Shrieks pierced the air just before 10 p.m. at the Stagecoach Bar as three candidates who campaigned as a Democratic slate won seats for county commission.
Two challengers, Ali Dunford and Karyn Chin, took seats from Mark Newcomb and Wes Gardner while Luther Propst, who supported both women, kept his seat.
“I think that it’s extraordinary for two challengers to defeat two incumbents,” Propst said. “I deeply admire Mark Newcomb and Wes Gardner and it’s been a pleasure to serve with them. I think this shows the voters want the commission to be clearer with our concerns with growth.”
A few dozen supporters hailed the results as a call for change. All three winners were backed by housing advocacy group Shelter JH. The organization is the largest area nonprofit able to make political endorsements and has seen most of its chosen candidates elected since 2020, according to its website.
Dunford took an early lead and held it throughout the night. She credited her reputation as the founder of Hole Food Rescue, and her style points for sometimes sporting a fake mullet.
“I’m in complete shock,” she said. “I wasn’t even expecting to get into third, so I feel totally blown away.”
With Dunford and Propst going one and two, the race for the third and final seat was the real question mark.
Three-term incumbent Mark Newcomb took an early lead for second and a nervous Chin was ready to celebrate her friend Dunford.
But after a few more polling places came in, she edged out Newcomb, with the other incumbent, Wes Gardner, shrinking the gap for fourth.
“I’m really feeling great,” said Chin, the founder of political consultancy Mountain Movement Strategies. “I have just been feeling so much support from the community and I’ve just been so encouraged by all the conversations I’ve had at doors. It feels like all of that energy is showing up in the polls today and it’s made me really happy. It’s really exciting.”
Door-knocking turned out to be a losing strategy for one-term commissioner Gardner. He was blowing off steam with a late night run Tuesday, as frustrated by the results as by the state’s new primary rules to limit crossover voting, which he worried lowered Democratic turnout.
“If it were just me that got sacrificed on the altar of that, so be it,” Gardner said. “But we’ve lost Jim Rooks, Mark Newcomb and Wes Gardner in the last two primaries. And I’m not taking anything away from the people who won, but it sure would be nice to have an election that determines essentially the winners, where everybody can participate.”
Newcomb said in a text he was excited to hear more from the winners in the general.
“They worked hard, and I’m sure they will continue to do so,” he wrote.
Despite the many crossover votes, Teton County saw double the number of primary voters compared to 2022, according to the county clerk.
Dunford and Propst garnered more than 1,000 votes each while Chin earned 781.
Newcomb took fourth with 697 and Gardner fifth with 665. Just 196 people voted for Coroner Brent Blue.
As the results finally reverberated under the tent in Wilson, nerves gave way to elation.
“I cannot believe this. I am so excited to represent the Democratic party for this race,” Kat Clauson said after winning the primary nod for county coroner and joining the group hug.
The three women danced and took pictures with Propst’s wife, Rep. Liz Storer, as they sang the DJ Khaled song “All I Do Is Win.”
The group also celebrated state wins that appeared to see the Freedom Caucus lose ground in the state house and moderate Republicans take key seats including Sen. Eric Barlow for governor and Robert Short for secretary of state.
Storer called it the best night of her life, second only to their wedding.
This article has been updated to correct a word in a quote from Propst and add comment from Newcomb. — Ed.
