Wes Gardner and a friend set out through East Jackson with a thousand fliers and a succinct message: Democrats need support in the primary.
Though that race is in August, the deadline to register as Democrat or Republican to vote in most primary races was this week. As of May 1, 4,279 registered Teton County Democrats will decide which of a potential five commission candidates will move on to the general. In addition to Gardner, Karyn Chin, Ali Dunford and incumbents Mark Newcomb and Luther Propst have all expressed interest or announced campaigns.
So far, no one has officially filed for the county commission race. Those who remain unaffiliated won’t be able to help decide most primary races this August.
That’s after about 300 people joined the Republican brand this year, according to Teton County Clerk Maureen “Mo” Murphy. Only 60 joined the Democratic party.
Gardner ran twice for the county’s governing body as an independent – though unsuccessfully – so he understands why some voters might not want to choose a side.
“It’s hard trying to give people advice on their vote,” he said. “But I’m doing it anyway.”
“Registering Republican is really the only way to make a difference,” said Democrat Brian Prax, left, steps from a sedan with an Obamacare bumper sticker. (Evan Robinson-Johnson/KHOL)
Jackson’s Democrats are hard to convince, too. Many of them vote in the Republican primary because in recent years for statewide offices, those nominees typically go on to win the general election.
“Registering Republican is really the only way to make a difference,” said Democrat Brian Prax, steps from a sedan with an Obamacare bumper sticker.
Gardner is running for the first time as an incumbent. And he’s worried this year’s race will be competitive. Only two challengers have expressed interest, but Chair Mark Newcomb is wavering after originally saying he wouldn’t run again.
“I do kind of want to run again,” Newcomb told KHOL on May 13. He cited a desire to make sure traffic and land use regulations are well managed.
It would be his fourth term. He originally said it was time for new leadership, but now he wants to put that question to voters.
“I think that there’s a presumption there that ‘Oh if Mark’s running again he’ll win,’ but that shouldn’t prevent others from running and really offering the community a choice,” he said.
Who’s in the mix?
Karyn Chin, 41, political strategist and former Grand Teton National Park ranger, said she is running for Teton County Commissioner to prevent “bad ideas” from forcing community members to leave. (Courtesy)
Karyn Chin and Ali Dunford have stated intentions to run as Democrats. Chin runs Mountain Movement Strategies, a political consultancy. Dunford is the founder of Hole Food Rescue and recently moved back to Teton County from Arizona.
Chin said Newcomb’s candidacy would make it a more challenging race but won’t change her decision to run. Dunford was more uneasy.
“The idea of running against three incumbents doesn’t sound awesome,” Dunford said, adding that she decided to run when she thought there was a vacancy.
Still, Dunford has considered running for more than a decade. She said her values “resonate with lots of people in the community.
“I want to do what’s right for the people and the ecosystem that is here. And I trust the voters,” she said.
Chin, a longtime community organizer, moved to Jackson after growing up in Connecticut. The 41-year-old former Grand Teton National Park ranger is raising a daughter here and said she feels “it’s really time to give back to the community.”
(Chin was a former KHOL board member.)
As for what sets her apart from the other Democrats, she’s still figuring that out.
Ali Dunford, 36, founder of Hole Food Rescue, recently moved back to Teton County with the hope of running. (Courtesy)
“There will be time for voters to get to know all the candidates including myself,” Chin said.
For now, she’s focused on ensuring voters know there’s a contested race in the Democratic primary.
“It’s possible that there are only a very few people that decide that race,” Chin said.
RINOs in Teton County
As he knocked on doors, Gardner encountered a mix of Republicans and Democrats. One woman recognized him from the senior center; another shooed him away so she could get back to a Mother’s Day call with her son.
Jeff Roberts said he remains a registered Democrat to provide balance in a state that’s heavily red. “There’s not many of us, for sure,” Roberts acknowledged.
Gardner’s friend on the town council, Kevin Regan, helped hand out the fliers. “I think he’s doing a good job,” Regan said.
There’s a nostalgia to the doorknocking, he added.
“There’s some vicious dogs, there’s a few that I avoid, but it’s a great chance to get to know people in the community,” Regan said.
Christian Beckwith paused long enough to remind Gardner to return a book he lent him.
Another Democrat confessed he was a RINO, Republican In Name Only.
And a third, Bruce Erickson, said he’s a Democrat who registers as a Republican “so I can vote for a less offensive Republican.”
Gardner acknowledged that strategy and asked for support in the general.
