Gail Symons: I Shocked Even Myself When I Sued The Republican Party

I joined a lawsuit against the Wyoming GOP in 2022. Not something I ever expected to do. 

But after witnessing the Wyoming Republican Party’s handling of the nomination process for Superintendent of Public Instruction, I was livid. The process was rigged, the outcome preordained, and two of the most qualified candidates were undercut by irrelevant or misleading attacks. 

It was clear then that something had shifted. And what happened in 2023/2024 in Sheridan County confirmed it: this is not the Republican Party in which many of us believed.

The lawsuit by the Sheridan County Republican Party against our County Commissioners wasn’t just unnecessary -- it was emblematic. It showed, once again, a troubling pattern inside the Party: rewriting the rules to produce a pre-determined outcome, punishing those who won’t play along, and abandoning the principles of transparency and fairness that once defined us.

Here’s how it unfolded.

Commissioner Allen Thompson notified the Board in early June 2023 that he intended to resign. Before he even stepped down -- before any nominations were made -- the Sheridan County GOP Central Committee voted to approve up to $20,000 to sue the County Commissioners if they didn’t “comply with state law.” 

The party had already anticipated a fight. Not a debate. A fight. 

Then came the nomination process. The county party imposed special procedures that ensured three handpicked names would rise to the top. When the Board of County Commissioners — four duly elected Republicans -- held a public meeting, they interviewed each nominee in an open session. 

No nomination was seconded. 

County Commission Chair Christi Haswell explained the Board’s reasoning: they were looking for someone with budget, infrastructure, and emergency management experience -- not just someone with party backing.

I filed a petition with the Sheridan County District Court the next day to have a judge decide – and I was the first of three individuals who did so. 

Because we know how to read the statutes. 

The judge appointed Holly Jennings, one of the nominees. Done, right?

Not quite. The party sued anyway.

Its leaders claimed the commissioners had violated their duty by refusing to appoint someone -- even though they had followed the law, held an open process, and acted in good faith. The party’s case went to trial. 

And the judge dismissed it.

Why? Two reasons: First, the Party had no standing. It wasn’t entitled under the statute to bring that lawsuit in the first place. Second, and just as important, it failed to prove any wrongdoing by the commissioners. 

In fact, the court specifically echoed the concern that if the Party’s view had prevailed, any “discontented individual who disagrees with a commissioner’s decision” could tie up local government with endless litigation. 

That’s not accountability. That’s sabotage.

The irony is hard to miss. This is the same Republican Party that insists it is a private organization and claims any regulation of its internal process is an attack on free association. 

But when public officials act in the open and exercise judgment, the Party cries foul and runs to the courts.

That’s not principle. That’s hypocrisy.

And then there’s the money.

The campaign finance report shows a $20,000 payment to Coal Creek Law on September 12, 2023 -- matching the legal budget the Party approved. But another payment -- $12,064.39 on May 13, 2024 -- is listed only as “consulting.” No vote was taken. No explanation given. Just a line item.

Worse still, nearly $20,000 was collected through four “cash” donations ranging from $2,360 to $9,121. Under state rules, cash contributions are only allowed in a “pass the hat” format -- when the actual donors can’t be easily identified. 

These numbers don’t pass the smell test. Not for a party that claims to stand for fiscal responsibility and rule of law.

This isn’t just about Sheridan County. It’s part of a larger drift. From nomination processes, the Uinta and Hot Springs lawsuits, the lawsuit against the Laramie County Clerk, and internal disputes across the state, we are watching a Party that once valued local control and integrity now consumed by centralized control and retribution.

We’re better than this.

Republicans in Sheridan County -- and across Wyoming -- deserve leadership that reflects the values for which we’ve always claimed to stand: openness, accountability, and respect for the voter. 

Not factions that punish dissent. Not lawsuits or an internal tribunal to enforce fealty.

The fix starts with a question: Are we going to keep letting a limited circle of insiders speak for all of us?

Or are we going to reclaim the Party in which we’ve believed?

Gail Symons can be reached at GailSymons@mac.com