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Ken Chestek has served in House District 13 as a WY Representative for Albany County from Jan 2023 to the present. Chestek has received a negative score for all three categories of Representation, Competence and Integrity. Thus Chestik’s final ranking is Low Trust.
He is up for reelection in 2024.
“There is no right to an abortion in the United States Constitution,” Chestek said. “But [the Supreme Court] expressed no opinion about whether that right might exist someplace else.”
From https://www.gillettenewsrecord.com/news/wyoming/article_fd78d063-d795-5472-a401-04bdb76dd747.html
Overall, Chestek earns a (-) for Representation as described in Public Conduct below.
Attendance
It appears that Chestek missed one vote in 2023 General Session: Committee of the Whole vote for HB182 on 2/6/23.
Public Conduct
It appears that Chestek entered office with a pre-determined agenda from the non-profit corporation Wyoming Promise of which he is Chairman, President and Director. See Integrity tab for details.
Sponsorship History
In 2023 Chestek was the primary sponsor of 2 bills and 1 Joint Resolution. In 2023 he co-sponsored 5 bills and 1 Joint Resolution. Favored sponsorship topics appear to be elections. For more on Chestek’s bill sponsorship see his legislative webpage.
Committee Assignments
2023-House Journal
2023-House Judiciary
2023-Select Committee on Tribal Relations
Chestek scored a (–) for Constitutional Competence with an average of 5% on the constitutional issues listed below – which is the lowest score of all 93 legislators. Constitutional issue categories that have a “N/A” grade, refer to specific bills that Chestek did not have the opportunity to vote on.
For more on the bills used to analyze these scores click here. Special hat-tip goes out to Evidence Based Wyoming for use of their statistical tool to generate the following vote scores:
| Ken Chestek Constitutional Bill Vote Scores |
|
| Separation of Governmental Powers | 0 |
| 1st Amendment/ Right to Healthcare Decisions (Covid Mandates) | 0 |
| 2nd Amendment / Right to Self Defense | 0 |
| 4th & 5th Amendments | N/A |
| Right to Life/ Pro-Life | 25 |
| Protection of Children/ Parental Rights (Transgender Issues) | 0 |
| Sectarianism Prohibited in Schools (Critical Race Theory Issue) | N/A |
| Civics Education | N/A |
Conflicts
Chestek receives a negative (-) score for Integrity.
Chestek is listed as the Chairman of the non-profit corporation Wyoming Promise. According to their registration at the Wyoming Secretary of State’s website, Chestek is also listed as the President and Director.
Equally important, Wyoming Promise is the Wyoming Chapter of the American Promise Association. Together these two organizations emphasize an ultimate goal to “advocate for a 28th amendment to the United States Constitution to overturn the 2010 United States Supreme Court decision Citizens United v. FEC to thereby create space for campaign finance reforms at the national and state-levels“.
Many people, including conservatives, would consider overturning Citizen’s United as a noble and necessary effort. However, both Wyoming Promise and the American Promise Association specify further ambitions in changing elections laws that have nothing to do with the Citizen’s United ruling. Thus their intentions and rationale is a slippery slope that should not be overlooked. Here are some quotes that prove this point:
- Wyoming Promise is a PAC to end all PACs and Get the Money Out (source).
- The wealthiest fossil fuel companies are among the most influential, using money to distract from the fact that the top 100 are responsible for 71% of all global emissions. The 28th Amendment would fix the cause—not just the symptoms—of the problem (source).
- Breaks the two-party incumbent-favoring big money system that locks out competition, choice, and progress for the nation (source).
- Reasonably regulating and limiting contributions and spending in campaigns, elections, or ballot measures (source).
Just two days after being sworn-in as a freshman, Chestek’s first bill was received by the House for Introduction: HB115 Elections administration, which would have stripped election oversight duties from the WY Secretary of State.
This is a violation of WY Constitution Article 3, Section 46 – Chestek should not have sponsored or voted on any bill that overlapped into his personal and private interest as the leader of Wyoming Promise and their agenda to alter election laws. Additional conflict bills that Chestek voted on in this area include:
- 2023 HB0047 – Election equipment-federal certification.
- 2023 HB0055 – Election ballot order and party affiliation.
- 2023 SF0153 – Election security.
Additionally, as an employee/professor of the University of Wyoming, Chestek should have also recused himself from voting on the following sample of bills:
- 2023 SF0158 – Public employee retirement plan-contributions.
- 2023 SF0174 – Wyoming charter school authorizing board.
Employment/Income
According to Chestek’s 2023 State Elected Officials Financial Disclosure available at Wyofile, he reports:
- Professor employed at University of Wyoming
- Receives income from “any security or interest earning”
Click here for Chestek’s UW webpage.
Memberships/Civic Organizations
Chairman – Wyoming Promise
Legal Writing Institute
Campaign Contributions
The table below shows all campaign contributions reported by the WY Secretary of State for Chestek for HD13.
In 2022 Chestek received 36 contributions that total approximately $9,940. Of the 36 donations, approximately 6 were from PACs &/or Campaign Committees. The total amount received from PACS &/or Campaign Committees was approximately $2,350.
Noteworthy PAC contributions to Chestek are:
- $300 from WY EDUCATION ASSN. PAC FOR EDUCATION (CHEYENNE)
- $300 from WEA PACE (CHEYENNE)
Click the arrows at the top of columns to sort the data by name, date, $ amount, etc. (Data is publicly available records obtained from the Wyoming Secretary of State’s Wyoming’s Campaign Finance Information System.)
| Contributor Name | Recipient Name | Recipient Type | Contribution Type | Date | Filing Status | Amount | City State Zip |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MORRIS, JON (AURORA) | CHESTEK FOR HD 13 | CANDIDATE COMMITTEE | MONETARY | 10/25/2022 | FILED | 50 | AURORA, CO 80013 |
| BARLOW, BERNADETTE (SHERIDAN) | CHESTEK FOR HD 13 | CANDIDATE COMMITTEE | MONETARY | 10/20/2022 | FILED | 250 | SHERIDAN, WY 82801 |
| BOELTER, RICHARD AND ANN (LARAMIE) | CHESTEK FOR HD 13 | CANDIDATE COMMITTEE | MONETARY | 10/17/2022 | FILED | 100 | LARAMIE, WY 82070 |
| FFFWY FIRE PAC (CHEYENNE) | CHESTEK FOR HD 13 | CANDIDATE COMMITTEE | MONETARY | 10/17/2022 | FILED | 500 | CHEYENNE, WY 82003 |
| LAWYERS ACTIVE IN WY PAC (LAWPAC) (CHEYENNE) | CHESTEK FOR HD 13 | CANDIDATE COMMITTEE | MONETARY | 10/17/2022 | FILED | 250 | CHEYENNE, WY 82001 |
| ROBBINS, RUTH ANNE (CHERRY HILL) | CHESTEK FOR HD 13 | CANDIDATE COMMITTEE | MONETARY | 10/13/2022 | FILED | 25 | CHERRY HILL, WY 08003 |
| SUNESON, CHARLENE (LOS ANGELES) | CHESTEK FOR HD 13 | CANDIDATE COMMITTEE | MONETARY | 10/13/2022 | FILED | 25 | LOS ANGELES, CA 90065 |
| PRO-CHOICE WYOMING PAC (LARAMIE) | CHESTEK FOR HD 13 | CANDIDATE COMMITTEE | MONETARY | 9/26/2022 | FILED | 500 | LARAMIE, WY 82073 |
| MCMAHON, JACKIE (SHERIDAN) | CHESTEK FOR HD 13 | CANDIDATE COMMITTEE | MONETARY | 9/24/2022 | FILED | 20 | SHERIDAN, WY 82801 |
| PETERSON, LOIS (BUFFALO) | CHESTEK FOR HD 13 | CANDIDATE COMMITTEE | MONETARY | 9/24/2022 | FILED | 40 | BUFFALO, WY 82834 |
| WALTERS, OLIVER (LARAMIE) | CHESTEK FOR HD 13 | CANDIDATE COMMITTEE | MONETARY | 9/16/2022 | FILED | 200 | LARAMIE, WY 82070 |
| PARSONS, EMILY (LARAMIE) | CHESTEK FOR HD 13 | CANDIDATE COMMITTEE | MONETARY | 9/12/2022 | FILED | 100 | LARAMIE, WY 82070 |
| ROBBINS, RUTH ANNE (CHERRY HILL) | CHESTEK FOR HD 13 | CANDIDATE COMMITTEE | MONETARY | 9/11/2022 | FILED | 25 | CHERRY HILL, NJ 08003 |
| IFLAND, JANE (CASPER) | CHESTEK FOR HD 13 | CANDIDATE COMMITTEE | MONETARY | 9/9/2022 | FILED | 100 | CASPER, WY 82601 |
| WY EDUCATION ASSN. PAC FOR EDUCATION (CHEYENNE) | CHESTEK FOR HD 13 | CANDIDATE COMMITTEE | MONETARY | 9/6/2022 | FILED | 300 | CHEYENNE, WY 82001 |
| SHAVER, MARCIE (TORRINGTON) | CHESTEK FOR HD 13 | CANDIDATE COMMITTEE | MONETARY | 9/5/2022 | FILED | 500 | TORRINGTON, WY 82240 |
| MILLAR, RON (ARLINGTON) | CHESTEK FOR HD 13 | CANDIDATE COMMITTEE | MONETARY | 9/1/2022 | FILED | 25 | ARLINGTON, VA 22201 |
| VASSALLO, MIKE (LARAMIE) | CHESTEK FOR HD 13 | CANDIDATE COMMITTEE | MONETARY | 8/30/2022 | FILED | 25 | LARAMIE, WY 82072 |
| HEIDEL, BONNIE (LARAMIE) | CHESTEK FOR HD 13 | CANDIDATE COMMITTEE | MONETARY | 8/27/2022 | FILED | 50 | LARAMIE, WY 82070 |
| ALBANY DEMOCRATIC PARTY CENTRAL COMMITTEE (LARAMIE) | CHESTEK FOR HD 13 | CANDIDATE COMMITTEE | MONETARY | 8/23/2022 | FILED | 500 | LARAMIE, WY 82073 |
| CONNOLLY FOR HOUSE (LARAMIE) | CHESTEK FOR HD 13 | CANDIDATE COMMITTEE | MONETARY | 8/15/2022 | AMEND - ADD | 100 | LARAMIE, WY 82070 |
| ROBBINS, RUTH ANNE (CHERRY HILL) | CHESTEK FOR HD 13 | CANDIDATE COMMITTEE | MONETARY | 7/13/2022 | FILED | 25 | CHERRY HILL, NJ 08003 |
| WEA PACE (CHEYENNE) | CHESTEK FOR HD 13 | CANDIDATE COMMITTEE | MONETARY | 7/11/2022 | FILED | 300 | CHEYENNE, WY 82001 |
| O'TOOLE, DONAL (LARAMIE) | CHESTEK FOR HD 13 | CANDIDATE COMMITTEE | MONETARY | 7/7/2022 | FILED | 250 | LARAMIE, WY 82070 |
| CORNISH, TODD (LARAMIE) | CHESTEK FOR HD 13 | CANDIDATE COMMITTEE | MONETARY | 7/5/2022 | FILED | 50 | LARAMIE, WY 82072 |
| ROBBINS, RUTH ANNE (CHERRY HILL) | CHESTEK FOR HD 13 | CANDIDATE COMMITTEE | MONETARY | 6/19/2022 | FILED | 100 | CHERRY HILL, NJ 08003 |
| ANONYMOUS, ANONYMOUS (LARAMIE) | CHESTEK FOR HD 13 | CANDIDATE COMMITTEE | MONETARY | 6/11/2022 | FILED | 5 | LARAMIE, WY 82070 |
| DENMAN, CATHY (GREEN RIVER) | CHESTEK FOR HD 13 | CANDIDATE COMMITTEE | MONETARY | 6/11/2022 | FILED | 50 | GREEN RIVER, WY 82935 |
| MICHAEL, KIESCHNICK (PALO ALTO) | CHESTEK FOR HD 13 | CANDIDATE COMMITTEE | MONETARY | 6/11/2022 | FILED | 25 | PALO ALTO, CA 94301 |
| ROBBINS, RUTH ANNE (CHERRY HILL) | CHESTEK FOR HD 13 | CANDIDATE COMMITTEE | MONETARY | 6/11/2022 | FILED | 25 | CHERRY HILL, NJ 08003 |
| SAULINO-KLEIN, LORRAINE (LARAMIE) | CHESTEK FOR HD 13 | CANDIDATE COMMITTEE | MONETARY | 6/10/2022 | FILED | 50 | LARAMIE, WY 82072 |
| GORIN, SARAH (LARAMIE) | CHESTEK FOR HD 13 | CANDIDATE COMMITTEE | MONETARY | 6/2/2022 | FILED | 100 | LARAMIE, WY 82070 |
| O'DOHERTY, ERIN (LARAMIE) | CHESTEK FOR HD 13 | CANDIDATE COMMITTEE | MONETARY | 5/27/2022 | FILED | 50 | LARAMIE, WY 82072 |
| ROBBINS, RUTH ANNE (CHERRY HILL) | CHESTEK FOR HD 13 | CANDIDATE COMMITTEE | MONETARY | 5/10/2022 | FILED | 25 | CHERRY HILL, NJ 08003 |
| CHESTEK, KEN (LARAMIE) | CHESTEK FOR HD 13 | CANDIDATE COMMITTEE | LOAN | 5/4/2022 | FILED | 5000 | LARAMIE, WY 82070 |
| CHESTEK, KEN (LARAMIE) | CHESTEK FOR HD 13 | CANDIDATE COMMITTEE | LOAN | 5/4/2022 | FILED | 200 | LARAMIE, WY 82070 |