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Chuck Gray (Wyoming politician)

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Chuck Gray
24th Secretary of State of Wyoming
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 2, 2023
GovernorMark Gordon
Preceded byKarl Allred
Member of the Wyoming House of Representatives
from the 57th district
In office
January 10, 2017 – January 2, 2023
Preceded byThomas Lockhart
Succeeded byJeanette Ward
Personal details
Political partyRepublican
EducationUniversity of Pennsylvania (BS)

Chuck Gray is an American politician and the secretary of state of Wyoming, having won the 2022 election unopposed. Gray was previously a member of the Wyoming House of Representatives representing the 57th District.

Career

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Prior to his election to the Wyoming House of Representatives, Gray had a radio talk show on Casper radio station KVOC.[1]

Wyoming House of Representatives

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In 2014, Gray challenged incumbent state representative Thomas Lockhart in the Republican primary but was defeated, receiving 48% of the vote to Lockhart's 52%.[2]

When Lockhart announced his retirement, Gray again announced his candidacy for the seat in 2016. He defeated Ray Pacheco in the Republican primary with 59% of the vote and defeated Democrat Audrey Cotherman in the general election with 64% of the vote.[3]

Gray ran for reelection in 2018. In the Republican primary he faced former Casper Mayor Daniel Sandoval, who defeated with 61% of the vote.[4][5] Gray defeated Democrat Jane Ifland in the general election with 61% of the vote.[6]

In 2020, Gray was unopposed in the Republican primary. He again faced Democrat Jane Ifland in the general election and defeated her with 69% of the vote.[7]

In his first session as a member of the Wyoming House of Representatives, he was the lead sponsor of the ultrasound bill, the first pro-life bill passed in 30 years. He was also the lead sponsor of Wyoming's voter ID law, which was signed into law in 2021. During his time in the legislature, he served on numerous committees, including Minerals, Business & Economic Development; Agriculture, State and Public Lands; Revenue; Judiciary; and Management Audit.

Wyoming Secretary of State

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In March 2021, Gray announced that he was running for the Republican nomination for Wyoming's at-large congressional district in the 2022 election, challenging incumbent Liz Cheney in a primary after the Wyoming GOP censured Cheney for her vote to impeach Donald Trump.[8] In September 2021, Donald Trump endorsed Harriet Hageman in the primary which led to Gray dropping out to consolidate the anti-Cheney vote around Hageman.[9]

In March 2022, Gray announced he would run for Wyoming Secretary of State in 2022. He was endorsed by Donald Trump and he won the Republican primary.[10][11] Secretary Gray is known for his conservative record. He is a six-time CPAC award winner, winning the award for his conservative voting record each year in the legislature. He has also received Wyoming Right to Life's Platinum Award for his pro-life record.

Political positions

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Gray has been described by the Associated Press as "one of Wyoming's most Trump-like legislators". Gray has advocated banning ballot drop boxes and instituting mandatory hand-counted election audits.[12][13]

References

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  1. ^ "Chuck Gray at the helm of KVOC". Casper Journal. Retrieved January 5, 2017.[permanent dead link]
  2. ^ "Statewide House Candidates Official Summary Wyoming Primary Election - August 19, 2014" (PDF). Wyoming Secretary of State. Retrieved January 5, 2017.
  3. ^ "Statewide House Candidates Unofficial Summary Wyoming General Election - November 8, 2016" (PDF). Wyoming Secretary of State. Retrieved January 5, 2017.
  4. ^ Klamann, Seth (June 24, 2018). "Former Casper mayor, local activist to challenge Chuck Gray for Wyoming House seat". Casper Star-Tribune. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
  5. ^ "Statewide House Candidates Official Summary Wyoming Primary Election - August 21, 2018" (PDF). Wyoming Secretary of State. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
  6. ^ Wyoming Secretary of State. "Statewide House Candidates Official Summary – Wyoming General Election, November 6, 2018" (PDF). Retrieved November 17, 2021.
  7. ^ "Wyoming Secretary of State". sos.wyo.gov. Retrieved November 18, 2020.
  8. ^ Coulter, Tom (March 4, 2021). "State Rep. Chuck Gray announces 2022 primary bid against Cheney". Wyoming Tribune Eagle. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
  9. ^ Axelrod, Tal (September 15, 2021). "Third Republican drops out of race to replace Cheney after Trump endorses challenger". The Hill.
  10. ^ "Wyoming Secretary of State Primary Election Results". The New York Times. August 16, 2022. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 17, 2022.
  11. ^ Brown, Aaron. "Former President Donald Trump endorses Chuck Gray for Wyoming Secretary of State". Wyoming News Now. Retrieved August 17, 2022.
  12. ^ "Tara Nethercott Challenges Chuck Gray on Election Integrity". August 10, 2022. Retrieved August 17, 2022.
  13. ^ Mullen, Maggie (June 15, 2022). "Election integrity front and center in secretary of state race". WyoFile. Retrieved August 17, 2022.
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Political offices
Preceded by Secretary of State of Wyoming
2023–present 		Incumbent


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