“I decided to run for the exact same reason that I raised my right hand and in a time of war to defend this country, said David Giraly, candidate for U.S. House. “I want to serve something outside myself, and I want to protect and defend the same opportunities and freedoms that my family was afforded growing up here in Casper.”

David Giralt has entered the race for Wyoming’s sole House seat. He joins Chuck Gray, Reid Rasner, and Jillian Balow on a ballot full of Republicans. 

“I know that there are already several candidates in on the Republican side of this House race,” he said. “Although many of us will say that we believe or espouse a particular set of values. I think that my resume and my history have proven that I believe in those things.” 

Giralt was raised in Casper and graduated from Kelly Walsh High School. He commissioned into the U.S. Army in 2013 and spent 12 years in active duty. He was deployed to Afghanistan twice before his final assignment. 

“My final active duty assignment was an assignment to the Pentagon,” he explained. “I worked on federal defense policy. My job there was to help lawmakers and their staff develop effective legislation so that we could properly oversee the Department of Defense.”

After that, he joined Senator Lummis’ staff, where he focused on trade, agriculture, defense intelligence, and homeland security. 

“I have federal policy experience, but I also bring to the table federal policy experience specific to the state of Wyoming,” he said. 

But where does he stand on the issues?

Energy 

“I think what Wyoming families desire more than anything is affordable, dispatchable, reliable energy,” Giralt said. “ In order for that to be achieved. I think that we need to encourage our legacy energy industry.”

Giralt believes Wyoming has an opportunity to outpace adversaries in energy, such as China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran. 

“Wyoming is presented with a unique opportunity to be the leaders when it when it comes to dominating the energy space,” he said. “We have the energy intelligence to be the leading competitors when it comes to the mining industry, whether we’re looking at uranium, rare earths, or our legacy systems.”

For that to happen, Giralt said it is the responsibility of federal lawmakers to permit regulatory reform. 

“We can’t wait for decades on end to have different mines or different projects approved. We need them approved quickly.” 

He also applauded the Trump administration for removing federal subsidies to ‘unreliable energy sources” such as solar and wind. 

“We shouldn’t be so focused on a conversation of energy transition. The conversation should instead be energy expansion,” he said. 

Immigration

“My mother’s from Cuba. My father’s from Costa Rica. You won’t find anyone who’s more anti-illegal immigration than a family full of legal immigrants,” Giralt said. 

He supports Donald Trump’s efforts to build a border wall and deport illegal immigrants

“Illegal immigration affects Wyoming most acutely in terms of CDL licenses, and the sort of accidents that we’ve seen, whether that be in Green River or in Laramie County,” he said. “Human trafficking is also of grave concern. Wyoming troopers have testified to that in the state legislature before. And then methamphetamine is also an issue.”

Veterans Affairs 

As a veteran, Giralt says he is passionate about improving the VA. While he commends the work being done by Doug Collins, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, he still sees room for improvement.

“I think that Wyoming has an opportunity to kind of hearken back to the VA’s original charter, which was to deliver rural, effective rural health care to veterans,” he said. “Wyoming is the most rural state in the country. I think that we should stand as an example.’

To do this, Giralt said discussions need to be had. 

“For our veterans, here specifically, is behavioral health. Suicides are an issue, uncomfortable to talk about, but I think it needs to be addressed. We also need to talk about telehealth and telemedicine. We need to talk about being able to transport people effectively.”

Public Lands

Giralt said he believes public lands should remain in public hands, and advocated for involving the public in decisions to transfer land. 

“Whether that’s a sheepherder, whether that’s a cattle rancher, whether that’s an energy producer, or whether that’s someone who’s recreating, their mode of business is to use those public lands. Everyone needs to be consulted,” he said. 

He also said that he believes in multiple uses. 

“There’s a constitutional imperative for our public lands to fall under the paradigm of multi-use. We should follow that. It’s written in the Constitution.”

Abortion

According to Giralt, he and his wife are both practicing Catholics who are 100% pro-life. 

“[Trump] set the table by ensuring that we have a strictly constitutional Supreme Court that led to the overturning of Roe v Wade and then return those decisions to the state level,” he said. “I have full confidence that the state legislature down in Cheyenne is going to be able to construct effective legislation that will allow Wyoming to lead and be pro-life.”

Second Amendment

“I am 100% pro-gun, and Wyoming’s a 100% pro-gun state,” Giralt said. “I think that what most Wyomingites expect and should demand out of their U.S. Representatives is that there needs to be some sort of change and consistency in Second Amendment rights.”

Giralt said gun decisions should be made by elected representatives. 

“I think that any time the ATF, for instance, introduces some new gun regulation, that should come before a congressional committee for approval,” he said. “For those regulations to be passed, it shouldn’t be done by some bureaucrat in some dark hallway who no one knows the name of, who can’t be held accountable.”

U.S Involvement in Iran

“First and foremost, I think that I, along with every other American, offer my deepest condolences to the families of those killed and wounded in action.” 

Giralt has been deployed under Republican and Democratic administrations, and he said President Trump’s style of warfare is unprecedented. 

“Trump is not attempting to wage a war from Washington, DC. He is allowing the war fighters who are deployed, working in the Central Command area of responsibility, to execute a war and to execute it effectively.”

Giralt also said he does not believe the conflict will be long-term. 

“President Trump campaigned back in 2016 and here again in 2024 on not involving ourselves in any stupid wars. He said this in his address to the American people, we are not staying there,” he said. “He’s ending an endless war that has existed in Iran for the past 40 years, and saying to them, we will remove this tyrannical regime. Now it is on you, the Iranian people, to ensure freedom for yourselves in your own country.”

Health Care Costs 

“I think that everyone can acknowledge at baseline that health care is an incredibly tangled web. I think to start chipping away at improving this, this health care system, what most Americans want and what we all need is transparency,” Giralt said. 

Keeping Young People in Wyoming

“I think that what people look for when they’re looking for a place to settle down and raise a family is stability. They want freedom, and they want opportunity,” Giralt said.

Giralt said this happens through collaboration between federal officials and locals. 

“The federal government needs to ensure that dollars are being allocated to the right places. In large part, that’s done in coordination with local elected officials, but also local interest groups,” 

He also said these decisions need to be stable. 

“Businesses, in order for them to grow and thrive, need to understand that from year to year, their legs aren’t going to be taken out from under them because of some new tax policy,” he said. “The federal government has a responsibility in ensuring that sort of stability.”