U.S. House candidate Cameron vows to represent Democrats' voices

CHEYENNE — The voices of Democratic voters in Wyoming are being drowned out by the Republican majority, Kyle Cameron said, which is why she decided to run for the state’s lone seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.

The Aug. 20 primary will decide which congressional candidates end up on the ballot this November. Cameron is the sole Democrat in the race, but incumbent Congresswoman Harriet Hageman, R-Wyo., faces an opponent, Steven Helling, in the Republican primary.

The last Democrat to represent Wyoming in Congress was Teno Roncalio, who served a second term as a U.S. representative from 1971 to 1978. Cameron told the Wyoming Tribune Eagle that Wyoming politics are not what they used to be. She could vividly recall a time when “politics were a little more bilateral,” and people were equally represented.

“There is a significant population in Wyoming that is not being represented in Washington, D.C., and has not been represented in Washington, D.C., for a very long time,” Cameron said.

She said she’s traveled around the Equality State and met with several Democratic voters who, like herself, have been intimidated or threatened because of their political party.

“I know what we see on national TV and what we think is Wyoming in the media,” Cameron said. “But when I drive around the state, and I talk to people around the state, that’s not necessarily who we are.”

The decision to run for statewide office has “been coming for a while now,” she said. Cameron hails from a family with an impressive political background. Her father, James T. Griffith, served on the Cheyenne City Council for 10 years, including as council president. One of his most remarkable achievements, she said, was paving the roads in south Cheyenne.

Her mom, Mamie Urbigkit Griffith, was the first woman to run for Cheyenne mayor in 1976. Although she lost, her mom stayed involved in politics, including working on Roncalio’s campaign. Cameron is also the niece of former Wyoming Supreme Court Chief Justice Walter C. Urbigkit, and several of her other uncles were former state legislators.

“Participating in democracy is a part of who I am, it’s a part of my core,” Cameron said.

Breaking up with coal

It’s a well-known fact that coal is the backbone of Wyoming’s economy. The state’s budget is largely funded by coal severance tax revenue, and Wyoming is one of eight states with no income tax.

So, it’s no surprise that when the Biden administration pushes new environmental protection acts that threaten to shut down Wyoming’s most profitable industry, the state is going to fight back through a series of lawsuits.

Cameron said she remembered watching the coal cars on a train travel next to her on a family trip to the Black Hills when she was young. Her uncle had explained the coal was being exported out of Wyoming to generate revenue that would help Wyomingites.

She recalled another time, when she was older, driving up Interstate 25 on her way to Casper. It was a beautiful day, she said, and a train hauling coal traveled next to her, in front of a lake.

“I love coal,” Cameron said.

However, the issue of an ongoing climate crisis threatens the coal industry, and Cameron said it’s in Wyoming’s best interests to recognize that sooner, rather than later. It’s time the Cowboy State broke off its “unhealthy” relationship with coal, she said.

“We have to break off our relationship with coal for the benefit of our future,” Cameron said. “I know from personal experience (that) when you’re trying to heal from an unhealthy relationship, having prolonged court cases doesn’t help in the healing process.”

Wyoming is a “boom and bust” state, she said, and there are plenty of other valuable minerals it could benefit from. Kemmerer is a prime example of that. The small town of 2,400 people in western Wyoming has grabbed statewide attention for its pioneering efforts on nuclear energy.

TerraPower, a nuclear power company owned by Bill Gates, who made a stop by Kemmerer a week ago for a groundbreaking ceremony, hopes to create a first-of-its-kind sodium-cooled nuclear reactor in the old mining town. Cameron said Wyoming is home to several minerals and opportunities for renewable energy — it’s just a matter of making the transition.

“Yes, we’re gonna let go of coal. We shouldn’t panic,” Cameron said. “That’s a scarcity mentality, right? We don’t need the scarcity mentality. We have other opportunities.”

She said passenger trains already snake through the northern part of the state, stopping by some of Wyoming’s most inspiring landscapes. Old coal mines could become a tourist stop, she said.

“Come and see what a 20th century coal mine looks like,” Cameron said. “I know that’s not going to bring in the same amount of income that coal did. But it’s a fun thought to think about.”

Better health care access

Cameron said her biggest debt is medical debt, a problem that is felt by many other Wyomingites. Wyoming is one of 10 states that has not opted into Medicaid expansion, and thousands of Wyoming residents are left without health insurance. If the state were to expand its Medicaid program, 19,000 state residents could qualify for insurance.

“We are not experiencing health care in the way I think that we should,” Cameron said. “There’s so many issues with health care, and it’s a topic we need to continue to talk about.”

Maternity care deserts are also a growing issue, impacting families in small rural communities. Three Wyoming hospitals have shut down their labor and delivery services in the last seven years, and several others had to cut their OB-GYN positions, according to hospital officials.

“A young family coming into Wyoming is not going to want to live in one of our small communities where the mom isn’t going to be able to get health care,” Cameron said.

Abortion access is also a pressing issue in the Cowboy State, with three signed laws to ban abortion currently being decided in the Wyoming Supreme Court. Cameron said abortion should be left to the medical community and out of the hands of lawmakers.

“Come on, people, this is ridiculous,” Cameron said. “The medical society should make sure that abortions are provided in a safe and ethical way, not the government.”

Protecting workers’ rights

Cameron has served as chair of the Wyoming Democrat Labor Caucus for four years, a position that “has really opened up (opportunity) for dialogue with our federal labor unions in Wyoming.”

One of her campaign issues focuses on providing federal resources to workers who don’t feel safe in their working environment. People shouldn’t have to fear losing their livelihood when they stand up against their employer, Cameron said.

A majority of workers don’t have the funds to hire a lawyer to protect them, she said. When workers try to speak up, saying they want to unionize, but their job is threatened, they have no ability to pay for legal action.

“We need to be able to have (workers) supported with legal action when someone else takes detrimental action toward them,” Cameron said.

Correction: This story has been updated to correct the name of Cameron's mother to Mamie Urbigkit Griffith.