Wyoming Senate Candidate James Byrd: They Aren’t Representing Us

Former Wyoming lawmaker James Byrd of Cheyenne says he's running for the U.S. Senate because "the people who are supposed to be representing us are not representing the people of Wyoming."

Byrd represented Laramie County in the Wyoming House of Representatives from 2009-2019. He made the comments in a recent interview on the "Weekend In Wyoming"  program on a.m. 650 KGAB.

You can hear the entire interview in the audio file attached to the article below.

Byrd, who is a Democrat, is running for the Senate seat currently held by Republican Cynthia Lummis, who is retiring. Republican Congresswoman Harriet Hageman is also running for the seat and is widely expected to be the Republican nominee.

Hageman ''Wants To Sell Off Every Square Inch Of Public Land"

Byrd says Hageman "is willing to sell off every square inch of public land we have in the state. And that's one of those things that I just won't stand for."

He goes on to says of public lands "not only are they the bedrock of what we stand for in this state. The wide open spaces and everything. The economic value they bring to the people and the communities is almost immeasurable."

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Byrd also says education is one of his key issues, adding that in today's global economy, American students need to be "above and beyond what they (students in other countries) do. To do that you need a strong educational system. He says that includes properly funding K-12 as well as secondary education.

''Otherwise, we will not be competitive on the world stage.'' While Wyoming schools are largely funded through state and local funding sources, they do receive federal money. In the 2021-2022 school year, federal funding accounted for about 13 percent of the money used to fund Wyoming schools, according to USA Facts.

On the issue of gun control, Byrd says "I really don't care how many guns and how much ammunition you have. I only ask that you keep those guns locked up." Byrd says the gun control issue goes to personal responsibility. '' I really feel the government is close to encroaching on some rights there."

So can a Democrat win a Senate seat from Wyoming, a state that last sent a Democrat to the Senate in 1970? ''Well, I think I'm the better candidate...let's drop the party thing and look at it person to person. Do you want this person or that person representing you?"