersons at the June 2026 Park County GOP meeting. Neighbors you chose to represent you.
The intent is a) to allow YOU to know where candidates actually stand on GOP Platform principles, and b) for candidates who align with the Republican party Platform to earn validation via an endorsement. It is NOT a purity test, as some want you to believe. It is simply allowing you to be a more informed voter by asking candidates to be fully transparent about what they believe in.
And if someone balks at telling you what they believe in, your radar should go up. Don’t let them deflect, misdirect, obfuscate or create chaos. Dig in harder and keep asking them, “Who are you?”
Jim Vetter
Cody, Wyoming