ROCK SPRINGS — Residents living in House District 48 will have a choice to make when they vote in November.
Republican Jim Wamsley faces a challenge by Democrat Suzie Schmid after Schmid collected enough write-in votes in the Primary Election to earn the Democratic nomination. Schmid is the vice chair of the Sweetwater County Democratic Party and is a local political organizer, issues advocate and community volunteer.
“Everyday, I talk to people in our community who are worried; worried about paying rent and affording groceries; worried about whether they can access healthcare when they need it; worried about whether the people they elect really care about the issues that will allow them to build a good life now while also building something better for the future,” she said in a media release announcing her campaign. “I’m in this race, because I know what it’s like to live in this community and feel forgotten by the folks who are elected to represent us. I’m in this race to remind people that we hold the power and that, together, we have an opportunity to create a new narrative for Rock Springs and Wyoming — one that includes all of us.”
Schmid told SweetwaterNOW she opted to go the write-in route to see if there is an appetite for a Democrat. She earned 46 write-in votes on the Democratic ballot Aug. 18, surpassing the 25-vote minimum to receive the nomination.
Schmid is focusing her campaign on accessibility, affordability, and accountability, saying she wants to represent actual Wyoming residents. Schmid believes it’s important to represent both sides and disagrees with the idea that someone can be unchallenged for elected office.
“I believe our neighbors deserve representation that listens, shows up, and remembers who sent them to Cheyenne in the first place,” she said.
Support for public education is a major concern for Schmid. She wants to see public dollars strengthen public schools and wants to end public subsidies for private education, seeking to reallocate those funds back into public schools.
She also wants to help build a sustainable revenue system for the state. Schmid believes the state should broaden its tax base and examine a corporate income tax that asks Wyoming’s largest corporations to contribute to the state making their success possible while protecting Wyoming’s small and locally-owned businesses.
“We should not continually shift the cost of maintaining our schools, roads, healthcare systems, and communities onto individual taxpayers while corporations benefit from Wyoming’s infrastructure and business environment,” she said.
She believes the Wyoming Dream should be attainable, which means the state’s working families need an economy that works for them and makes that dream possible. She also believes healthcare in Wyoming needs structural reform and she wants to help build communities people want to stay in.
“I’m running for office as a lifelong Wyomingite who wants to see families I grew up with, neighbors who looked out for me, represented in the Legislature,” she said. “I’m running because the next generation shouldn’t have to solve every economic challenge alone. We’ve had plenty of cuts, it’s time to build something to last.”
