Shannon Brennan and Bill Schwartz were both raised in the West in Catholic families, discussing law around the dinner table. Brennan grew up in Rapid City, South Dakota, and Schwartz in Casper. Both attended were exposed to different political beliefs in their educations.
Brennan, a conservative, is running for the Wyoming House of Representatives from House District 23. She will face Rep. Liz Storer, a Democrat, in the November election. Bill Schwartz is a third-generation Wyomingite. He votes liberally on social issues, but can be a swing voter on others. He’s a senior partner at the law firm Parsons, Behle & Latimer and a founding board member of the Center for the Arts, Astoria Park Conservancy and the Community Foundation of Jackson Hole.
This conversation was recorded for KHOL’s One Small Step Program that brings people with different beliefs into the recording studio to talk and discover their common ground. For election season, KHOL paired candidates running for local office with the constituents they aim to represent. These conversations cover the who and the why behind our political and religious beliefs and, in just an hour, seek to find some common ground.
This story has been updated to clarify Brennan’s education background. And earlier version incorrectly implied that she earned a degree from Stanford University. — Ed.