Hollingshead To Campaign With Barnes To Defeat Kozak For Sheriff

The candidate who finished second in the 2022 Laramie County Republican primary election for sheriff is urging his supporters to vote for independent candidate Jeff Barnes on Election Day.

Capt. Don Hollingshead of the Laramie County Sheriff's office on Tuesday put out a statement calling Barnes "the obvious choice'' in November vs. Brian Kozak, who is the former Police Chief of Cheyenne.

Hollingshead also says he plans to actively campaign with Barnes in the weeks before Election Day on Nov. 8.

In response to Hollingshead, Kozak issued a response which you can read here.

Democrat Jess Fresquez is also on the ballot for Laramie County Sheriff on November 8.

Here is Hollingshead's statement in support of Barnes:

''Over the past month I have had a vast number of supporters ask me to consider supporting Jeff Barnes for Sheriff in the general election. After a great deal of soul-searching, discussions with my wife and hours of prayer I have decided to throw my support for the 2022 general election behind Jeff as your next Laramie County Sheriff. Of the two main competitors in the upcoming general election, Jeff Barnes and Brian Kozak, Jeff is the obvious choice.

Looking at the results from last month’s Primary Election an overwhelming number of Laramie County residents chose either Boyd Wrede or myself over Kozak, although the election did not come out as I had hoped, I feel that the community has spoken loud and clear and the largest majority by far do not wish Kozak to be the Laramie County Sheriff.

Boyd Wrede, Jeff Barnes, and I may have had our differences of opinion and disagreements on the campaign trail but one thing we do know is that our supporters believe Brian Kozak is not the person for the job of Sheriff.

From now until general election day my wife and I will be out on the campaign trail with Jeff as much as possible to ensure we do everything we can to help him win this election. I would ask that all registered voters in Laramie County who supported either Boyd or I not only cast their vote for Jeff Barnes on November 8th but consider donating financially to his campaign as well.

Please don’t leave this very important election to chance, spread the word to every one of your friends and family who are registered voters in Laramie County. Many of the people who supported me whom I have spoken to since the primary had no doubt in their mind that I was going to win and admitted that they could have done more but didn’t think they needed to. Please do not let that be the case in the general election, I have not given up my desire to someday become your Sheriff, but this election needs to go to Jeff Barnes, let your voices be heard loud and clear on election day and vote for Jeff.''

Kozak won the primary with 9,375 votes. Hollingshead received 8,464 in the primary while Boyd Wrede finished third with 6,039. Barnes, as an independent candidate, did not face a primary election challenge. But he qualified earlier this year for the November election ballot.

Jeff Barnes will appear on the ''Weekend in Wyoming" program on KGAB radio this Saturday at 11:05.

Brian Kozak has also been offered air time on that program and has expressed an interest in appearing, but a firm date for that interview had not been finalized as this article was written.