Politics and Government Reporter

Leo Wolfson

Leo Wolfson is the State Government and Politics Reporter for Cowboy State Daily and is based in Cheyenne. He is responsible for covering Wyoming politics on a federal and statewide level.

Leo led Cowboy State Daily's coverage of the 2022 Wyoming primary election, including the highly contentious race between former congresswoman Liz Cheney and her successor U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman. He also managed CSD's coverage of the 2023 State Legislature, which was by far the most extensive and timely media coverage of a legislative session in the state's history.

Before joining Cowboy State Daily, Leo was a general assignment reporter for the Cody Enterprise Newspaper in Cody from 2018-2022. Prior to that, he reported for a suburban newspaper outside Denver.

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Latest from Leo Wolfson

State Rep. Lloyd Larson, R-Lander, is part of a new state task force charged with finding ways to better serve the state's vulnerable adults.

Wyoming’s Silent Sufferers: Task Force Wants To Catch Vulnerable Adults Before They Slip Through Cracks

Identifying vulnerable adults in Wyoming is a complicated hurdle the state’s new Mental Health and Vulnerable Adults Task Force is trying to address.

Leo WolfsonMay 12, 2023

Sen. President Ogden Driskill, R-Devils Tower, and Sen. Dave Kinskey, R-Sheridan.

Some Lawmakers Say Ogden Driskill Acting Like He’s King Of The Legislature, Others Defend Him

Senate President Ogden Driskill stripping Sen. Dave Kinskey of a committee chairmanship has divided the Legislature. Some defend his decision, while others say he’s trying to “build his own kingdom.”

Leo WolfsonMay 12, 2023

Immigrants wait near the U.S.-Mexico border fence after crossing over from Mexico on Tuesday in El Paso, Texas. A surge of immigrants is expected with the end of the U.S. government's Covid-era Title 42 policy, which for the past three years has allowed for the quick expulsion of irregular migrants entering the country.

End Of Trump-Era Border Rules An Immigration Nightmare, Say Lummis, Barrasso and Hageman

An influx of migrants is expected at the U.S. southern border with Mexico as President Joe Biden is lifting a Trump-era restriction on immigration. Wyoming's delegation predicts lifting the rules will create an immigration nightmare for Wyoming and the U.S.

Leo WolfsonMay 11, 2023

Gillette resident Dean Vomhof makes fashion and political statements at last week's Gillette City Council meeting as he spoke in opposition of a proposed ordinance that would criminalize discrimination in the city.

Gillette Divided As City Considers Discrimination Ordinance

A proposed ordinance targeting discrimination in Gillette has divided the northeast Wyoming community, as well as its City Council, which narrowly passed its first reading 4-3.

Leo WolfsonMay 11, 2023

Rep. Karlee Provenza, D-Laramie, says she's running for reelection in 2024 and isn't concerned about a state Republican Party resolution calling for an effort to oust her from her House District 45 seat.

Wyoming GOP Targets Democrat State Rep. Karlee Provenza In 2024; She Says Bring It On

State Rep. Karlee Provenza, D-Laramie, is using a Wyoming Republican Party resolution seeking to remove her from office to springboard her 2024 reelection campaign, saying the GOP pushback is “all fine with me.”

Leo WolfsonMay 10, 2023

State Rep. Mike Yin, D-Jackson, was a blue dot in a sea of red this past weekend when he attended the Wyoming Republican Party Central Committee meeting in Jackson.

Jackson Democrat Mike Yin Was A Blue Dot In a Sea Of Red At State GOP Meeting

If there was one person at the Wyoming Republican Party’s quarterly Central Committee meeting Saturday who may have seemed out of place, it was Jackson Democrat state Rep. Mike Yin.

Leo WolfsonMay 10, 2023

Katherine Reuckert, center, is a 2018 college graduate and Teton County Republican committeewoman. She said the state GOP "absolutely" needs to get more younger people involved.

Wyoming Republicans Look to Get Younger As State GOP Becoming ‘An Aging, White Party’

Many Wyoming Republican Party members agree the party needs younger members, although some say it’s not a problem as young conservatives are simply involved in other causes.

Leo WolfsonMay 09, 2023

Former Wyoming U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney and former President Donald Trump.

Cheney Continues Crusade Against Trump In New Political Ad Released Tuesday

Former congresswoman Liz Cheney has launched a new blitz against former President Donald Trump in a political ad denouncing him as “unfit for office.” U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman says the ad is an “ineffective” attempt “to settle a personal score.”

Leo WolfsonMay 09, 2023

Gov. Mark Gordon, center, was the only one of Wyoming's top five elected Republican officials to not attend last weekend's GOP Central Committee meeting in Jackson. State Auditor Kristi Racines, left, and Treasurer Curt Meier, right, both spoke at the meeting.

Gordon Snubs State GOP Elections, All Other Top State Elected Officials Attend

Gov. Mark Gordon was a no-show at last weekend’s Republican Party elections in Jackson. Many of his supporters and critics didn’t seem to notice or care.

Leo WolfsonMay 09, 2023

Laramie County Republican Party Chairman Taft Love, left, talks with state party treasurer Bob Ferguson during the state Republican Party Central Committee meeting in Jackson over the weekend.

Laramie County Republicans To Pay Back Dues, End Financial Feud With State Party

Some county GOP groups not paying state dues has been a hot issue for the state party, but Laramie County's announcement on Saturday that it will settle up on $12,000 owed may go a long way to cooling those flames.

Leo WolfsonMay 08, 2023

Wyoming has the highest per capita suicide rate in the nation, and Campbell County leads the state. One Gillette mother has been working for the past eight years to bring suicide awareness out of the shadows. She wears that emotion literally on her sleeve with a semicolon tattoo.

Medicinal Ink: Project Semicolon Taps Into Tattoos As Emotional Reminders Of Suicide

The Simonson family of Gillette will mourn the eighth anniversary of Kaden Simonson’s death Monday, who in 2015 took his own life at the age of 15. The remember him every day with their semicolon tattoos, a growing suicide awareness movement.

Leo WolfsonMay 07, 2023

Wyoming GOP Targets Rep. Karlee Provenza For Antifa Post

The Wyoming Republican Party passed a resolution Saturday to find an Albany County candidate in 2024 to unseat Laramie Democrat Rep. Karlee Provenza, who made national headlines for sharing an Antifa post shortly after a mass shooting. Provenza later apologized for the post.

Leo WolfsonMay 07, 2023

Other Authors

Frank Eathorne (left) was reelected as Wyoming GOP chair on Saturday over Frank Moore (right).

Frank Eathorne Wins Third Term As Wyoming Republican Party Chairman In Landslide

Two-time Wyoming Republican Chairman Frank Eathorne beat former state legislator Frank Moore by a hefty margin at the party’s elections Saturday in Jackson.

Leo WolfsonMay 06, 2023

Rob Wallace, who oversaw the National Park Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for two years under former President Donald Trump, was the keynote speaker Friday night to open the Wyoming Republican Party Central Committee meeting in Jackson.

Rob Wallace, Highest Ranking Official In Trump Administration From Wyoming, Kicks Off State GOP Meeting

As a the senior-most official in the Trump administration from Wyoming, Rob Wallace said his experience running America's national parks and the role conservatives have had in managing the nation's natural resources contradicts the far left narrative that Republicans don't care about the environment.

Leo WolfsonMay 06, 2023

Chuck Gray Says Clearing Him Of Campaign Finance Complaint ‘A Complete And Total Victory For Truth’

Secretary of State Chuck Gray has been cleared by the Federal Election Commission on a campaign finance complaint filed against him in 2022 by former Secretary of State Max Maxfield.

Leo WolfsonMay 05, 2023

Dr. Giovannina Anthony is an OB-GYN at the Women's Health Center and Family Care Clinic in Jackson. Until less than a month ago, the clinic was the only place in Wyoming women could get an abortion.

Jackson’s Dr. Giovannina Anthony Didn’t Set Out To Be Wyoming’s Pro-Choice Abortion Catalyst, But She Embraces The Role

Dr. Giovannina Anthony, an OB-GYN at a women’s clinic in Jackson, is one of the few abortion providers in a state that is politically staunchly pro-life. She embraces her role as the face of Wyoming’s pro-choice movement.

Leo WolfsonMay 05, 2023

Lummis Still Says Ron DeSantis Is Future Of The Republican Party

U.S. Sen. Cynthia Lummis said she still finds Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to be the lead mover and shaker of the Republican Party, but that former President Donald Trump remains the frontrunner for the party's presidential nomination.

Leo WolfsonMay 04, 2023

Visitors view the large bronze sculptures of Esther Howard Morris, left, and Chief Washakie in the Capitol Extension hallway in the basement of the state Capitol building in Cheyenne during the 2023 legislative session.

Statues Of Esther Hobart Morris And Chief Washakie Will Stay In Basement Of Capitol

Despite passionate pleas from Wyoming residents to return statues of Esther Hobart Morris and Chief Washakie to the front of Wyoming's State Capitol, a government subcommittee ruled on Thursday to keep them in the basement of the building.

Leo WolfsonMay 04, 2023

Conservative Firebrand Charlie Kirk Endorses Frank Eathorne For State GOP Chair, Still No Trump Nod

Although Wyoming Republican Party Chairman Frank Eathorne has received an endorsement from a prominent conservative voice, the endorsement of former President Donald Trump still eludes him.

Leo WolfsonMay 03, 2023

As Scrutiny Grows, UW President Seidel Defends School’s Gender Studies Program

University of Wyoming President Ed Seidel defends UW as it’s become a target for many conservatives in Wyoming with claims it embraces and promotes “woke” culture and curricula, as well as LGBTQ-friendly policies.

Leo WolfsonMay 03, 2023

Wyoming education association and state capitol 5 2 23

Trial Could Decide Wyoming Education Association’s Claims That Wyoming Needs To Spend More Money On Schools

A Wyoming Education Association lawsuit claiming the state is violating its own constitution by not adequately funding public education is on track for trial.

Leo WolfsonMay 02, 2023

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