By OBBM Network Editorial Staff

David Iverson

It isn’t every day that a state GOP campaign is linked directly to a network of former Obama officials and a nonprofit that may have been used as a tax shelter. Yet that is exactly the picture David Iverson painted on his latest Cowboy State Politics broadcast, pulling back the curtain on a series of financial entanglements that have largely escaped Wyoming’s mainstream press.

Rebecca Fitzgerald: The Bridge Between a Republican Campaign and a Far‑Left Advocacy Group

Iverson identified Rebecca Fitzgerald as the spokeswoman for Eric Barlow’s gubernatorial campaign. Her firm, Fitzgerald Strategies, was paid $22,500 in a single month for campaign communications. More striking, Fitzgerald also leads Wyoming Free, a 501(c)(4) organization that received $651,668 from Article 4, a group described in the broadcast as a “far‑left advocacy group” staffed by veterans of Barack Obama’s campaign and White House.

“Fitzgerald is the direct link between Barlow’s campaign and the network of Obama campaign and administration officials,” Iverson asserted, emphasizing that the money flow was not a distant, indirect connection but a concrete financial relationship.

Nonprofit Structures and Donor Transparency

The distinction between 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) entities became a focal point. While a 501(c)(3) must disclose its donors, a 501(c)(4) like Wyoming Free is not required to do so. Iverson highlighted IRS Form 990 filings that show Article 4’s grants were listed as “general support,” not earmarked for any specific project, raising questions about the true purpose of the funds.

Wyoming Free’s financial disclosures reveal a single major donor—Article 4—providing $200,834 in 2023 and $450,000 in 2024. The lack of donor transparency, Iverson argued, makes it difficult for voters to assess who is influencing state politics behind the scenes.

Conflict‑of‑Interest Allegations Involving Eric Barlow

Beyond the campaign‑level connections, Iverson revisited earlier reporting on Eric Barlow’s nonprofit, a lamb‑focused charity that allegedly used state tax dollars to subsidize Barlow’s own sheep sales. According to the host, Barlow sat on the board of the nonprofit while also selling his livestock to it, creating a potential conflict of interest that the mainstream Wyoming press has not pursued.

These allegations echo a previous investigation into Ogden Driscoll’s conservation easement, where Driscoll reportedly received up to two million dollars from Wyoming taxpayers through a privately arranged easement. Both cases, Iverson suggested, illustrate a pattern of officials leveraging public resources for personal or political gain.

Legal and Ethical Concerns: Misuse of Legislative Offices

Iverson also cited a 2024 incident where Fitzgerald and lobbyist Joanne True were found using legislative offices for political purposes, a violation of Wyoming statutes (9‑13‑105). He noted that the day he broke the story, the office was abruptly closed, and True later filed a false police report alleging harassment—a claim the host says was disproven by video evidence showing True entering and exiting Clark Stith’s office.

While the police report did not lead to charges, Iverson portrayed the episode as indicative of a broader tendency among some Wyoming political operatives to intimidate journalists and suppress scrutiny.

Why the Mainstream Media Remains Silent

Throughout the program, Iverson criticized Wyoming’s mainstream outlets—such as the Casper Star‑Tribune and the Wyoming Tribune Eagle—for what he described as a “lack of inquisitive reporting.” He argued that these papers have become “tank[ed] for their own candidate,” failing to investigate the qualifications and financial dealings of emerging political figures.

By spotlighting the connections between a Republican campaign, a left‑leaning advocacy group, and questionable nonprofit practices, Iverson urged listeners to demand greater transparency and accountability from both political operatives and the media that cover them.

In a state where the Republican Party dominates the political landscape, the host’s investigation raises a critical question: when the same media that touts conservative values chooses not to ask probing questions, who will hold power to account?

The full episode of Cowboy State Politics is available on OBBM Network TV.