Marshall: They Say They're "Wyoming Conservatives." Here's What That Really Means

Since 2019, "Wyoming Conservatives" have given us lower GDP, higher inflation, lower take-home pay and an inferior economy by almost every measure than the national average. To top it all off, they have taken significantly more of your money than they actually needed.

OPINION

In a couple of months, every mailbox in Wyoming will be filled to the brim with copious amounts of political mailers. Most of them will be emblazoned with the word, “conservative.” True, tough, strong, staunch, constitutional conservative; the variations are almost endless. Some, like gubernatorial candidate Eric Barlow, will forego creativity in favor of a classic: “Wyoming Conservative.”

No matter the size of the letters on the card, there’s usually no definition of what that phrase actually means. Almost certainly, being a Wyoming conservative means something different to the owner of the mailbox than is intended by the candidate.

A favorite movie line comes to mind, “You keep using that word, I do not think it means what you think it means.”

The former majority in the House of Representatives, formerly known as the Wyoming Caucus, formerly known as the Frontier Republicans, formerly known as Democrats, have been in charge of the legislature for at least the last 40 years.

If they are indeed “Wyoming Conservatives,” one need only look at the data from the Wyoming Department of Audit, Department of Revenue, Economic Analysis Division, Department of Workforce Services, Department of Education, the University of Wyoming and the United States Census to find out what that means.

Here’s what “Wyoming Conservatives” have given Wyoming from 2019-2025:

Median household income that is 8% BELOW the United States average

Real GDP that is 10.3% BEHIND the United States (3.1% vs. 13.4%)

Real Inflation that is 7% HIGHER than the United States (30% vs. 23%)

73% increase in RESIDENTIAL property taxes (increase was through 2024, before the Freedom Caucus started to reduce residential property taxes in 2025)

30% increase in Sales Taxes

64% increase in State of Wyoming revenues. Has your income increased 64%?

59% increase in State of Wyoming expenditures

$13.8 BILLION in excess revenue collected from Wyoming taxpayers ($105.1 billion in revenue; $91.3 billion in expenditures)

State and local cash reserves = $42.0 BILLION

The State of Wyoming is spending $4 BILLION MORE PER YEAR in 2025 than in 2019

K-12 Education

42% (131) of Wyoming’s 315 schools either “DO NOT MEET” or “PARTIALLY MEET” expectations

40+% of Wyoming’s 88,690 students are either “BASIC” or “BELOW” in their grade 3-10 test scores

Less than 60% are “PROFICIENT” or “ADVANCED”

Enrollment is DOWN 4,339 students; Staff are UP 269.

And, more…

Don’t vote for a phrase on a postcard. Vote for what a candidate has done and can prove. And whatever you do, don’t vote for a “Wyoming Conservative.”

Originally published by The Open Range Record, Wyoming's Independent News Source. Cite as: “Marshall: They Say They're "Wyoming Conservatives." Here's What That Really Means,” The Open Range Record, February 23, 2026.