The highly anticipated general election brought about many changes at both the federal and local levels.
The country saw a dramatic shift to the right with former president Donald Trump reclaiming the swing states he lost in 2020 to prevent Vice President Kamala Harris from the White House.
Wyoming continued to cement the state’s reputation as a Republican stronghold.
On par with past elections, Teton County residents showed up in droves to the polls. About 87% of registered voters cast their ballot, far higher than the 2022 general election but slightly lower than the last presidential election in 2020.
“We show up for presidential elections, that’s for sure,” Teton County County Clerk Maureen Murphy said.
Incumbents and Democrats did well on the local level.
Councilman Arne Jorgensen is Jackson’s newest mayor. No stranger to local politics, he has been elected to a four-year term to head the new council. He said he’s humbled by the town’s support and excited for the new role.
“Maintaining the high level of service we currently provide our community — the real challenge we have is how to knit together the resources to allow us to do that,” Jorgensen said.
Jorgensen secured about two-thirds of the vote defeating Town Councilor Jessica Sell-Chambers, ending her four-year stint on the council, for now.
Sell-Chambers noted that Jorgensen’s rise to mayor leaves an open seat on the town council which will likely be appointed by councilors in January.
Sell-Chambers is eyeing the application.
“I’ve been honored to serve the community for four years as a council person. But I’m definitely not done,” Sell-Chambers said.
In the Teton County Commissioner race, environmental attorney Len Carlman as well as incumbent commissioner Natalia Macker were both elected to four-year terms by healthy margins.
Macker was grateful the community reaffirmed their belief in the priorities she aims to represent on the board.
“I’m so, so proud of what we’ve done in affordable housing and looking ahead, you know, that stays at the top,” Macker said.
Independent Vicky O’Donoghue and Republican Melchor Moore are left without a seat.
Melchor Moore’s loss — the sole Republican candidate for county commissioner — helped usher in an all-Democratic board.
Moore said he’s grateful for the support he received and dedicated his race to the multi-generational middle-class families of Jackson.
“I am grateful for the support of the Republican Party and the voters that reached across party lines to join our vision of a Jackson Hole that represents the American West,” Moore said in a statement.
Jackson’s Town Council welcomes two new members, realtor Devon Viehman and former environmental attorney Kevin Regan.
“I’m prepared to show up, to listen, to work hard and see what we can do to face these pressing issues in our community,” Regan said.
However close, Scott Anderson and Perri Stern go unelected. Stern trailed Viehman by a couple hundred votes — though she said she plans to stay involved in local politics.
“Like I’ve said all along, I think that we need to rein in the impact of overdevelopment in our town,” Stern added.
Voters approved the SPET tax ballot initiative by a mere 25 vote margin, meaning a seventh penny of sales tax will go toward funding a new justice center. A similar tax ballot initiative failed in 2019.
Terms were slated to expire at the end of this year for current school board members Betsy Carlin, Kate Mead and Bill Scarlett — though each ultimately raked in enough votes to keep their seats another term.
Newcomer and trial attorney Jerry Bosch takes the fourth open seat on the school board.
As for the St. John’s Hospital Board, current members Bruce Hayse and Jim Hunt keep their seats for another cycle. New to the scene, Shannon Brennan, currently on the Teton County Board of Health, and Bill Hoglund scored the last two open seats.
Each of the judges up for renewal will keep their positions for another term, a list of justices that includes John Fenn, Kate Fox, Melissa Ownens, Katharine McKay, Daniel Stebner and John Labuda.
Zooming out — looking at the entire Cowboy State — the constitutional amendment reforming property taxes passed with a resounding majority in favor vote.
In the state’s U.S. Senate Race, incumbent Republican John Barrasso will serve another six-year term after beating Democratic challenger Scott Murrow by a decisive margin.
At 9 p.m., the AP called the U.S. House Race for incumbent Republican Harriet Hageman, winning the overwhelming majority of the vote.
“The constitutional issues that have become such a challenge under this administration, the protection of our first amendment rights, the weaponization of the federal government against people based upon their political views,” Hageman said in an interview with Wyoming Public Radio.
All candidates running for state offices representing areas of Teton County ran unopposed and won their races without worry, meaning incumbent representatives Liz Storer, Mike Yin and Andrew Byron will serve another two-year term and incumbent senator Dan Dockstader will serve another four-year term.
Many key swing states were slower to be called, though by late Tuesday night the needle had tipped in former president Donald Trump’s favor.
At 3:34 a.m., the Associated Press called the presidential election for Trump after he clinched Wisconsin early Wednesday morning.
However, the Associated Press called the presidential race in Wyoming for the former president right as polls closed.
Sixty-five percent of Teton County residents voted for the Harris-Walz ticket. The state saw a near flip — with 72% of Wyomingites voting for Trump, the largest margin the former president saw in any state.
