Rachel Rodriguez-Williams

Rather than seek another term in the Wyoming House of Representatives, state Rep. Rachel Rodriguez-Williams, R-Cody, is running for higher office.

On Wednesday, the Cody Republican and chair of the Wyoming Freedom Caucus announced her candidacy for secretary of state. 

“I have diligently worked to advance the values of those who elected me in House District 50 for three terms,” Williams told the Tribune on Monday. “I am ready to be a voice statewide for the people of Wyoming.”

The secretary of state serves as Wyoming’s chief elections officer and official record-keeper, overseeing business filings, trademarks, notaries public and securities like stocks and bonds. The secretary also fills in as the chief executive when the governor is out-of-state and serves alongside the four other statewide elected officials on various boards.

In her campaign announcement, Williams described herself as “a fearless champion for conservative principles.” She said she wants to uphold election integrity, promote pro-business policies and protect the state’s resources from foreign threats, particularly China.

Williams secured the endorsement of current Secretary of State Chuck Gray of Monday.

“My dedication to election integrity and stopping business fraud aligns perfectly with the strong foundation Secretary Gray has built,” Williams said in a Monday release touting the endorsement.

Some background

Williams has lived in Wyoming since 2007, coming here from northern California, where she spent seven years as a law enforcement officer. During her past two decades in Wyoming, Williams has gotten involved in multiple community groups and worked at several nonprofit organizations, including as a community prevention professional, as the executive director of Serenity Pregnancy Resource Center and as the leader of Mountain Spirit Habitat for Humanity.

Williams was first elected to the House in 2020, then reelected in 2022 and 2024. She is the current chair of the House Labor, Health & Social Services Committee and previously was the vice chair of the House Judiciary Committee.

During her six sessions in the Wyoming Legislature, Williams established herself as a staunch anti-abortion advocate; that included serving as the lead sponsor of 2023’s “Life is a Human Right Act,” which generally prohibited abortions in the state. (It was struck down by the Wyoming Supreme Court earlier this year.)

Williams’ voting record also received strong ratings from the Club for Growth on “free-market policies and limited government” and from the American Conservative Union related to “conservative values, economic freedom, and fiscal responsibility.”

An endorsement from Gray

Others who’ve announced their candidacies for secretary of state include Converse County Commissioner Robert Short of Douglas, a Republican, and Democrat Bryan McCarty of Worland.

They’re all seeking to replace outgoing Republican Gray, who’s running for the U.S. House. Though the field of candidates won’t be finalized until late May, Gray has already thrown his full support behind Williams.

“I have worked with Rep. Williams on many issues and have seen how she works to advance the values of the people of Wyoming,” Gray, a former lawmaker and Wyoming Freedom Caucus member, said in a Monday statement. “She will continue to fight for election integrity in Wyoming and will also continue our work to stop business fraud.”

Williams says on her campaign site that she supports “rigorous voter verification, ending ballot harvesting, secure chain-of-custody protocols, and independent audits that verify the tabulation” and wants to “aggressively cut red tape, streamline our processes, and maintain one of the nation’s lowest tax burdens.”

She said Gray’s backing shows she’ll deliver results and will energize her campaign heading into August’s Republican primary. Williams is working with the Las Vegas-based political consulting firm McShane LLC (a.k.a. RMC Strategy), which assisted with Gray’s successful run for secretary in 2022.

Williams’ announcement drew cheers from allies like Sen. Dan Laursen, R-Powell, Powell City Councilman Troy Bray and the Freedom Caucus itself.

“Let’s continue Secretary Gray’s conservative legacy,” the caucus wrote on its Facebook page as it shared Williams’ announcement.

Critics of the Freedom Caucus, meanwhile, panned the news.

“Thank God, she’s leaving the house,” Rep. Landon Brown, R-Cheyenne, wrote in a Facebook comment on a Cap City News story.

An open House seat

Williams’ run for secretary of state will leave an opening in House District 50, which covers the eastern part of Cody, Ralston, Heart Mountain, Clark, Crandall and Sunlight.

On Wednesday, the Wyoming Libertarian Party announced that Ralston resident Carrie Satterwhite will be the party’s nominee for the seat. Satterwhite — who received 17% of the vote in a 2022 challenge to Williams — will go straight to November’s general election ballot while any Republican or Democrat candidates will appear on the primary ballot in August.

The candidate filing period for the two major parties doesn’t officially open until May 14.