GOP primary victors could reshape the Wyoming educational landscape, giving parents more choices

Several pro-school choice Republican candidates for the Wyoming state House won their primary races on Tuesday, signaling a growing appetite for educational freedom from voters.

The results give conservatives in Wyoming the opportunity to pass a solidly conservative, small government, pro-freedom agenda for the state, experts say.

Incumbent state Reps. Dan Zwonitzer, David Zwonitzer and Ember Oakley were defeated by GOP candidates who promised to support school choice.

David and Dan Zwonitzer are a father and son pair from Laramie County, according to the Wyoming Tribune Eagle.

As the results became apparent, Corey DeAngelis, a school choice advocate and fellow at the American Federation for Children, took to social media to celebrate the momentum his organization helped create for pro-school choice candidates in Wyoming – and to warn other Republicans against opposing parental rights in education. 

“BREAKING: My organization targeted three legislators in the Wyoming House Republican primaries for voting against school choice this year. They all just lost their seats,” DeAngelis wrote on X. 

The unofficial results published by the Wyoming Secretary of State show Steve Johnson edging out state Rep. David Zwonitzer 1,183 to 1,134 in the District 8 House race; Ann Lucas beating state Rep. Dan Zwonitzer 799 to 559 in the District 43 House race; and Joel Guggenmos defeating state Rep. Ember Oakley 1,071 to 855 in the District 55 House race.  

Wednesday DeAngelis reported Rep. Albert Sommers, formerly the House Speaker who blocked school choice legislation, also lost to Laura Taliaferro Pearson in District 14, 2,025 to 2,211. 

The primary election featured two GOP groups grappling to gain ideological control of next year’s legislative agenda. 

The Wyoming Freedom Caucus needed to pick up six seats to wrest control of the state House from the Republican establishment Wyoming Caucus, noted the political blog, the WyoFile.   

But the Cowboy State Daily predicted the Freedom Caucus could gain as many as 11 seats after the general election in the wake of Tuesday’s primary results.  

State Rep. John Bear, of Gillette, chairman of the Freedom Caucus, told the Daily that he expects the pro-school choice caucus to have at least 38 members in the state House, against 19 establishment GOP legislators and just five Democrats.  

The local Oil City News said that a Freedom Caucus victory would “lead to broader support for universal school choice and parental rights policies.”   

A bill creating $5,000 educational savings accounts for families of four making less than $75,000 annually failed in February on a procedural vote in the House, which required a two-thirds super majority to advance. 

The Freedom Caucus put forward a more ambitious scholarship proposal, minus the income restrictions, that passed in the Senate.  

Because of the primary results, a proposed universal scholarship bill could see action in the state House next year. Additional items on the Freedom Caucus agenda could include a bill that would restrict the discussion of gender identity with K-3 students, said Oil City News.  

The elder Zwonitzer is taking his defeat philosophically. 

“I think the state has spoken that they now want to follow the national Freedom Caucus agenda, because the moderates in the state all got voted out. It’ll be fun and exciting to see what the next step is,” Rep. David Zwonitzer told the Eagle. “I was a little disappointed in the overall turnout … but that’s how elections run, and I know the members of the Freedom Caucus worked very hard to get themselves put in.” 

Dan Zwonitzer was less gracious, after having served as Chairman of the House Revenue Committee as the capstone to 11 terms in the Wyoming House of Representatives.  

“I took 22 hit pieces in the mail and 10 text messages against me, and that negativity works. Overall, it proved (that negativity) works in Wyoming, and it’s the new normal, and that’s what bothers me most,” Dan Zwonitzer told the Eagle.  

But DeAngelis had little sympathy for him, indicating that perhaps nearly 20 years in office was too much for someone who assumed office at 26 years old in 2005.   

“[H]e took money from the teacher union, voted against school choice, and lost his election,” said DeAngelis.  

Beyond school choice and parental rights, the Wyoming Freedom Caucus supports “smaller government, strong family values, and the protection of individual freedoms and liberties as outlined in the U.S. and Wyoming constitutions.” 

The caucus said that it has passed two abortion bans, helped ban boys from competing against girls in sports and secured safeguards to the Second Amendment rights of Wyoming citizens.  

Still, the Freedom Caucus chairman was circumspect about the group’s new-found majority if the general elections go as predicted. 

“It’s important to remember that our legislators have not been part of the establishment, we have not had the power, so it will be important that we are thoughtful and really careful with what we pass,” Bear told the Daily.