Is Cheyenne, Wyoming a Conservative City?

Cheyenne is the capital city of Wyoming and also the largest city in the least populated state. Wyoming is one of the most conservative states in the nation, but is Cheyenne a conservative city?

Cheyenne, Wyoming is a very conservative city. In the 2020 presidential election, Laramie County voted 62.0% for the Republican candidate. Residents of the city place a high value on personal freedom and having their own space. Wyoming also has the 2nd highest rate of gun ownership in the country.

If you’re a conservative looking to move to Cheyenne, Wyoming, we’ll go over what makes the area as conservative as it is. Keep reading to learn more about the election history and political positions of the city.

Information About Cheyenne, WY

  • Population: 65,051Opens in a new tab.
  • Race: White (non-Hispanic) 77.1%, Hispanic/Latino 15.9%, Black 1.7%, Asian 1.5%
  • Median Household Income: $68,611

Cheyenne is both the capital city and the largest city in Wyoming despite only having just under 100,000 people in the city and surrounding area. Cheyenne is in the southeast corner of the state about 100 miles north of Denver, Colorado.

Many people living in Cheyenne work for the state government, Francis E Warren Air Force Base, or the transportation industry. The Air Force base in the city is actually famous for being one of the hubs where the military stored nuclear weapons in missile silos during the Cold War.

Residents of Cheyenne enjoy getting out and exploring the nearby mountains and deserts. Cheyenne has most of everything you might need available and even entertainment opportunities, but those that do enjoy more city life will drive down to Fort Collins, Colorado, or Denver, Colorado to enjoy more of what those cities have to offer.

Wyoming’s economy, in general, is driven by fossil fuels, mineral resources, and tourism.

Federal Elections

Wyoming has only voted for a Democrat for president once since 1950. In 1964, they voted for Lyndon B Johnson who won the presidency in a landslide. They have voted Republican since then.

In the 2020Opens in a new tab. presidential election, Laramie County voted 62.0% for Donald Trump (R) and 33.8% voted for Joe Biden (D). In the 2016 presidential election, the county voted 60.7% for Donald Trump and 28.3% for Hillary Clinton (D). In the 2012Opens in a new tab. presidential election, the Republican candidate received 60% of the vote, but then President Obama received 36% of the vote.

Due to the low population, each individual resident of Wyoming has an outsized influence on the US Senate since each state gets 2 senators regardless of population. Wyoming has 2 Republican senators and has had Republicans in office for decades.Opens in a new tab. That is unlikely to change anytime soon. Republican senate candidates usually win Laramie County with similar or better margins than the presidential races.

Wyoming only has 1 representative in the US house of representatives because of its low population.

The current Representative Liz Cheney won her election bid in 2020 but is not currently favored in the polls for reelection. Cheney has been rejected by conservative Wyoming voters for being one of the few republicans to vote for the impeachment of former President Trump and for her involvement with the January 6th commission. Most people expect her to lose reelection and be replaced by someone who they think will be more loyal to the Republican party.

State and Local Elections

State politics in Wyoming tend to be a little more interesting than federal politics. The small population in Wyoming enables candidates to create a better connection with the residents of the state. There is more of a chance that you know the person personally who is running for state office.

Wyoming recently had a Democrat for governor in the 2000s named Dave Freudenthal. Freudenthal was able to win the election in Wyoming by taking practical approaches and focusing on Wyoming issues. He grew up in Wyoming and ended up winning re-election in the state with 70% of the vote in 2006.

The current governor of Wyoming is Republican Mark Gordon. Gordon won the Governor’s seat with 61.3% of the vote in Laramie County.

The Wyoming Legislature is completely controlled by the Republican party with only 2 liberal senators and 7 liberal representatives.

Cheyenne has entirely Republican senators and representatives representing it in the state legislature.

Local offices are elected in non-partisan races, so it’s important to get to know the candidates that are running for mayor and city council in the area. Luckily, Cheyenne is not very large so it is fairly simple to go to meetings or talk to people who know the candidates. Most of those running are conservatives, and the Democrats in the state tend to be more moderate than at the national level.

Taxes

Wyoming is known for having low taxes. There is no state or local income tax in Wyoming. It is also one of the best states for low business taxes.

Sales tax in Cheyenne is 6%: 4% goes to the state and 2% goes to the county. This is a relatively low amount compared to the sales tax rates in the rest of the country.

Property taxes in Laramie county are about 0.61%Opens in a new tab. of the property’s assessed value. Wyoming is the 10th lowest state for property taxes in the country.

Wyoming is able to maintain a very low tax burden because of the fossil fuel industry. Wyoming makes most of its revenue from taxes on fossil fuels and minerals, and since it has a low population, they are able to relieve some of the burdens on the residents of the state. It also enables them to spend more per child when it comes to education. So, while the schools are small and have fewer programs, students tend to get a lot more attention and resources than in larger schools.

If you’re a conservative who is looking for a very low-tax state to live in and you also love the wide-open space, Cheyenne, Wyoming could be a great place for you to move to.

Fossil Fuels

The main driver of Wyoming’s economy is fossil fuels, and people in Cheyenne recognize that. While there are not many mines or plants in Cheyenne, it is common knowledge in the state that fossil fuels and mineral resources fund the state. Many of the towns in Wyoming exist because of nearby coal mines, oil fields, and natural gas fields. The state also mines a significant amount of trona, which is used to make soda ash, an important ingredient for hundreds of household products such as glass and paper towels.

Residents of Wyoming are very concerned about the push in Washington to make the country green and abandon fossil fuels. This has already started to negatively impact the economy in Wyoming and causes many people to side against progressive democrats.

Residents of Wyoming support the clean use of fossil fuels as the most reliable source of energy available.

Guns

Wyoming has the 2nd highest rate of gun ownership in America with 66.2% Opens in a new tab.of residents owning firearms. Gun ownership is extremely important to Wyomingites since they still live on the frontier in a sense. People place a high value on being able to fend for themselves.

Hunting is also an extremely popular activity and way of life for residents in Wyoming. Wyoming is easily one of the best states to hunt big game. The animals are plentiful and most of the state is empty public land due to the low population. A lot of kids in the state grow up hunting in the fall with their families, and many of them are gifted their first hunting rifle before graduating high school.

Wyoming does issue concealed carry permits, but as of 2021Opens in a new tab., the state does not require any permit to carry a gun openly or concealed. The state also has strong self-defense laws including a stand-your-ground law and a castle doctrine law.

Wyoming has no restrictions on the type of firearm you may carry or any restrictions on magazine capacity. There are also no state red flag laws.

As someone who is from Wyoming, I’ve noticed that the gun community in Wyoming is a little different from other areas of the country. Most other parts of the country place much more emphasis on self-defense. In Wyoming, there are very low levels of violent crime, and I can’t emphasize enough how empty the state and most of its land are. Most Wyoming residents think more about hunting and defending themselves from bears and wolves while out exploring the mountains and desert, so they may sport more hunting rifles and larger caliber handguns than other states.

That said, they definitely still care about their right to defend themselves, and most of them collect all kinds of firearms.

Abortion

Abortions are set to become illegal in the state of Wyoming. There was previously a law restricting the practice after 20 weeks, but since Roe v Wade was overturned, it is expected to be completely banned. There haven’t been any abortion providers in the entire state for years. Those that are seeking an abortion in Cheyenne will have to travel to Colorado, which is very close and is much more liberal when it comes to abortion laws.

Cameron Freeman

Hey, I'm Cameron! I enjoy learning about language and technology. I have lived in quite a few US cities and I write about them here!

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