CHEYENNE — Four U.S. congressional candidates discussed real estate, the workforce, energy and other campaign stances Friday during the Greater Cheyenne Chamber of Commerce’s monthly luncheon at Little America.

The U.S. Congressional Candidate Forum included former state Superintendent of Public Instruction Jillian Balow, current Wyoming Secretary of State Chuck Gray, Casper businessman Reid Rasner and U.S. Army veteran David Giralt. All are Republicans seeking to replace current U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman, who has announced she is running for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Cynthia Lummis.

Chamber Board Chairman Tim Thornell asked candidates about military stakeholders, permitting and regulations, workforce, housing and health care.

Supporting the mission

All four candidates expressed support for F.E. Warren Air Force Base and the Wyoming National Guard, which make up two of the largest employers in Cheyenne.

The upcoming Sentinel missile project became a focal point for candidates to discuss military needs. The project is a U.S. Air Force effort to replace ground-based intercontinental nuclear missiles, some of which are in Wyoming and overseen by F.E. Warren.

The missiles serve as the land-based component on the “nuclear triad,” the replacement and updating of which has seen delays due to gaps in funding.

“As the land-based component of our ability to deter adversaries who would otherwise do us harm, it is an absolute imperative that in Congress we can ensure that the program is fully funded,” Giralt said. “That it is on time, and it is receiving the proper oversight that it deserves and that it has earned.”

After also highlighting his appreciation for the military and the need for communication between the base and Wyoming leaders, Gray also highlighted the Sentinel program.

“We need to continue to have a vibrant missile system, and we need to be armed,” Gray said, after praising President Donald Trump for his role in a joint military operation with Israel that resulted in the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Candidates also noted the potential workforce that the military requires and provides.

During her time as state superintendent, Balow said she helped Wyoming become the first state in the nation to recognize military readiness as part of its graduation formula.

“It’s important to think about the next generation of servicemen and women, and not just what we have now,” Balow said.

Giralt noted that it’s also important to think about what comes after for service members who may be beginning their civilian life in Wyoming. To assist those veterans, Giralt said there should be a pipeline for them to partner with local communities and schools so they can be trained and employed.

“Employ them in the civilian capacity, to ensure that they get to continue to flourish here in the state of Wyoming and continue to contribute to the society that they chose to defend,” Giralt said.

Regulations

Thornell asked the candidates about their stance on permitting and regulations, which are hot topics for chambers of commerce nationwide. The topic led to discussion of energy potential and what keeps businesses from moving to and staying in Wyoming.

“Federal and state regulations are often very burdensome for small business owners,” Rasner said. “But also for other businesses wanting to build and develop manufacturing in our state. There has to be a streamlined process from the federal government and the state level to bring good business into Wyoming and let them build and let them employ great people.”

Candidates consistently called for the removal of “red tape” and a “streamlined process” that they believed would allow more business and more employees to want to stay in the Cowboy State.

Thornell specifically highlighted the Standardizing Permitting and Expediting Economic Development (SPEED) Act and the Promoting Efficient Review for Modern Infrastructure Today (PERMIT) Act. Both bills were passed by the U.S. House of Representatives in December 2025 and now await U.S. Senate approval to become law. Both bills were designed to streamline federal infrastructure permitting and modernize the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).

Gray talked about how environmental restrictions can limit Wyoming businesses, using oil and agriculture as an example.

“The SPEED Act would have that common-sense NEPA reform that we have looked for for decades,” Gray said.

Workforce and foreign companies

Wyoming is currently experiencing chronic labor shortages, contributed to by a high percentage of Wyoming-born kids moving to start their lives in other states.

In an effort to combat that, local leaders have looked to many different solutions, including increasing post-graduation options for Wyoming’s high schoolers.

In her first year as state superintendent, Balow changed the state’s accountability system from college readiness to career, college and military readiness, she said.

“My No. 1 priority has been career and technical education, valuable credentials, working with the workforce to ensure that Wyoming turns out graduates who have the aptitude, the interest and the skills to live, prosper and raise a family in Wyoming,” Balow said.

Other candidates also highlighted the importance of working with employers and schools to ensure that kids can stay and work in Wyoming. Giralt again referred to military members, who are willing and able to add to Wyoming’s workforce after service.

Wyoming needs to train the workforce not only for today, but for tomorrow, Gray said.

“It may seem like a cliche, but these underwater basket-weaving courses or space LGBT courses, I mean, they’ve got to stop,” Gray said. “We’ve got to get our kids, and the investment they’re making in their education, got to get them focused on what’s going to help them to have careers for tomorrow.”

Candidates also discussed the importance of workforce housing, again highlighting the need to streamline building processes, as well as pay close attention to the national debt and how that impacts local interest rates.

“Right now, we’re in a position where our federal deficit and paying interest on that is going to dwarf our federal defense budget,” Giralt said. “That should be concerning to everyone, as it presents a national security challenge that is unique. And as it relates to housing, this obviously affects interest rates. It affects mortgage rates, and it affects our rates to construct homes here in the state of Wyoming.”

Rasner brought up the issue of families being able to afford housing, saying that lowering business costs is key.

“If we want to talk about affordable housing, it starts with the private sector being able to employ as many people as possible with really great wages so they can afford houses in our communities,” Rasner said.

Gray and Rasner did have a dispute regarding the presence of non-American-owned companies in Wyoming.

Rasner began his comments regarding the workforce, saying that Wyoming should be hiring Americans.

“We should be bringing in American businesses, and Americans should own our farmland,” Rasner said. “I stand with Vice President (JD) Vance with this, when I say China should not own one blade of grass in America.”

Rasner then implied that Gray had been involved in approving China-based companies coming into Wyoming, promising to post the documents to Facebook following the forum. Gray, who was given the opportunity to respond, denied the claims and pointed to examples where he had worked to limit non-American-owned companies from establishing business in Wyoming.

“We’re going to make sure that foreign countries are not going to take advantage of our laws, our lands or our people,” Gray said. “It’s laughable some of these claims that he’s making.”

Rasner did post three certificates of organization belonging to NeoByte LLC, Wenzhou Xiangyu Trading LLC and YongWon INC.

While the secretary of state does have the authority to refuse an application for a certificate of organization, refusals have to be based on the law and typically occur if the form is filled out incorrectly or the application doesn’t meet statutory requirements.

No state or federal law prohibits non-American-owned companies from doing business in Wyoming.

Health care

Candidates largely agreed that health care required minimal government involvement, and they recognized the high cost of care and the need for health care access in Wyoming.

Wyoming should incentivize affordable insurance that covers both routine and emergency care, Gray said.

“That requires competition, which Obamacare obviously has moved us away from,” Gray said. “And it was designed that way. They wanted to set up a socialist system, and, unfortunately, it’s moving in that direction.”

Rasner also criticized Obamacare, formally known as the Affordable Care Act, suggesting ways to combat the rates that he associated with the act. He noted that the cost of providing insurance as employers and the cost of doing business within a family practice also contribute to limited care in Wyoming.

“If we can cap malpractice insurance at $250,000, we can get doctors returning to our communities because they can afford to have that small practice again,” Rasner said.

Balow and Giralt talked about rural health funding allocated through the “One Big, Beautiful Bill,” both emphasizing the need for local control over those funds.

“Most people in America don’t understand what it’s like to live in Hewlett or Basin and not have access to emergency care, to routine care, to pain management, to disease management,” Balow said. “I’ll be that voice in Washington, D.C., that is always talking about rural health care as the money comes in from the federal government.”

“The federal government has a responsibility when it comes to health care,” Giralt said. “It’s providing guidelines and then getting out of the way. I think that has been a theme, whether that be from the energy sector, the transportation, health care, on and on the list goes.”