NEWS
The campaign of Republican gubernatorial candidate Eric Barlow is distancing itself from Fred and Susie von Ahrens, despite having publicly identified the Sweetwater County couple as members of Barlow's statewide campaign leadership team earlier this year.
Following The Open Range Record's recent reporting, the official "Eric Barlow, Riding for Wyoming" Facebook page responded in the comments section of the newspaper's Facebook post, writing:"We were not contacted by Open Range Record for a comment in their reporting, but this is not a staff member for the campaign, and we did not request anyone from the school to send out a notification. Hope this helps."
The statement denies that the individual discussed in The Open Range Record's reporting was acting as a member of the Barlow campaign.However, that response stands in contrast to the campaign's own public announcement from January.
On January 13, 2026, the Barlow campaign announced its statewide campaign leadership team. In a news release published by Sweetwater Now, the campaign specifically listed "Fred and Susie von Ahrens" among the Wyoming residents serving on the campaign's leadership team.
The announcement quoted Barlow as saying:"These folks aren't professional politicians—they're neighbors and friends who care about Wyoming and want to help keep our state strong. Their leadership will help guide this campaign the same way Wyoming people make decisions every day: by listening first, understanding the needs of our communities, and working together to get things done."
The same leadership announcement was also published on the Barlow campaign's official website, where Fred and Susie von Ahrens continue to be listed as members of the campaign's statewide leadership team. The campaign has not publicly explained whether the von Ahrens have since left the campaign, whether their role changed after January, or why the recent Facebook statement describes Fred and Susie von Ahrens, though not mentioned by name, as "not a staff member for the campaign."
It is also worth noting that a campaign "leadership team" and a paid campaign "staff member" are not necessarily the same thing. Campaign leadership teams are often composed of volunteer advisers, supporters, and regional leaders rather than salaried employees. The Facebook comment did not address whether Fred or Susie von Ahrens remain members of the campaign's leadership team; it stated only that the individual referenced was "not a staff member for the campaign."
Regardless, Susie von Ahrens, the point of contact listed in the Sweetwater County School District #1 ParentSquare message, was and is associated with Eric Barlow's gubernatorial campaign, despite what the Barlow Campaign claimed in their Facebook comment. The Jan 12, 2026 announcement still appears on the campaign’s website.
The Open Range Record's original article reported on communications surrounding a school notification and raised questions about whether those actions were connected to the Barlow campaign. In its Facebook response, the campaign also denied requesting anyone from the school to send out a notification.
As of publication, the campaign has not publicly clarified the apparent discrepancy between publicly announcing Fred and Susie von Ahrens as members of its statewide campaign leadership team in January and its recent statement distancing the campaign from the von Ahrens.
As for Sweetwater County School District #1, an apology statement was issued 4 hours after the story first broke. The Open Range Record added the statement to the original article shortly after it became available.