The Wyoming Republican Party censured Gov. Mark Gordon at its state convention on Saturday.
The formal statement of condemnation focuses on Gordon’s actions during the recent legislative session, including his vetoes of 2 hot-button issues.
Gordon didn’t attend the convention, but spokesman Michael Pearlman called the censure vote “concerning” and said the governor stands behind his vetoes of what he calls “flawed legislation.”
Secretary of State Chuck Gray, who has clashed sharply with Gordon in recent months over multiple issues including voting rules, applauded the censure vote, saying it “brings some accountability.”
Gray went on to say Gordon has “enabled Biden and the most radical leftists in America who are trying to help illegal immigrants vote in our elections.”
The censure resolution was passed with no debate. Only about 50 of the more than 300 delegates showed support for discussion the issue, well short of the 75 required under convention rules.
Gordon’s relationship with the Wyoming GOP has soured significantly over the past year. His no-show at the convention this year was significant as he spent nearly a whole day at the 2022 convention and gave a speech there.
Most of the division started with comments Gordon made last fall at Harvard University where he said he wants to reduce the state’s carbon output as a way to fight climate change. That drew a party vote of “no confidence” in the governor.
After Gordon made his vetoes and passed the biennial budget in March, many members of the far right faction of the Republican Party expressed outrage and called for a special session to overturn his actions. That effort failed 50-43 in the legislature.
The issue didn’t die and was revived when the Park County GOP central committee passed a censure motion that was the basis for the one approved by the state party.
Gordon is the first governor to be censured by a state Republican Party since Arizona’s Doug Ducey was censured in 2021 for opposing former President Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election results.