Big Horn County carries Kost to victory

Overwhelming support in his native county has propelled R. J. Kost back to the Wyoming Senate, according to unofficial election results posted Tuesday night by the Big Horn County and Park County clerk’s offices.

Kost, of Powell but born and raised in Big Horn County, was elected to the Senate District 19 seat in 2018 but was defeated by Dan Laursen in 2022. In Tuesday’s Primary Election, he defeated Freedom Caucus member and House District 25 Rep. Paul Hoeft of Powell for the Republican nomination.

Hoeft carried Park County 1,513 to 1,180, but he won Big Horn County in a landslide, garnering 1,572 votes to 882 for Hoeft, overcoming a blizzard of negative campaign mailers sent to voters. Kost won the race, unofficially pending canvas board results, 2,752 to 2,395.

In Big Horn County, Kost carried Lovell 656-374, Greybull 353-201, Cowley 255-114, Byron 117-55, Shell 117-70, Deaver 36-35 and Frannie 37-31. Hoeft carried Emblem 2-1.

“I want to express my deepest thanks to the people of Big Horn County for your tremendous support,” Kost said Wednesday morning. “While campaigning is not always one of my top joys, I always look forward to the conversations and meeting the wonderful people of our district.

“I learned so much from so many of you, and I truly enjoyed listening and learning. In our busy daily lives, having the chance to meet so many neighbors and have meaningful conversations is rare. These moments opened the door to new perspectives, and I am honored and humbled by all the interactions I had throughout this campaign.

“Thank you to each and every one of you for making this process so joyful. I do not take your trust lightly, and I am anxious to get right to work for all the people of District 19.”

There was no filed candidate in the Democratic primary for Senate District 19, so barring a write-in nomination, Kost will be unopposed in the November 3 General Election.