In elections for the Wyoming Legislature, every vote counts. 

This is especially true in the primary elections, which tend to have very low turnout but also essentially decide who will win the seat in most races.

In a new series, EVERY VOTE COUNTS, Better Wyoming looks at primary elections from recent years for the Wyoming House and Senate that featured two very different candidates and were decided by just a handful of ballots.

This should serve as a reminder that your vote matters, and encouragement to commit to vote in both the primary and general elections in 2026.

 

RACE: House District 60 - Green River

YEAR: 2024

Rep. Tony Niemiec (incumbent) vs. Marlene Brady

OUTCOME: 

Tony Niemiec - 520 votes

Marlene Brady - 566 votes

MARGIN OF VICTORY: 46 votes

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As the far-right Freedom Caucus fought for House control in 2024, the contest for House District 60 loomed large. It was between traditional GOP incumbent Rep. Tony Niemiec and Freedom Caucus-endorsed challenger Marlene Brady.

Brady won by 46 votes, signifying a major change in the district’s electorate. In the 2022 GOP primary, Niemiec had topped his opponent, Jennifer Jones, by nearly 1,000 votes.

Debates and public statements by Niemiec and Brady demonstrated a wide gap between the candidates on many issues. One was mental health services.

Niemiec, a Marine veteran, said an estimated 22 veterans die by suicide each day in the U.S. He supported funding for the 988 suicide hotline and mental health programs to help children, veterans and others.

Brady acknowledged that there’s a shortage of mental healthcare providers, but instead of describing concrete solutions to the problem, any time it came up she veered immediately into strange diatribes about national hot-button issues.

At a Rock Springs debate she answered a question about mental healthcare by talking about critical race theory and too much diversity, and then bizarrely claimed that mental health is “a gateway to gun control.”

The candidates also split in their support of law enforcement. Niemiec, a former cop, focused on upgrading equipment for emergency response teams. “All that equipment is old, broken and doesn’t work so we need to look at the state to help,” he said.

Brady, in contrast, warned against overreliance on government protection, arguing that it could lead to a loss of individual freedoms.

After his loss Niemiec posted on Facebook, “This isn’t over.” He criticized Brady for blindly following a caucus that has no plan for governance and her lack of understanding Wyoming issues.

What’s Next

Niemiec, who is now the chair of the Sweetwater County Republican Party, announced he will run against Brady in the 2026 primary.

This comes after Rep. Brady’s controversial 2026 budget session, when she was at the center of a scandal involving a Teton County Freedom Caucus donor and fundraiser, Rebecca Bextel, handing out checks to lawmakers on the floor of the capitol.

Rep. Brady was one of the lawmakers who received a check, and she is featured front-and-center in the now-infamous image that captured Bextel’s act.

Rep. Brady has been lampooned for her strange responses during a legislative committee’s investigation of the incident, during which time she refused to answer many of the committee’s questions.