Dodson to Run Against Barrasso in Primary

Wyoming businessman Dave Dodson made it official today as he entered the Republican primary for the United States Senate. He will be challenging Senator John Barrasso for the seat in a field of five Republican candidates in the primary. There is one declared Democratic candidate in the race.

The 56-year-old Dodson made the announcement on Friday, the last day to file for the office. He had, though, originally announced in February that he would run against Barrasso as an independent.

Dodson said he has owned a home in Jackson Hole for 25 years and has lived there full time since 2011. He is a part-time business instructor at Stanford University. His business ventures have ranged from telecommunications to auto parts, he said.

Here is his official announcement:

Wyoming businessman Dave Dodson announced today that he will enter the state’s Republican primary for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by John Barrasso.

“I’ve met and talked with more than a thousand Wyoming Republican voters over the past three months,” said Dodson, who declared his candidacy last February as a ‘Reagan Republican running as an independent.’
“What I’ve been hearing over and over again from GOP voters is, ‘You’re our kind of
Republican. Run as one so we don’t split votes and let a Democrat slip in.’ “
“So today I’m doing what those voters have suggested. I’m filing to enter the GOP primary.”
Dodson said he’s running to attack three major problems: the healthcare crisis in Wyoming, the deep level of political corruption in Washington, and the lack of good jobs in Wyoming caused by the state’s struggling economy.
His quotes on those issues:

The healthcare crisis in Wyoming
“Tens of thousands of Wyomingites are uninsured, or paying way too much of their paychecks for coverage, while Senator Barrasso has done nothing to solve the crisis. It can’t be a coincidence that his largest donors are in the healthcare industry. Does anyone in Wyoming think big pharmaceutical companies give a damn about us? They’re buying votes, plain and simple.”
“Those company executives are ready to spend millions of dollars to keep their man in office. When voters see Senator Barrasso’s million dollar attack ads this summer, just remember who paid for them.”

The money-fueled corruption of Washington
“Wyomingites are furious with Washington. America is the most can-do nation in the history of the world - but our government has become a broken-down, money-grubbing, dysfunctional mess. We’re being betrayed by a system that’s gone completely off the rails.”
“The difference between Senator Barrasso and me is simple: He likes things just as they are. I don’t, and none of the voters I’ve been talking with do, either.”

The Wyoming economy
“Wyoming’s economy is ranked the weakest of all fifty states and isn’t generating the jobs or economic opportunities that allow our kids to stay here and prosper. That’s got to change.”Dodson is a company founder and investor who’s helped create more than 20,000 jobs in his business career, which has spanned the trucking, telecommunications and retail industries.
“I know how private enterprise drives job growth, and I don’t see any leadership on the issue coming from Senator Barrasso.”

The upcoming primary campaign
Dodson said he will take his campaign messages directly to voters and tap into their voices and their energy to help fuel his run.
“Wendy and I have spent the last three months living out of an RV to get out and meet voters, and that’s exactly what we’ll be doing all summer long. We agreed on three rules for our campaign: Tell the truth, talk with voters directly, and put Wyoming first every day I’m in office if the voters of Wyoming elect me.”