The race to succeed Rep. Harriet Hageman (R., Wyo.) remains wide-open as voters head to the polls in the Cowboy State. David Giralt is making a unique case in this race to voters — send him back to Washington, D.C., where he has worked for a series of top Republicans in Congress already.
In an interview with the Washington Reporter, Giralt made the case that the race to succeed Hageman is not a two-man contest between Secretary of State Chuck Gray and Steve Friess.
“The difference is clear,” Giralt said, pointing to his 12 years of military service. “Neither one grew up in Wyoming. Neither put their life on the line for what they believe. And neither has real experience with the federal legislature. I did. I’m a Casper kid who commissioned into the activity Army, served as a Ranger, deployed to combat, and then went to work on the actual bills that affect this state.”
“I’m running a Wyoming First campaign by putting this state’s interests ahead of party loyalty or any national agenda when they conflict,” Giralt added. “Voters are smart. They’re exhausted by the glossy mailers and asking who will actually show up and fight for them when it counts. That’s the case I’m making every day.”
In order to win the primary, Giralt is leaning on a series of endorsements from several Republican members of Congress, and rocker Ted Nugent. Giralt explained that the endorsements of the former have been “meaningful because those endorsements came from people who have watched me work. These people who know the difference between someone who talks about serving and someone who has already done it.”
“On the trail it gives voters confidence that I’m not starting from zero,” the 35-year-old Giralt added. “I’ve already earned trust with members who will be my colleagues if Wyoming sends me. That matters when you’re fighting for our energy industry, our public lands, or our veterans.”
Giralt explained that Nugent’s endorsement came about because the two “connected over shared values — individual liberty, the Second Amendment, love of the outdoors, and zero tolerance for people who want to manage our lives from D.C.”
Nugent, Giralt said, is “a straight shooter who doesn’t do politics the usual way. When he decided to endorse, it was because he saw someone who actually lives those principles instead of just campaigning on them. It’s been a boost with a lot of independent-minded Wyoming voters who respect the same things.”
On the campaign trail, Giralt is highlighting his time on the Hill, working for Rep. Mike Rogers (R., Ala.) as a Department of Defense (DoD) Fellow; he then worked for his home state senator, Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R., Wyo.), “focused on Wyoming priorities: energy, public lands, agriculture, and national security,” he said. “That experience isn’t theoretical. I know how the sausage gets made, who actually delivers for states like ours, and how easy it is for people to talk a big game and then fold when the pressure hits. I’m using it to show voters I’m not another outsider learning on the job. I’ve already been in the rooms where decisions get made that affect Wyoming families, and I know how to fight for results instead of just press releases.”
That experience has tied directly into what he hears from voters on the campaign trail, he explained. “Everywhere I go the same things come up: keeping federal public lands open and in federal hands under responsible multi-use management — no sales, no transfers,” Giralt said. “Energy dominance that includes coal, oil, gas, uranium, and critical minerals so Wyoming workers stay employed and America stays free. Cost of living and housing pressure, especially for young families and working people. Veterans’ care that actually works. And helping families all across the state with a rural healthcare system that works for Wyoming. People want someone who will put the state first, keep their word, and not get captured by the political class.”
Should Giralt prevail in the primary, he’ll be favored to represent all of Wyoming in the House of Representatives; one of the state’s most critical industries is coal, which he described as being “foundational to Wyoming’s economy and to reliable power for the country.”
“The Trump administration’s approach of ending the war on fossil fuels, rolling back overregulation, and prioritizing American energy dominance has been a net positive for our producers and workers after years of hostility from previous administrations,” he explained. “That said, Wyoming’s energy future can’t depend on any one president or any one administration. We need consistent federal policy that treats coal, oil, gas, uranium, and critical minerals as strategic assets not temporary political footballs. I’ll fight for that consistency because our communities, our tax base, and our way of life depend on it. Wyoming families need to be able to look to Congress to give long term stability and predictability.”
Below is a transcript of our interview with David Giralt, lightly edited for clarity.
Washington Reporter:
How are you leaning on your time already working on Capitol Hill in this campaign to make your case to voters?
David Giralt:
I spent time on the Hill as a DoD Fellow, working directly for Rep. Mike Rogers, the Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee. I helped shape the National Defense Authorization Act. After that I did SkillBridge and then civilian work in Senator Lummis’ office focused on Wyoming priorities: energy, public lands, agriculture, and national security. That experience isn’t theoretical. I know how the sausage gets made, who actually delivers for states like ours, and how easy it is for people to talk a big game and then fold when the pressure hits. I’m using it to show voters I’m not another outsider learning on the job. I’ve already been in the rooms where decisions get made that affect Wyoming families, and I know how to fight for results instead of just press releases.
Washington Reporter:
As you’ve campaigned across the entire state of Wyoming, what are the top issues that voters tell you they care about?
David Giralt:
Everywhere I go the same things come up: keeping federal public lands open and in federal hands under responsible multi-use management — no sales, no transfers. Energy dominance that includes coal, oil, gas, uranium, and critical minerals so Wyoming workers stay employed and America stays free. Cost of living and housing pressure, especially for young families and working people. Veterans’ care that actually works. And helping families all across the state with a rural healthcare system that works for Wyoming. People want someone who will put the state first, keep their word, and not get captured by the political class.
Washington Reporter:
We’re in the home stretch; the WYGOP endorsed Chuck Gray and Steve Friess has raised a lot of money – how are you making the case to voters to send you to D.C.?
David Giralt:
The WYGOP endorsement of Chuck is no surprise. He’s a career politician. Steve raising a lot of money is no surprise either. Wealthy people have wealthy friends. The difference is clear: neither one grew up in Wyoming. Neither put their life on the line for what they believe. And neither has real experience with the federal legislature. I did. I’m a Casper kid who commissioned into the activity Army, served as a Ranger, deployed to combat, and then went to work on the actual bills that affect this state. I’m running a Wyoming First campaign by putting this state’s interests ahead of party loyalty or any national agenda when they conflict. Voters are smart. They’re exhausted by the glossy mailers and asking who will actually show up and fight for them when it counts. That’s the case I’m making every day.
Washington Reporter:
How does your time in the military impact how you want to work as a legislator?
David Giralt:
Twelve years, including time with the 75th Ranger Regiment and the 82nd Airborne, multiple combat deployments, and a Bronze Star for leadership. You learn quickly that talk is cheap and that people either execute or they don’t. You learn to take care of the people under you, to keep your word, and to put the mission and the team above yourself. In Congress that translates to showing up prepared, working the problem instead of the politics, and refusing to treat public service like a career ladder. I don’t want to be another professional politician. I want to be a temporary servant who gets results and then comes home.
Washington Reporter:
Let’s talk about your endorsements; several of your potential colleagues in D.C. have gone out of their way to endorse you in this race; how has that played out on the campaign trail?
David Giralt:
It’s been meaningful because those endorsements came from people who have watched me work. These people who know the difference between someone who talks about serving and someone who has already done it. On the trail it gives voters confidence that I’m not starting from zero. I’ve already earned trust with members who will be my colleagues if Wyoming sends me. That matters when you’re fighting for our energy industry, our public lands, or our veterans.
Washington Reporter:
Perhaps even more importantly, Ted Nugent is one of your endorsers; how did that come about?
David Giralt:
Ted and I connected over shared values — individual liberty, the Second Amendment, love of the outdoors, and zero tolerance for people who want to manage our lives from D.C. He’s a straight shooter who doesn’t do politics the usual way. When he decided to endorse, it was because he saw someone who actually lives those principles instead of just campaigning on them. It’s been a boost with a lot of independent-minded Wyoming voters who respect the same things.
Washington Reporter:
Coal is obviously a critical industry in Wyoming; how have the Trump administration’s policies impacted coal specifically, and energy in Wyoming more broadly?
David Giralt:
Coal remains foundational to Wyoming’s economy and to reliable power for the country. The Trump administration’s approach of ending the war on fossil fuels, rolling back overregulation, and prioritizing American energy dominance has been a net positive for our producers and workers after years of hostility from previous administrations. That said, Wyoming’s energy future can’t depend on any one president or any one administration. We need consistent federal policy that treats coal, oil, gas, uranium, and critical minerals as strategic assets not temporary political footballs. I’ll fight for that consistency because our communities, our tax base, and our way of life depend on it. Wyoming families need to be able to look to Congress to give long term stability and predictability.
Washington Reporter:
David, thanks so much for your time.
