Report attempts to answer question: ‘Who is the Freedom Caucus?’

Among BHC representatives: Winter a ‘leader,’ Banks a ‘follower,’ Lawley not listed

Reps. John Winter of Thermopolis and Dalton Banks of Cowley were identified as a leader and a follower, respectively, of the Wyoming Freedom Caucus in a report released last month by Better Wyoming Action + Research, a progressive non-profit organization.

Winter represents Houses District 28, which includes parts of Big Horn, Fremont, Hot Springs and Park counties, while Banks represents House District 26, which includes parts of Big Horn and Park counties. Winter has served since 2019, Banks since 2023.

Rep. Martha Lawley, whose District 27 also includes parts of Big Horn County, was not identified as being a leader, member or follower of the Freedom Caucus in the Better Wyoming report.

For the record, there are 62 seats in the Wyoming House of Representatives; Republicans currently fill 56 of them, Democrats the remaining six. The farther right Freedom Caucus currently holds sway, with the more moderate Wyoming Caucus in the minority position since the last election in 2024.

Better Wyoming A+R examined lawmakers’ voting records from the 2025 legislative session as well as public membership and campaign endorsements, seeking to answer the question, “Who is the Freedom Caucus?”  Its full report can be found at bwar.vote/freedom-caucus/.

Nate Martin, executive director of Better Wyoming A+R, linked 36 members of the House to the Freedom Caucus based on their support of the group’s 2025 priority bills and alignment with the voting record of Freedom Caucus Chairwoman Rachel Rodriguez-Williams.

“It’s important for Wyoming voters to know who is in the Freedom Caucus,” Martin said in press release announcing the report. “Since Freedom Caucus members are told how to vote by their leaders in D.C., their decisions at the state capitol don’t always line up with the best interests of the Wyoming communities they represent.”

Winter has been up front, so his inclusion comes as no surprise. On the Freedom Caucus website, wyfreedomcaucus.com, Winter is referred to as “a founding member,” along with Reps. Jeremy Haroldson, Scott Heiner and Pepper Ottman. Speaker of the House Chip Neiman and Reps. Tomi Strock, Chris Knapp, Daniel Singh, Ken Pendergraft, Scott Smith, Bill Allemand, Joe Webb, Amy Lucas and Paul Hoeft are also listed as Freedom Caucus members.

According to Better Wyoming, Winter voted for all 28 of the Freedom Caucus priority bills during the 2025 session.  He also voted along with Rodriguez-Williams 93% of the time on bills tracked by Better Wyoming’s Grassroots Accountability Reports.

Banks, however, pushed back against the report’s naming of him as a Freedom Caucus follower. Better Wyoming’s report suggests Banks voted in support of all 28 Freedom Caucus priority bills and along with Rodriguez-Williams 81% of the time.

“I don’t put too much stock in these outside reports, as I’ve seen reports of me being a RINO (Republican in Name Only) all the way to being a radical,” Banks said.  “They often skew the information to fit their particular narrative.”

Banks refuted Better Wyoming’s claim that he was endorsed by the Freedom Caucus PAC in 2024, calling it inaccurate.  He provided a copy of the Wyoming Freedom Caucus endorsements for 2024 that listed 42 candidates in House races; his name did not appear on the list.

Banks also noted that the author of the report, Nate Martin, is the husband of Rep. Karlee Provenza, one of the six Democrats in the House, and suggested that the report is an effort to stir up further divisions in the House GOP.

As for Better Wyoming’s findings, Banks said his votes “don’t take into consideration caucus at all ... you could also say that I voted 100% with the pro-life caucus or 100% with the Second Amendment caucus, etc.

“Regardless of what false or misleading reports may suggest, my stance has not changed,” Banks said. “I am not a member of either the Freedom Caucus or the Wyoming Caucus. I will not be drawn into the traps of division or partisan labeling.

“I refuse to criticize or condemn my colleagues in the Legislature. My commitment remains to the people of House District 26 and to the future of Wyoming. Continued division serves no one. I will continue to work with any legislator — regardless of caucus affiliation —when our goals align for the good of Wyoming and our constituents.”

Lawley, meanwhile, has consistently said that she’s not a member of either caucus and works with members of both in the pursuit of legislation that’s in the best interest of her constituents.

The 2026 budget session is scheduled to convene February 9.