Four Republican candidates for the U.S. Senate seat held by retiring Sen. Cynthia Lummis met in Casper on Wednesday for the second Politics in the Park event of the 2026 election season. Wyoming Rep. Harriet Hageman, former judge John Holtz, rancher and former Kirby mayor Sam Mead, and Mills businessman Jimmy Skovgard fielded 16 questions covering everything from foreign policy to local land management issues during the forum at Washington Park.
Core Values and Universal Freedoms
The evening began with a question about how their core values align with universal freedoms. Hageman, who previously worked as a water natural resource and constitutional attorney, leaned on her legal background and said the people are in charge of the government. “Our forefathers recognized that our natural rights come from God. They do not come from the government. We always have to remember that we are the free ones, that we are the ones in charge in terms of our government and making sure that we are protecting those constitutional rights for every single citizen in this country,” she said.
Affordable Housing and Young People
Talking about affordable housing and keeping young people in Wyoming, Hageman linked housing shortages to a lack of skilled labor and overregulation, citing difficulties in permitting to build subdivisions. Holtz warned that international conflicts, like the war with Iran, and supply chain disruptions will worsen construction costs across the state. Skovgard blamed federal spending and high interest rates for driving up costs for families. Mead defined affordable housing as the ability to pay for a home while working one job, adding that retaining youth requires a wider variety of employment options.
National Debt and Social Security
On the topic of the national debt and the projected insolvency of the Social Security trust fund in 2032, the candidates offered different solutions. Skovgard suggested creating a sovereign wealth fund to protect the program, adding that addressing the debt requires painful but compassionate cuts. Hageman touted Republican efforts to cut $1.5 trillion in federal spending and advocated for tying Medicaid to work requirements to increase the workforce.
Foreign Policy and Immigration
When asked about foreign policy and immigration enforcement funding, Holtz touted his international experience as an Air Force officer stationed in Europe and the Philippines. He supported border enforcement, warning of Mexican cartels and cattle diseases like screwworm. Hageman defended current border enforcement efforts alongside local sheriffs, praised President Donald Trump’s efforts to make NATO allies pay more and focused her foreign policy goals on exporting Wyoming energy.
Original reporting: Oil City News (Casper WY) — read the source article.
