Why I Chose the People Over the Parties: My November 23rd Write-In Announcement

On November 23rd, I did something that a lot of people told me was “politically unwise,” but spiritually and morally, I knew it was the only honest direction to go. I announced that I’m running for Governor of Wyoming in 2026 as an unaffiliated write-in candidate.

That decision didn’t come from a bad week. It didn’t come from losing an argument inside a party meeting. It came after months of driving this state, sitting at kitchen tables, praying with people, listening to hurt, frustration, and hope. Over and over, I heard the same thing in different words:

“We’re exhausted by the parties. We don’t feel represented. We just want someone who will actually listen and tell the truth.”

At some point, I had to stop just nodding with people and start standing with them.

A Slow Break-Up With the Party System

I didn’t wake up one morning and suddenly decide, “I’m done with political parties.” It was a slow realization that the system and the people were drifting further apart.

I watched as both parties talked about smaller government while voting, year after year, to expand bureaucracy, rules, and state influence over everyday life. I watched leaders campaign on conservative principles, then treat those same principles as optional once they were inside the building. I watched more time invested in managing factions and party drama than in solving the real problems facing Wyoming families.

My values didn’t change.
What changed was my willingness to pretend that the system still reflected those values.

It became clear that if I stayed inside a party structure, I’d constantly be asked to filter every decision through questions like:

• “How will this play with donors?”
• “Will this upset party leadership?”
• “Does this help us in the next primary?”

But those aren’t the questions that matter to the single mom trying to afford groceries, the rancher worried about property taxes and land use, or the young couple wondering if they’ll ever own a home in Wyoming.

They’re certainly not the questions that matter to God when He calls someone to serve.

Faith, Conviction, and a Different Kind of Campaign 🙏

I prayed a lot before making this announcement. I didn’t ask for a guaranteed win. I didn’t ask for comfort. I asked for clarity.

What I heard, again and again, was simple:
Stand with the people who feel like they’ve been pushed to the edges of the conversation.

That includes:

• Unaffiliated voters who walked away from the parties
• Republicans and Democrats who feel their principles have been traded away
• 2nd- and 3rd-generation Wyomingites who don’t recognize what politics has become
• Thousands of unengaged citizens who checked out because no one looked or sounded like they were actually listening

This is why my campaign rests on Faith, Family, Freedom, and the Future. Those pillars aren’t partisan. They’re deeply human. They’re Wyoming.

Why a Write-In? Because the People Don’t Need Permission 🖊️

Running as a write-in candidate is not a stunt. It is a statement.

A statement that leadership doesn’t belong to party bosses.
A statement that ballots don’t have to be pre-approved by a system before the people get a choice.
A statement that when the parties stop representing the people, the people have every right to go around them.

A write-in campaign says:
“We’re done waiting to be told which options we’re allowed to have.”

Since the announcement, I’ve heard from so many Wyomingites who thought they were the only ones feeling politically homeless. They aren’t. You aren’t. There are tens of thousands of you — maybe more — who are tired of choosing between “the lesser of two evils” and would rather choose the greater of two goods.

This Campaign Belongs to the People, Not the System

From now until Election Day, this campaign is going to look different on purpose.

You’ll see:

• Virtual townhalls and conversations where people actually get to talk, not just listen
• In-person gatherings focused on questions, not speeches
• Honest discussions about property taxes, bureaucracy, mental health, addiction, education, and the role of government
• A candidate who doesn’t have to check with a party before answering you

I left the parties so I could tell the truth about issues like 300–400 bills in a 20-day budget session and the constant expansion of government through new rules and layers of authority. I’m not interested in managing a bigger machine. I’m interested in asking the question nobody in the system seems to want to answer:

How do we give power back to the people when the system is built to keep growing itself?

You can’t fix that from the inside if the inside is what’s protecting it.

A Personal Note From My Heart

This write-in campaign isn’t about me needing a title. It’s about me being unwilling to sit on the sidelines while the people of Wyoming quietly lose their voice under layers of party drama and bureaucratic growth.

On November 23rd, I drew a line in the sand and chose the people over the parties. I chose service over status. I chose conversation over control.

If you’ve ever felt like no one in politics is really speaking for you, this campaign is for you.

If you’ve ever felt like your faith, your family, your freedom, and your children’s future are being traded away one deal at a time, this campaign is for you.

And if you’re ready for Wyoming to Be Something Different, then I invite you to walk this road with me.

🖊️ Write-In Joseph Kibler for Governor in 2026.
Let’s remind the system who really owns this state: the people.