Immigration, Trump Main Themes As Barrasso Debates Opponent In Their Only Debate

U.S. Sen. John Barrasso and his Democratic opponent, Scott Morrow, argued about a number of issues during a Thursday night Wyoming PBS debate, such as the way President Joe Biden’s administration managed the COVID-19 pandemic, former President Donald Trump and illegal immigration.

Barrasso is seeking reelection to a fourth term in the U.S. Senate, a seat he’s held since 2007.

The Democratic candidate is a Laramie resident who’s a former mixed martial artist and U.S. Postal Service employee. He described himself as a “guy off the street” living paycheck to paycheck while trying to get elected to Congress.

Morrow said he’ll fight for everyone in Wyoming except potentially “the rich and powerful,” those he considers Barrasso’s constituency.

Barrasso said he works for everyday Americans, from coal miners to cowboys, in the U.S. Senate.

“Those are the people I’m fighting every day on behalf of the people of Wyoming,” Barrasso said.

He said one of the most important parts of his job is protecting Wyoming values, which he believes are threatened by some people on Capitol Hill.

About Trump

Morrow criticized Barrasso’s support for Trump and the former president a handful of times during the debate. Barrasso never took the bait or commented on Trump in any way.

Trump has endorsed Barrasso’s campaign and his bid for the No. 2 leadership position in the Republican caucus.

Barrasso believes he can make a positive difference for Wyoming if reelected and said he wants to bring a respected conservative voice to Washington, D.C., on behalf of Wyoming.

“I will work for you, I will stand up for you and I will fight for you every day in the United States Senate on behalf of the people of Wyoming,” Barrasso said.

Morrow agrees with this goal, but also blamed the poor public approval rating of Congress partially on Trump, who he criticized for spreading lies.

When asked about the forest fires ravaging northern Wyoming, Morrow also criticized Trump for comments he made in 2020 saying the Forest Service should simply sweep up fallen trees and leaves in the wilderness to prevent forest fires.

When asked how he would handle the pandemic knowing what he knows now, Barrasso said he would have opposed the government shutdowns and vaccine mandates.

Morrow thought Biden’s approach to managing the pandemic was reasonable considering the number of fatalities connected to the virus at that time.

“It’s not unreasonable to have a mandate or ‘please get tested,’” Morrow said. “I don’t consider that radical at all, I consider that good common sense to protect Americans.”

Morrow also used this question as another opportunity to bash Trump, criticizing the former president for delivering COVID-19 tests to Russia during the height of the pandemic.

But Morrow also called efforts by the Biden administration to censor speech on social media during the pandemic as “a bit of an overreach.” He said Congress should address this issue.

He also told Barrasso to stop watching various conservative news sources that he believes are propagating lies.

“You’ve got to stop watching Fox News and Newsmax, because they’re lying to you,” Morrow said. “When you pass that on, you hurt yourself.”

Illegal Voting

Earlier this month, Barrasso penned a letter with U.S. Sen. Cynthia Lummis, Rep. Harriet Hageman and a large congressional coalition to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland demanded he investigate cases of non-U.S. citizens voting in American elections despite documented instances of the crime being rare.

Barrasso defended his letter during the debate, calling illegal voting one of the greatest threats to democracy, particularly when considering the rise of illegal entries under Biden.

Although he doesn’t believe illegal voting is happening in Wyoming, Barrasso said he does think it’s happening elsewhere. He pointed out how non-citizens are counted in the U.S. Census, which is directly connected to how many electoral votes each state gets.

“I believe it is a big problem not just with that individual illegal immigrant voting,” Barrasso said.

Morrow believes concerns about illegal voting and immigration as a whole are part of a disingenuous and misleading effort. He accused Barrasso of being “vitriolic and hateful” toward immigrants.

Other Issues

Barrasso stood by his support for his bill that would require the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to convey a derelict hydroelectric power plant located within the borders of the Wind River Reservation to the Midvale Irrigation District, but said it was a mistake that the BLM never reached out to the Eastern Shoshone Tribe about the project that it opposes.

“They should have been informed earlier on,” he said.

Barrasso himself did not apologize, but reiterated his belief that most people in Fremont County support the project.

Morrow said he spoke to members of both the Eastern Shoshone and Arapaho tribes about this issue and doesn’t believe the project should move forward.

“We should have had the councils of both the Arapaho people and the Shoshone people make this decision and then brought it forward,” Morrow said.

Barrasso wants to add a balanced budget amendment to the U.S. Constitution and said bipartisanship will also be needed to reduce government spending. He also expressed some interest in studying the funding for Medicare and Social Security.

Morrow said he wouldn’t support any Medicare and Social Security cuts and believes government deficits are a result of giving tax breaks to the upper class. He suggested cutting defense spending instead.

“Tax cuts are spending when you look at it the right way,” Morrow said.

Barrasso disagreed and said the government’s problem is over-spending, not under-taxation.

They also disagreed about the recent decision of the University of Wyoming volleyball team to forfeit a match against San Jose State University over a transgender player.

Morrow opposed this decision, saying it was not UW or the Wyoming Legislature’s role to weigh in on the situation. Barrasso supported the move, saying the people of Wyoming did not want the school to participate in the match.

Morrow then relented, saying he would follow the will of the people on this issue.

No Hageman

Hageman did not participate in the U.S. House debate that was also held Thursday night with Democratic candidate Kyle Cameron, Libertarian Richard Brubaker and Constitution Party candidate Jeff Haggit. Hageman also chose not to participate in the Wyoming PBS Republican primary debate in August.

She did not respond to Cowboy State Daily’s request for comment about why she didn’t participate in Thursday night’s U.S. House debate.

Moderator Steve Peck said Hageman didn’t respond to repeated invitations to participate in the debate that were first sent out in August. He called this out with his first question to Hageman’s opponents, asking if it should be an issue of concern to Wyoming’s voters.

Brubaker said the voters should be concerned that Hageman didn’t participate, accusing the congresswoman of seeing herself as a queen.

Cameron said Hageman doesn’t represent her and has done a poor job representing Wyoming. Hageman won the August Republican primary by more than 63,000 votes and was also elected to office in 2022 by an overwhelming margin.

Cameron said her biggest priorities if elected would be supporting reproductive and dental health care, and water infrastructure for rural communities. She also said she supports increased border security while also addressing humanitarian needs.

Cameron accused Hageman of supporting border enforcement without addressing some of the root causes of the problems there.

Cameron speculated on a few possible scenarios that could take place as a result of the November election. One was that if Trump wins, he’ll make Hageman the U.S. Secretary of the Interior, which would spur the Wyoming Republican Party to have to nominate candidates to replace her.

Another, in the event Trump wins but Cameron also wins, the Democrat said that the former president would hang her.

The only avenue to having Wyoming thrive, Cameron said, is for both her and Vice President Kamala Harris to win the November election.

Cameron said that neither Trump nor Hageman actually want the jobs that they’re running for.

“Put somebody in Washington, D.C., that’s ready to go to work, that’s willing to do the work,” Cameron said.

Responding Friday after the debate, Tim Murtaugh, a Hageman advisor, emphasized the many town halls and other public engagement activities the congresswoman has run when asked by Cowboy State Daily why she didn't participate in the debate.

"It is not an exaggeration to say that Congresswoman Hageman may be the most accessible member of Congress that Wyoming has ever had," he said.

The Constitution And DEI

Cameron said she’s running because she’s passionate about the U.S. Constitution and argued that a vote for her is a vote for Wyoming and democracy.

“We the people are the bedrock of our cherished democracy and vibrant republic,” she said. “This remarkable document empowers us, the people, to govern ourselves with unwavering resolve.”

Haggit, the Constitution Party candidate, said he’s also running to protect this document. He supports MACA, an effort to “Make America Constitutional Again,” and MASA, “Make America States Again.”

“Let’s go back to the original understanding of the Constitution as a compact among the states that assert state sovereignty,” he said.

Brubaker admitted he’s a longshot in the race, but urged voters to support his campaign as a moral stand against the two party system.

Cameron supports diversity, equity and inclusion mandates while Hagget and Brubaker oppose them.

All three candidates expressed opposition to a federal ban on minors receiving transgender treatments.

Editor's note: This story has been updated to include a statement from a Hageman advisor about why she didn't attend the debate.

Leo Wolfson can be reached at leo@cowboystatedaily.com.