Is this you? As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.
Claim your profile
Articles by Amy Edmonds
Opinion | Get ready to learn: A former lawmaker's advice for those serving their first term
With incoming freshman legislators headed to Cheyenne after the holidays, it’s a good time to give them all a little bit of advice from someone who has also served in that chamber. We appreciate you being a member of the WyoFile community. Your WyoFile membership is an investment in unbiased journalism that works for you, not for the algorithms.
Opinion | Election highlights differences between Trump, Wyoming conservatism
Wyoming’s 2024 general election was significant in a few ways, but the most important is how it will shape the future — if there is one — for modern Reagan conservatism here and nationally. While Wyoming and the nation were faced with a binary choice, one that renders sweeping assessments about long-term outcomes a dangerous game, it is safe to say that the future of the Trump GOP is less conservative and more populist than ever.
Opinion | Bad faith arguments produce bad policy. We must reject them.
With the rise of populism in Wyoming’s politics, we are seeing a subsequent decline in good faith arguments about policy. Because populism breeds men and women who are often ill-equipped to make sincere arguments and don’t care to explore the actual points around any given issue, it stands to reason this will ultimately lead to the overall rise of bad policies. We appreciate you being a member of the WyoFile community.
Opinion | Why is the Freedom Caucus suddenly opposed to property tax reform?
We appreciate you being a member of the WyoFile community. Our work is made possible by dedicated members like you who invest in our reporting - thank you! The Wyoming Legislature voted last year to put a constitutional amendment on our ballot this November. Amendment A, should it pass, will create a fourth class of property tax.
Opinion | Wyoming must resist antisemitism and support our Jewish neighbors
We appreciate you being a member of the WyoFile community. Our work is made possible by dedicated members like you who invest in our reporting - thank you! “Do not be daunted by the enormity of the world’s grief. Do justly, now. Love mercy, now. Walk humbly, now. You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to abandon it.” These are the words we placed above our front door after we built our home 8 years ago.
Constitutional imbalances cause worry about election
State AlabamaAlaskaArizonaArkansasCaliforniaColoradoConnecticutDelawareFloridaGeorgiaHawaiiIdahoIllinoisIndianaIowaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMaineMarylandMassachusettsMichiganMinnesotaMississippiMissouriMontanaNebraskaNevadaNew HampshireNew JerseyNew MexicoNew YorkNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaOhioOklahomaOregonPennsylvaniaRhode IslandSouth CarolinaSouth DakotaTennesseeTexasUtahVermontVirginiaWashingtonWashington D.C.West VirginiaWisconsinWyomingPuerto RicoUS Virgin IslandsArmed Forces AmericasArmed...
Opinion | Wyoming should remember: Presidents are not kings
Wyoming voters will soon return to the polls for the November general election (early voting begins Oct. 8). This upcoming election is bringing with it a sense of unease from those on the right and the left. And that anxiety is a symptom of not just the party politics and tribalism we are all living under right now, but something deeper and more important.
OP EDITORIAL: Many of Wyoming’s self-styled ‘conservatives’ are actually populists
“What does my elected representative really believe?” That is one question voters will ask repeatedly throughout their lifetimes. Opinion No doubt many Wyomingites just asked that question before voting on Aug. 20th. Political parties, of course, are organized around a group of people who share common political beliefs, but within parties there can be a wide variety of differing views. Wyoming’s GOP no longer holds a broad variation of beliefs within the party.
Wyoming’s suicide rate should alarm us all
State AlabamaAlaskaArizonaArkansasCaliforniaColoradoConnecticutDelawareFloridaGeorgiaHawaiiIdahoIllinoisIndianaIowaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMaineMarylandMassachusettsMichiganMinnesotaMississippiMissouriMontanaNebraskaNevadaNew HampshireNew JerseyNew MexicoNew YorkNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaOhioOklahomaOregonPennsylvaniaRhode IslandSouth CarolinaSouth DakotaTennesseeTexasUtahVermontVirginiaWashingtonWashington D.C.West VirginiaWisconsinWyomingPuerto RicoUS Virgin IslandsArmed Forces AmericasArmed...
Opinion | More work remains in fight to lower Wyoming’s high suicide rate
We appreciate you being a member of the WyoFile community. Our work is made possible by dedicated members like you who invest in our reporting - thank you! My aunt on my father’s side took her own life when I was a young girl. That one act created a lifelong cascade of pain for the people who loved her in my family. Her young daughter, my young cousin, went on to face her life, bereft without her mother.
Opinion Many of Wyoming’s self-styled ‘conservatives’ are actually populists
We appreciate you being a member of the WyoFile community. Our work is made possible by dedicated members like you who invest in our reporting - thank you! “What does my elected representative really believe?” That is one question voters will ask repeatedly throughout their lifetimes. No doubt many Wyomingites just asked that question before voting on Aug. 20th.
Opinion | Prayer should not be controversial, no matter where it takes place
We appreciate you being a member of the WyoFile community. Our work is made possible by dedicated members like you who invest in our reporting - thank you! A recent social media post by The Wyoming Tribune Eagle, reporting on the opening of a new charter school in Laramie County became the center of a firestorm of comments, many of them angry. The kerfuffle centered around the image of a little boy used for the post.
Opinion | An out-of-state pipeline of fear helped sway Wyoming elections
We appreciate you being a member of the WyoFile community. Our work is made possible by dedicated members like you who invest in our reporting - thank you! Sophocles is said to have written, “Rather fail with honor than succeed by fraud.” Wise words indeed, but if last week’s election was any indication, succeeding through fraud may unfortunately be Wyoming’s new future. The state may be in for a whole lot more theater in our Legislature, and a whole lot less legitimate lawmaking.
Freedom Caucus will soon find leading is harder than criticizing
State AlabamaAlaskaArizonaArkansasCaliforniaColoradoConnecticutDelawareFloridaGeorgiaHawaiiIdahoIllinoisIndianaIowaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMaineMarylandMassachusettsMichiganMinnesotaMississippiMissouriMontanaNebraskaNevadaNew HampshireNew JerseyNew MexicoNew YorkNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaOhioOklahomaOregonPennsylvaniaRhode IslandSouth CarolinaSouth DakotaTennesseeTexasUtahVermontVirginiaWashingtonWashington D.C.West VirginiaWisconsinWyomingPuerto RicoUS Virgin IslandsArmed Forces AmericasArmed...
Freedom Caucus will soon find leading is harder than criticizing
We appreciate you being a member of the WyoFile community. Our work is made possible by dedicated members like you who invest in our reporting - thank you! In politics, leading is much harder than being the bomb-throwing opposition, a lesson we are all about to watch the Wyoming Freedom Caucus learn in spades.
This election feels like theater at times. But the stakes are very real.
We appreciate you being a member of the WyoFile community. Our work is made possible by dedicated members like you who invest in our reporting - thank you! Betrayal and revenge, victory and defeat, corruption and malevolence — these are not just themes of great Shakespearean plays. They also describe the inner workings of politics in Wyoming during the 2024 election season.
Gutting fire, EMS and police funding is anarchy, not conservatism
We appreciate you being a member of the WyoFile community. Our work is made possible by dedicated members like you who invest in our reporting - thank you! This time of year, we are reminded of the importance of fully funding our firefighters and other first responders in every city and county across the state. They do vital work to save lives, homes and businesses. These resources should remain sacrosanct for lawmakers everywhere. We in the West are facing the usual fire season this summer.
Like government, campaigns should be run close to the people
We appreciate you being a member of the WyoFile community. Our work is made possible by dedicated members like you who invest in our reporting - thank you! We are less than 20 days away from the primary election here in Wyoming and I don’t know about you, but my mailbox is stuffed with some of the most ridiculous out-of-state mailers I have ever seen. Mailers telling the most outlandish lies about candidates and there seems to be no end in sight. Some days I get five to six mailers at once.
Only you can prevent the spread of campaign lies
We appreciate you being a member of the WyoFile community.
Angry out-of-state election tactics threaten the Wyoming way
We appreciate you being a member of the WyoFile community. Our work is made possible by dedicated members like you who invest in our reporting - thank you! I don’t know about you but I’m tired of all the political anger. The emotion itself is untrustworthy and just so incredibly exhausting. Who in the world can be angry all the time?
Test reduction plan should earn high marks
“How’d you do on the test?” We’ve all asked or answered that question during our time in school. In fact, for many of us, it was a common question from grade school through college. The recent announcement by Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder of her recommendations to reduce the testing load on our schools was met with great relief by the teachers and administrators who give these tests.
Chevron’s death is a victory against federal overreach
Gov. Mark Gordon was right to applaud the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision that hammered the final nail in the coffin of what was known as the “Chevron deference.” For states and their rights to govern closest to the people, it is indeed a victory.
Without improved child care options, Wyoming faces bleak economic future
The Legislature deserves credit for some recent fixes, but more can be done to create a system that encourages young families to remain here.
Without improved child care options, Wyoming faces bleak economic future
Wyoming’s long-term economic outlook presents a multitude of problems from the need for diversification to imbalances in our tax structures to failing workforce recruitment and the like. And while there are numerous reasons why the state struggles, I want to touch upon a problem that connects to the sanctity of life and is important to every mother and father in the state. It’s the lack of quality child care for our young couples raising small children.
Rep. Hageman undermined NATO with her misguided vote
This month marked the 80th anniversary of the historic day that America’s finest young men stormed the beaches of Normandy alongside their allied brothers from Canada, Great Britain and the Empire beyond to free the peoples of Europe.
Wyoming Needs Real Energy Solutions, Not Pandering
By Amy Edmonds As summer slowly heats up and families around the state begin turning on their air conditioning and fans, they do so with no small amount of trepidation. Electricity prices, like so many other things individuals are paying more for these days, have been hard to afford for far too many of us, especially our elderly and disadvantaged. But even with rising costs, there is no denying the importance of energy as a driver of health and wealth for our state and our nation.
Integrity is a political buzzword right now. But some don’t understand what it means.
With Wyoming’s election season officially underway, it seems like a good time to share some opinions on the election in general and speak specifically about the incoming rhetoric and possible disinformation that may soon be inserted into our politics.
Wyoming needs real energy solutions, not pandering
As summer slowly heats up and families around the state begin turning on their air conditioning and fans, they do so with no small amount of trepidation. Electricity prices, like so many other things we’re paying more for these days, have been hard to afford for far too many of us, especially our elderly and disadvantaged. But even with rising costs, there is no denying the importance of energy as a driver of health and wealth for our state and our nation.
Gov. Gordon sets an example by avoiding hyper-partisanship
Gov. Mark Gordon has joined with a group of his counterparts from across the country in the National Governors Association’s recently launched “Disagree Better” campaign. The campaign is intended to help breach the nation’s deep political divide by bringing governors together from different parties to focus on what they have in common instead of their differences.
Take advantage of the property tax relief bills passed by lawmakers
The Wyoming Legislature passed five property tax bills in the 2024 session, each a necessary action to help Wyoming families suffering from rising property taxes. Four of them became law, while one was vetoed by Gov. Mark Gordon. Property tax relief is a hot topic of conversation here in Wyoming, as it has been everywhere across the country. Soaring real estate prices and climbing property taxes have put the pinch on just about everyone.
As Wyoming’s election season begins, remember to do your own research
Wyoming’s election season is right around the corner, with both the state’s candidate filing period and the last day to register to vote happening this week. But many would say the campaign season has already begun. Political billboards popping up like robins appearing to usher in the first signs of spring foretell things to come. How this political cycle will go is everyone’s guess, but there are some signs we might encounter choppy waters ahead.
Let’s focus on common values and shared solutions, not our divisions
If there is one thing that all of us can agree upon, it is how deeply politics is dividing this country — and how much that division has negatively affected relationships with friends, neighbors, and sadly even many families. Our state, like our nation, is caught up in the sickness of “us versus them.” And none of it is making our state or our nation better. The idea of working together for a better future is considered divisive in today’s political circles.
Wyoming GOP leadership advances its dangerous pursuit of control
I was recently reminded of a wonderful analogy used by Friedrich von Hayek upon accepting his Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences, on Dec. 11, 1974. By way of addressing the limits all men face in improving the social order, he contrasted the work of a carpenter with that of a gardener.
Gordon was right to shut down Gray’s proposed rules
Gov. Mark Gordon recently rejected a proposed rule change to Wyoming’s election laws submitted by Secretary of State Chuck Gray. The Wyoming Legislature’s Management Council determined earlier that the rule likely breached the executive branch’s authority. In a letter explaining his decision to shut down Gray’s proposal, Gordon defended Wyoming’s current approach to elections.
More school options will mean better results for Wyoming children
In 1989, Boris Yeltsin, then a newly elected member of the Soviet Parliament and two years away from becoming the last leader of the Soviet Union and first president of Russia, visited the United States. His trip included time at the Johnson Space Center, but it was an unplanned visit to an American grocery store that same day that provoked what many believed was Yeltsin’s greatest amazement.
Wolf abuse allegations demand action from Legislature, governor
“He who is cruel to animals becomes hard also in his dealings with men. We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals.” — Emmanuel Kant At most Edmonds’ family gatherings following hunting season, my brother-in-law will regale us all with tales of his hunting adventures. He is, like so many men and women in the West, a prolific, passionate and proud hunter. He loves the sport, is passionate about the conservation of the animals and loves the meat it provides his family.
Bad border rumors highlight need for good information
Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon posted a rather amazing statement on his social media accounts in mid-March: “It has come to my attention that unsubstantiated rumors are circulating that migrants are being housed or transported to Wyoming communities with my approval and support,” the statement began.
Keep calm and legislate on
We appreciate you being a member of the WyoFile community. Our work is made possible by dedicated members like you who invest in our reporting - thank you! A Freedom-Caucus-led push for a legislative special session fell a few votes short Sunday evening. Both the push itself, and its subsequent failure, are irrevocably tethered to the same twin phenomena — a troubling rise of acrimony and decline of civility in Wyoming politics.
Bad border rumors highlight need for good information
We appreciate you being a member of the WyoFile community. Our work is made possible by dedicated members like you who invest in our reporting - thank you! Gov. Mark Gordon posted a rather amazing statement on his social media accounts earlier this month. “It has come to my attention that unsubstantiated rumors are circulating that migrants are being housed or transported to Wyoming communities with my approval and support,” the statement began.
The rancor in the Legislature is hurting Wyoming
We appreciate you being a member of the WyoFile community. Our work is made possible by dedicated members like you who invest in our reporting - thank you! The Wyoming Legislature has adjourned until next year. We are now in the season of analysis, so I want to take this opportunity to talk about the session as a whole with a focus on the overall tone our elected representatives displayed and what that might mean going forward.
The rancor in the Legislature is hurting Wyoming
We appreciate you being a member of the WyoFile community. Our work is made possible by dedicated members like you who invest in our reporting - thank you! The Wyoming Legislature has adjourned until next year. We are now in the season of analysis, so I want to take this opportunity to talk about the session as a whole with a focus on the overall tone our elected representatives displayed and what that might mean going forward.
Abandoning the tradition of restraint will harm Senate in the long run
We appreciate you being a member of the WyoFile community. Our work is made possible by dedicated members like you who invest in our reporting - thank you! Traditions of restraint like those outlined in the Wyoming Legislature’s own rules are an important element in our system of government because they protect the legislative process from our excesses of passion and allow for civil, ordered legislating. This benefits everyone.
The Battle of the Two Chambers: Hubris an obstacle in budget fight
We appreciate you being a member of the WyoFile community. Our work is made possible by dedicated members like you who invest in our reporting - thank you! The Wyoming Legislature is stuck in The Battle of the Two Chambers, as I like to call it, facing a $1.1 billion divide that needs to be closed. Experience, lack of time and some members’ extraordinary amount of hubris this session seem to put the Senate at a slight disadvantage.
The Battle of the Two Chambers: Hubris an obstacle in budget fight
We appreciate you being a member of the WyoFile community. Our work is made possible by dedicated members like you who invest in our reporting - thank you! The Wyoming Legislature is stuck in The Battle of the Two Chambers, as I like to call it, facing a $1.1 billion divide that needs to be closed. Experience, lack of time and some members’ extraordinary amount of hubris this session seem to put the Senate at a slight disadvantage.
Immigration, presidential politics, and partisan polarization among the American public, 1992-2018
Abstract We extend theories about “immigration backlash” and right-wing populism in three ways by analyzing trend data to examine the interplay between views of immigration, partisan polarization, and voting patterns in presidential elections. First, we document how immigration views became more aligned with partisan polarization between 2000 and 2018.
Edmonds: Diplomacy is great, but sometimes you have to fight
Seventy-nine years ago this month, in the midst of the fall of France, England was facing the unthinkable: fighting Nazi Germany alone and quite possibly failing. It was at this moment British Prime Minister Winston Churchill gave one of his most memorable speeches. During that dark time, when England stood by itself, weakened and gutted from years of failed appeasement policy, Churchill said these words: “What General Weygand called the Battle of France is over.
Edmonds: Equal justice is not always equal
The 65th Wyoming Legislature adjourned on Feb. 28, and while other writers here have discussed highlights, I want to talk about one particular bill that mercifully did not make it through the process. House Bill 230, erroneously titled “Enhancing Quality Employment Law,” died in the Wyoming House of Representatives, having not made it onto the floor before time ran out. And for that, Wyoming taxpayers and businesses should be glad. Let me tell you why.
Edmonds: Is local control or money last word for education?
“Local control” has always been a long-understood catchphrase encapsulating the conservative ideal “government is best when it is closest to the people.” Yet in fulfilling the education mandate, local control is a much more complex ideal to achieve than in other areas of governance.
Edmonds: With luck, 2019 will be "Year of Sanity"
As 2018 ends, let’s take a moment to look back on Wyoming and the nation. After our winter legislative session fizzled to an end following late-night wrestling over the bottomless pit of education spending in the budget, Wyoming had a spring and summer consumed with elections. Because Republican politics dominate our elections, the primary held all the action.
Wyoming Judiciary Committee to Consider Two Asset Forfeiture Proposals
Earlier this week the Legislative Service Office released two draft bills written at the request of the Joint Judiciary Committee of the Wyoming Legislature. Each bill would amend civil asset forfeiture under the Wyoming Controlled Substances Act (“WCSA”) in distinct ways. The committee will consider both bills at its meeting in Gillette next week.
Show More
loading
Actions
Is this you?
As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.Get in touch with Amy
Contact Amy, search articles and posts on X, monitor coverage, and track replies from one place.
Learn more about Muck Rack