I got questions on everything from taxes and school choice to how I balance family life and faith in the heat of a campaign. Some questions were tough. Some were funny. And a few — well, a few were the kind of raw honesty that only Wyomingites know how to bring.

But you know what I loved most? Every question proved one thing: people are hungry for real answers. They’re tired of politicians hiding behind party lines or offering empty platitudes. What they want — and deserve — is someone who respects their intelligence and will tell them the truth, even when it’s not polished.

One voter asked about our state budget and where I’d cut waste. I laid it out clearly: we start with a full audit of every department. If a program isn’t delivering measurable results for our people, it doesn’t get renewed. We stop pretending that spending more means doing better. It doesn’t.

Another asked about education — what we’d do to protect teachers and empower parents. I said it that night and I’ll say it again: the classroom belongs to the community. Not to unions. Not to the feds. Not to political ideologues.

We talked about water rights, energy development, and what it means to truly give freedom back to families, ranchers, and small business owners across the state.

Someone even asked me, “Joseph, what would you do on day one?” I didn’t hesitate. I’ll immediately start the process to review executive orders, freeze nonessential spending, and bring in agency heads who aren’t afraid to cut waste and empower people.

I spoke about my faith — how it anchors me when the noise of politics gets loud. About my family — how they remind me daily of why I’m in this. And about the future — how we’ll rebuild a Wyoming where our kids don’t have to leave the state to find opportunity.

But most of all, I emphasized this truth: freedom doesn’t need permission. Government is not our parent. It’s not our master. It’s supposed to serve us — not rule us.

This AMA wasn’t a performance. It was a promise. A promise to stay accessible. A promise to never forget who I work for. A promise to never hide behind jargon, legalese, or the safety of silence.