Uncontested legislative races

407527 Three Republicans and two Democrats are running unopposed in primaries for seats in the Wyoming Senate and House of Representatives. All five will advance to the general election.

Paul Vogelheim (R, House District 23)

Paul Vogelheim is returning to Wyoming politics after a four-year hiatus to run for Wyoming House of Representatives in District 23, which encompasses most of northern Teton County.

Vogelheim was first appointed to the Teton County Board of County Commissioners, where he won reelection and ultimately served for 10 years. He was chair of the board in 2012 and recognized by his peers as Wyoming’s Commissioner of the Year in 2016.

Vogelheim de- Vogelheim scribed himself as a “pragmatic moderate” who decided to run after speaking with Wyoming Senate President Dan Dockstader, R-Afton, who told him Teton County’s issues, long labeled as fringe in Cheyenne, are no longer unique. Retaining teachers and escalating property taxes are statewide problems.

“Being able to sit in the Republican caucus to tell the story of retired folks in Teton County having to move after spending their lives here,” Vogelheim said, “that will hopefully have a sway.”

Steve Duerr

(R, Senate District 17)

Steve Duerr, a lifelong Republican, is running for the Wyoming Senate seat held by Mike Gierau. He wants to balance a healthy local economy with wildlife and ecosystem conservation.Duerr, who moved with his family to Jackson Hole in 1985, served as executive director for the Jackson Hole Chamber of Commerce in the early to mid-2000s and then for the Murie Center in Grand Teton National Park. He has also spent the last 32 years as general counsel for Lower ValDuerr ley Energy. “For the health of the local and state economy and quality of life, we have to maintain a commitment to protect and conserve the natural world,” he said. Duerr believes being a Republican in the Senate, as opposed to one of two Democrats, would give him a more influential voice when it comes to Teton County issues.

Mike Gierau

(D, Senate District 17)

Democrat Mike Gierau points to his relationships with Republicans and roles on the Joint Appropriations Committee and Management Council as his strengths. “A newly elected official from Teton County would not be in either one of those positions,” he said. “[That] puts me in a good spot to really make a difference.”

Gierau said his most important work has been advocating for funding for developmentally disabled children, securing tax relief for seniors and funding for K-12 schools, capital construction for Central Wyoming College’s Jackson campus, COVID-19 relief for small businesses and services for at-risk kids. He wants to advocate for housing, health care, transportation and education. He has also served on the town planning commission, town council, county commission and in the Wyoming House.

Gierau

Jim McCollum

(R, House District 16)

Republican Jim McCollum wants to bring a common-sense approach to local and statewide issues by winning the Wyoming House seat currently held by Jackson Democrat Mike Yin.

“It hit me one night,” McCollum said of deciding to run. “I can’t solve anything from here. Let’s investigate this and see if I can make a difference, if it’s positive for Jackson and positive for Wyoming.” The father of Lance Cpl. Rylee McCollum, a Jackson native and U.S. Marine killed in an Aug. 26 bombing in Afghanistan said McCollum he has no interest in taking advantage of his son’s name and legacy in his election bid.

McCollum cited housing, on a local level, and energy, on a state level, as his primary focuses. He is convinced that a Republican-dominated Legislature is more likely to listen to a Republican from Jackson than a Democrat.

Mike Yin

(D, House District 16)

Teton County Democrat Mike Yin is running for a third term in the Wyoming House of Representatives.

The software developer has represented Jackson since 2018 and has landed seats on multiple committees including the Management Council, the House Judiciary Committee and the House Revenue Committee. Yin is one of seven Democrats in the Wyoming House.

Yin most recently shepherded a bill through the Legislature that gave counties the option to refund part of a resident’s income taxes if they’ve lived in their home for more than five years, and occupy it more than nine months of the year. Refunds are capped at half of the person’s Yin property taxes from the prior year. The bill passed as Jacksonites grappled with skyrocketing taxes that pushed some residents out of their homes.

Yin also has championed county-optional real estate transfer taxes, which would give local governments the opportunity to approve and receive funds from a tax on real estate sales.

Andrew Byron

(R, House District 22)

Andrew Byron, 37, is a real estate agent, small business owner and volunteer firefighter. The Hoback resident thinks a Republican who believes in climate change but still fights for small government is what residents of the newly redrawn HD22 want to see. He’s seeking the district now represented by Jim Roscoe: Lincoln County and parts of south Teton County from Wilson to Hoback. He’s a moderate who thinks government should stay out of LGBTQ and abortion rights issues. His Byron top priorities would be setting a limit on property tax increases, preserving public lands like the state school holdings, promoting new tech economies like cryptocurrency and promoting mental health.