State Rep. Dalton Banks of Cowley says he’s grateful to have some competition in this year’s election, as it was “a little bit boring” going unopposed in 2024. But it appears the race between Banks and his Republican challenger, Addison Aagard of Lovell, still won’t feature any headline-grabbing mudslinging.

“I like to look at the ballot right now and see so many names on it,” Banks said at an early June debate in Cody, “because that means that there are so many people stepping up to want to contribute to Wyoming, and I think that’s great.”

Aagard, meanwhile, said he believes Banks has done “a great job” during his two terms and has nothing against the incumbent.

“I felt called by the Lord to do this — that it’s important to stand up for God, morality, virtue and principles, and that is my focus. That is why I’m here,” Aagard said at the June 8 event in Cody, explaining that it’s important for him to be “acceptable in the sight of God.”

The challenger — who has previously served as a precinct committeeman within the Big Horn County Republican Party — said he wants “to bring God back into the public square, to bring religion and morality into our classrooms.” That should include an opportunity to teach religion in schools and give religion “an equal footing with the experts of science,” he said.

Aagard also said the state needs to look at ways to “revolutionize” its education system to work better and more efficiently and update it to meet current challenges.

“I don’t know what that would look like,” he said, “but what I think we need to do is get our heads thinking and getting moving in a direction where we fundamentally change how we teach and how we learn.”

At a June 17 forum in Powell, Aagard described himself as a “homeschool dropout,” explaining that he joined the workforce and missed a lot of school. He currently works in construction.

Managing the budget

Banks also spoke about public education at the June 8 forum, mentioning that he wants to revisit the recent reshuffling of school funding known as recalibration.

“What started out as good intentions really is having some consequences that are really hitting home to people,” he said.

For example, the process boosted teacher wages, but Banks said he’s heard employees like custodians and cafeteria workers are still making well below the cost of living.

Banks also noted that a major portion of state spending goes to education, law enforcement and the Wyoming Department of Health.

“It’s very difficult to cut in those specific agencies,” he said. “However, what we saw this year was there’s different pieces in every agency that come as additions that we don't see as priorities.”

He pointed to instances where the Legislature rejected requests for more technology and additional employees.

Banks also questioned how the Wyoming Department of Transportation has a budget shortfall for road work, because “that’s why they’re there.”

“They’re really heavy on administration,” Banks said, “and I think that that really needs to be looked into.”

Focusing on principles

For his part, Aagard said the state’s funding related to healthcare is “a big subsidy.”

“That’s hard for people, because they want their parents and their children, you want everybody to be taken care of,” he said.

However, Aagard said that’s a role that should be taken on by individuals in acts of mercy, while the government should be limited to a system of justice that protects individual rights.

“When the government starts getting to the role of mercy, it starts to favor one over another,” Aagard said at a June 17 forum in Powell.

As an example of his perspective, he said it’s the job of people and families to drive economic development.

“What the government needs to do is not regulate that to death, and not to put their thumb on one person or raise up another person …,” he said. “So, really, the role of the government is to stay out of business, and to let families and people rise up and take control of their destinies, take control of their futures, and not rely on welfare or the state or anyone else to provide for them.”

Some people do need help, Aagard said, but other people should help them.

Banks, meanwhile, mentioned that he wants to continue working to cut red tape and roll back regulations “to allow our small businesses to thrive and allow our ranchers to perform what we all expect them to and what we all rely on in the state of Wyoming.”

On the topic of economic development, he spoke favorably of the Wyoming tourism account, which funds various projects with lodging taxes.

“I think that that is a great investment into our communities,” Banks said.

The lawmaker said he likes to see tourism dollars benefit tourism in places like Big Horn and Park counties,“because through those opportunities young people get to stay in Wyoming, it creates jobs, it creates growth, we get revenue.”

Economic development

Overall, Aagard said his focus is on morality, virtue and goodness, wanting to bring things “back to the foundation
of our country.”

“We have become a nation of precedent and not a nation of principle,” he said at the June 8 debate, “and that is how we get Supreme Court rulings that say abortion is healthcare.”

As for Banks, he described his general approach as going to God first, then considering his family and the state of Wyoming.

“And I think if we set those priorities, we’re always going to have our head on straight,” he said.

He also mentioned the importance of building relationships, being responsive to constituents and fighting for the Big
Horn Basin.

Banks chairs the House Agriculture committee and recently joined the Wyoming Department of Agriculture as a senior regulatory specialist. He noted that lawmakers are putting a lot of work into water-related issues amid the current drought conditions.

“To protect that [water] is going to be vital,” he said.

Both Aagard and Banks are vying to represent House District 26, which includes the Garland/Frannie area within Park County and the northern part of Big Horn County. They’ll face off in the Aug. 18 Republican primary election.