So, just to be clear, I am aware that I'm a political neophyte compared to most of my opponents in this race. Nobody knew who I was two-and-a-half months ago and with no money but whatever I had to spare from my paychecks, I've done no advertising. That's not a winning formula. I am aware. 

Okay, story time. I was 20 years old and running for my first public office, a member of the Spearfish School District Board of Education. There were two open slots and when I saw that the only people who had filed were the two incumbents, I got into gear, got the required signatures and threw my hat in the ring. Because that's what democracy is all about, choices. 

It's coming down to the wire now! Only two and a half weeks to go, early voting has started, and the last big events are on my calendar. Next week on 4 August, 7pm MDT, Wyoming PBS has a candidate debate (in cooperation with the Sheridan Chamber of Commerce) which will be broadcast live from Kinnison Hall, Whitney Center for the Arts at Sheridan College. You can still get tickets, but it will also, of course, be available on your local Wyoming PBS stations. 

Last night was the candidate forum put on my the Wyoming League of Women Voters, Wyoming Public Media, and WyoFile, in which 8 of the 9 remaining candidates for the US House participated. It's a full 2-hour recording so don't say I didn't warn you. But there are some very interesting dynamics going on. First, compared to the forum in Gillette early in the race, people are not invoking Donald Trump at every turn. Some candidates have stopped invoking his name at all. One quite vociferously declared last night that he is *not* MAGA. More than one has come over to my position that fixing Social Security could be as simple as removing the income cap on Social Security taxes, including the one who forswore raising taxes on anybody in his opening statement. Others are still wedded to the agenda but one of them is more reticent about calling on the orange one. I feel like I'm having an effect on this race. Or at the very least, the people of Wyoming are not resonating with Trump worship as expected. But feel free to let me know how you feel and what you think in the comments.

Just after the Independence Day festivities, a group of self-styled Rational Republicans gathered in Casper to "Buck the Freedom Caucus."  The event was definitely focused on state-level offices but the Dodson For America campaign would have been right at home as we hope to fight against the reactionary agenda of hate and instead focus on solving real problems real people face. Altogether too few of the candidates for Wyoming's At-Large house seat are willing to stand up for regular Wyomingites and things that really matter. It is really easy to paint all Republicans with the same brush, MAGA-acolytes who only care about things because Donald Trump cares about them. But Wyomingites are a practical people--you have to be on the last vestiges of the American Frontier. This is why it's important to vote, always, so that you and your like-minded neighbors' voices are heard, in Cheyenne and in Washington. This is good news for the people of Wyoming. And it certainly carries promise for House Candidate Richard Dodson.

So, something you may not know, under the Ethics in Government Act (EIGA), US House of Representatives financial disclosure requirements apply not just to members and senior staff, but also to "qualified" candidates. I was surprised a couple of weeks ago to receive a big manila envelope from the Clerk of the US House of Representatives. It was a letter letting me know that there were requirements I had to adhere to. To qualify you have to have raised or spent more than $5000 in the election cycle. I'm not even close to that threshold, so I don't have to file, but I do have to notify them in writing that I don't qualify. Which I have done. It was easy. A whole hell of a lot easier than FEC filings. Sheesh!

Dodson For America now has a donations page, powered by WinRed for online donations. Full disclosure, FEC regulations require that we report to the FEC any donor who gives more than $200, either in one go or in the aggregate with not just your name, but also mailing address, employer, and occupation. If you don't want that (and I don't blame you) choose your donation strategy accordingly. You can certainly encourage friends and family to donate (whether they live in Wyoming or not) instead of giving more. Those personal endorsements are more valuable to me than those from public figures and organizations anyway. But, I'll take all the support I can get, so please contact us (info on the Home page) with other ideas you might have.

I had the pleasure of meeting Senate Candidate Jim Skovgard at the debate in Gillette a couple of weeks ago and we sat down to record an episode for his podcast, Grassroots Rising. I don't know if you have to have a Substack account to listen, but here's a link to the conversation we had.

Well, two weeks in is better than never, right? I'll be posting my thoughts from the campaign trail. To start, I'm including the video I recorded on the day I filed with the Wyoming Secretary of State, outside of a local convenience store. Prices have come down since then, but they are still way higher than they were three months ago or even 18 months ago. I can't promise I can fix any of that, certainly not by myself, but I can and do promise that I will always shoot you straight.