I have been very clear from the day I announced that I was running for House District 51 that I would not, if elected, join either the Wyoming Caucus or the Freedom Caucus. I represent HD51, not any other group.
There is a group claiming that I vote in lockstep with the Freedom Caucus. They highlight 28 pieces of legislation that the Freedom Caucus touts on their website as their priorities/accomplishments. I went to the Freedom Caucus website and tracked down those 28 bills and looked at all of the votes for those 28 bills. Here is what I found:
Out of those 28 bills that passed out of the House, 25 of them were approved by more than 75% of the Republicans in the House, 2 were approved by a supermajority (2/3) of Republicans in the House, and 1 was approved by a majority of Republicans in the House. The average voting margin for ALL 28 of those bills among Republicans was 50-4.
Republicans were overwhelmingly in favor of these bills. The average voting margin for the 6 Democrats in the House on those bills was 1-5. Democrats were overwhelmingly opposed. There are usually a few excused votes at any given time, so the averages add up to 51-9, 2 votes short of the full 62 in the House.
Let me repeat this: The average voting margin for Republicans on those 28 bills was 50 votes for and 4 votes against. It appears that I am voting with an overwhelming majority of Republicans on those 28 bills.
What is the takeaway? Look behind the soundbites. Don’t settle for incomplete information or false accusations. You can always ask me directly about a specific issue you have. I am happy to have a discussion with someone on policy. Call me. Most of you know that I am willing to meet, and do so regularly. If you like, I’ll bring my wheelie stuffed with my folders, notes and analyses of all the bills I voted on from last session. No soundbites, just truth. Coffee’s on me.