THE ROAD TO THE CAPITOL: Guernsey Republican Wants Harriet Hageman In and Liz Cheney Out

By Shen Wu Tan

Special to the Wyoming Truth
 

GUERNSEY, Wyo. – Standing behind the cash register of his downtown hardware store, Charles Howshar, a registered Republican, voiced opinions that many Wyomingites seem to share: someone else should be sitting in Rep. Liz Cheney’s office in the Cannon House building in Washington, D.C.

Howshar, 58, owner of Howshar Hardware, plans to vote for Harriet Hageman for Wyoming’s lone U.S. House seat in the Aug. 16 GOP primary.

“She’s [Hageman] from here; she’s a Wyomingite,” Howshar said, as he assisted customers with their merchandise selection. “Liz Cheney is obviously not. She’s definitely from the [Washington, D.C.] Beltway…She almost has nothing to do with Wyoming.”

“I am adamantly against [Cheney],” he added, while his two dogs, Percy and Aurora, wandered around the store and greeted customers. “Liz Cheney should not be representing Wyoming because she doesn’t represent us. So, we’re going to get someone else in there, and the hope is that the person we put in actually represents what we want in Wyoming and not what the Beltway wants and those that are leaning far left.”

In Howshar’s opinion, the select committee investigating the storming of the Capitol on Jan. 6 last year is “completely biased.” Cheney serves as vice chair and is one of only two Republicans on the panel. Howshar noted that the investigation lacks cross examination of witnesses, such as a former White House aide who testified that former President Donald Trump reached for the steering wheel of his limousine when the Secret Service agent refused to drive him to the Capitol to join his supporters.

“You do an investigation and get the facts and present the facts, not an opinion,” Howshar said. “Congress should be solving problems, not investigating something that is politically motivated. It just smacks of bias. Everything they are doing smacks of bias.”

A Trump supporter, Howshar believes that the former president’s tough stance on China and fiscal policies were good for the country. In 2024, he would like either Trump to run again or Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to enter the race. 

Howshar admitted that Trump’s endorsement of Hageman influenced his decision to vote for the Cheyenne attorney and current GOP frontrunner.  “She just aligns with what I think we should be doing for Wyoming,” he said.

Like other Wyoming residents, Howshar wants legislators to focus on the coal and fossil fuels industry. Instead of accessing local resources, he said President Joe Biden is relying upon the Middle East and countries overseas for energy supply. He also expressed concern about the education system, the amount of federal government control and media coverage of the Supreme Court’s recent overturning of Roe v. Wade.

As a general message, Howshar urged voters to educate themselves about the candidates before casting their ballots.

“If you’re not sure, ask questions,” Howshar said. “Find out. Ask the candidates. Read up their stuff. And whoever gets elected, hold their feet to the fire. If they say they’re going to do it, they better do it. If not, then throw them out and put someone else in.”

Our next stop: Casper.