TORRINGTON – Reid Rasner is a candidate for one of Wyoming’s two U.S. Senate seats and is running against Sen. John Barasso in Republican primaries. The primaries take place on August 20, although early voting is already underway.

Rasner sat down for an interview with the Torrington Telegram on July 23 to discuss his platform and reasons for taking on the three-term U.S. Senator.

Why are you running?

“I’m a fourth-generation Wyomingite, born and raised in Casper. I graduated St. Anthony’s Catholic School and went on to Natrona County High School and then I graduated from the University of Wyoming.”

“I owned Wyoming Glass in Casper. We sold that in 2009 and I got my real estate license. Now I’m a financial advisor. I own Omnivest Financial in Casper. I primarily serve military members and members of the energy industry community right here in Wyoming. 

“Those two communities are really the reason why I’m running, especially when we look at our military members who refused the (COVID-19) vaccine back in 2020 while [Senator] John [Barasso] was mandating masks and vaccines in the military. They got a dishonorable discharge in the military for refusing to take the vaccine.”

“They would come to me. They were concerned. I was their financial advisor [and] their confidant in life. They would ask me, ‘Can you do anything? Can you run for office?’ For two years, I told them, ‘No. I’m not going to run for office.’ 

“In March of 2023, a few of them came back and said, ‘Reid, would you look at running for the United State Senate? We trust you and think you can do this.’ So I talked to my family about [running for Senate] and we decided that we saw a path forward. On July 15, I overcame the obstacles to file with the FEC and on August 15 I announced. I’ve been on the road ever since.

“We just got around to our 173rd or 174th event last night around the state. Huge undertaking the past year. We go around 2,000 miles a week. I go out and meet the community members and I talk to voters day in and day out.”

“Military members across the nation [and] our energy industry workers right here in Wyoming need help. They need a champion and a voice. For almost 20 years, that voice has been missing in the United States Senate and I’m going to bring it back.”

What sets you apart from Sen. Barasso?

“I’m an America-first candidate. I want to represent Americans and the people of Wyoming first, above all else. Sending money to Ukraine can’t happen because we’re buying uranium from Russia and sending money to Ukraine. We’re funding both sides of every war. We’re sending money to Iran – they’re funding Hamas, attacking Gaza. Our greatest ally in the region, Israel, is under attack because we’re sending $9 billion over there. 

“Term limits [also] sets me apart from the competition. 

“I would vote against FISA [and] warrantless searches of American citizens. John twice, in less than 12 months, voted for warrantless searches of American citizens through the NDAA Act.”

“In omnibus bill after omnibus bill, [Barrasso] is the most fiscally irresponsible sitting member of congress. He has voted for every massive omnibus bill since he’s been elected. He has never attempted to balance the budget. We have to balance the budget.”

“Border security – we have to secure the border. Wyoming is truly a border state now. John [Barrasso] voted against the border on several different occasions during President Trump’s first term in office.”

“We need a Congress, and more specifically a United State Senate, that represents and will help President Trump push that America-first agenda – secure our border, bring down inflation, end warrantless searches of American citizens and truly balance the budget. Everything John has done does not stand for that.”

Where do you see the Republican Party moving forward?

“Hopefully to represent the American people moving forward and getting rid of these establishment figures just like John. It’s important that we get rid of the old guard who are against term limits, who are for the big lobbyists pouring money into their campaigns and their accounts. They don’t represent American- or Wyoming-first interests. 

“We have to get back to the basics. We have to protect our Constitution – our Fourth Amendment is important. We have to secure our border. These are the basic, fundamental duties of our federal government, especially of our United States Senate. We need United States Senate that represents the people of Wyoming and American citizens.”

Sen. Barasso has a lot of experience. How would you respond to concerns that he has so much more experience?

“I don’t know what his experience has gotten Wyoming or America besides $35 trillion in debt, endless wars in the Middle East and now in Ukraine with Russia. 

“He continues to put Wyoming last. We have Strata Energy in Fremont County – Strata Energy would have been an amazing opportunity for Wyoming, but especially Fremont County. It would have employed hundreds and hundreds of people. 

“When we talk about experience, I have all the experience I need as a business owner, as a true American and as a fourth-generation Wyomingite to lead this country and this state to greatness and I stand with President Trump. 

“John’s decades of experience have come to an end and the polling indicates that he’s almost done. There’s light at the end of this tunnel, thankfully, for Wyoming people.”

If elected, are there any issues you want to tackle right away?

“On day one we’re going to secure the border and we’re going to begin mass deportations with President Trump and make sure he has the full backing of the U.S. Senate and Congress to do that.

“We’re going to begin balancing the budget to reduce inflation and bring down the cost of living. It’s almost $6,000 a year more today than it was just in 2019 before John [Barrasso] voted for the CARES Act and gave everyone $3,600 checks. They are not free. They are transitory and they come at a cost. We’re paying the cost today. I like to say elections have consequences. Wyoming and America are suffering the consequences of those elections now. 

We have to … begin de-regulating our energy industry so we can create an economic boom right here in Wyoming and begin to drill, baby, drill and mine, baby, mine.

“On day one of my career, I will also introduce legislation to make it so that no foreign country may own any agricultural or energy resources in America. Our energy and agricultural resources will be American owned and operated in Wyoming and across America. That’s so important to me and every American. We need to have great paying jobs and we need to become an exporter.”

How do plan to be a voice for Wyomingites and protect the interests of the state?

“Congress is in session around 140 or 150 days a year. The other 200 days a year, you have to be in the communities – right here in Torrington. You have to be in Guernsey, Lusk, Newcastle – you have to talk to the people of Wyoming in order for their voice to go back to Washington and fight for their interests.”

“We should be a coal exporter today, but we’re not, because John [Barrasso] has not fought for Wyoming for well over a decade. It’s been over 12 years since we’ve had brand new coal permits in Wyoming. We haven’t been able to export [coal] through the ports in Washington and Oregon for just almost as long. We have to have access to those ports to get it to Taiwan and Japan. They want to buy our coal.

“Someone needs to fight for Wyoming, finally, and I’m the person to do that.”

Goshen County agricultural. How will you advocate for agricultural industry?

“We have to deregulate. We have to stop importing beef and begin exporting. We have to support our ranchers and farmers. 

“We’re going to fight against the bureaucrats in the BLM trying to put their RFID ear tags [and] these high-cost and low-effective measures in place. We have to begin with high numbers of cattle, sheep, and become an exporter across the globe again. [Deregulation] has to happen so Goshen County will become very prosperous again through [its] agricultural resources.

“We have to deregulate the industry and make it possible and affordable for our ranchers and our farmers to continue to produce high-quality beef, corn, wheat and really great goods so we’re an exporter in Wyoming.

“Wyoming has agricultural resources and we have darned near every energy resource right here. We are the tip of the spear for the nation when it comes to becoming an exporter and becoming fiscally solvent again…The only way to do that is to start deregulating the industry and creating really good business. Goshen County plays a very important part in that.”

Any other important issues you are concerned about?

“Term limits are very important. That’s three terms in the house, two terms in the Senate. You can still have a full career in politics, but you can no longer become established in your seat. Eighty-seven percent of Americans want term limits. It seems that the only people who don’t want term limits are our members of Congress. Having a champion in Washington, D.C., to vote for term limits is very important to get it on a ballot so we can have a constitutional amendment.”

How would you communicate with Wyomingites?

“We would have offices around the state. Going into small communities, large communities and traveling the state and having town hall meetings is so important. 

The last year, this is what I have been doing. I meet with constituents and hear … what is the most important to them – border security, reducing inflation, ending John Barasso’s warrantless spying on Americans, energy independence and introducing term limits.”

What are some of the most important attributes of a good leader?

“They have to be strong. They have to be able to say, ‘No.’ You have to stand firm on your principles. You can’t have a dollar amount. 

Our founding fathers created this country and there is no amount of money that could have bought them. Death was the only way out. No amount of money can buy your principles. You can never sell out to the people of Wyoming and America. For too long, America has been sold out by people like John Barassso, Mitch McConnel and Joe Biden. We need to get truly principled people in there that are unwilling to sell out and do the right thing, finally.”