CASPER, Wyo. — The Laramie County Republican Party wants to make clear that it not endorsing Mills resident Reid Rasner’s primary bid for John Barrasso’s spot in the U.S. Senate.
Dallas Tyrrell, the Laramie County Republican Party’s state committeeman, told Oil City News that social media posts on Rasner’s campaign Facebook page featuring Rasner and LCRP chairman Taft Love at the state convention in April give a false impression that the county party has endorsed Rasner. The county party was tagged in the post adds to the impression, Tyrrell said.
“We’re letting the public know that there’s no endorsement,” Tyrrell said.
Tyrrell clarified that though statute does not forbid a party from endorsing a primary candidate, it does forbid campaign contributions (22-25-104).
The LCRP has sent Rasner a cease-and-desist letter.
“The Party demands that you immediately cease and desist from all present and future uses of the Party or Mr. Love’s name or likeness to imply that you are endorsed by the Party,” the letter to Ranser said.
This comes after the county party asked Rasner to remove the post, Tyrrell said. After the request, Tyrrell said the picture of Taft and Rasner at the convention was then reposted as a paid advertisement. Tyrrell said that did not alleviate his concerns.
The Rasner campaign replied to Oil City’s inquiry saying it had not received a cease-and-desist letter, and offered the following statement.
“Look, folks, this is just ridiculous, okay? It’s not gonna change a thing in this race, believe me. We’ve got Senator Barrasso, scared to even leave Washington, DC. Meanwhile, my campaign, we’re gonna be everywhere, fighting for every single vote. At the end of the day, I’m in this to end the nonsense my opponent and their cronies pull in Washington. So, keep that fan mail coming, because we’re gonna win bigly.”
The Campaign for Reid Rasner
