Rep. John Bear, of Gillette, represents House District 31 in Campbell County as a Freedom Caucus leader.

Rep. Bear is currently Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, one of the most powerful positions in the Legislature. He is "chair emeritus" of the Wyoming Freedom Caucus.

In 2026, Rep. Bear is running for re-election against Doug Moore, a manager at the Eagle Butte and Belle Ayr coal mines.

By the numbers 

During the Legislature’s 2026 budget session, Rep. Bear voted for all 10 of the Freedom Caucus’ priority bills. He voted along with Freedom Caucus chair Rachel Rodriguez-Williams 95% of the time on bills tracked in Better Wyoming’s 2026 Grassroots Accountability Report.

During the 2025 general session, Rep. Bear voted for all of the Freedom Caucus’ priority bills (28 in all), and he voted with Rep. Rodriguez-Williams 100% of the time on bills tracked in Better Wyoming’s 2025 Grassroots Accountability Report.

'Checkgate' recipient

Rep. Bear was one of several high-profile Freedom Caucus members who accepted campaign checks from Freedom Caucus fundraiser Rebecca Bextel at the start of the 2026 budget session.

Several Freedom Caucus lawmakers took checks from Bextel on the floor of the House, which became a major scandal that tarnished the Legislature’s reputation.

During the investigation of the incident by a House special committee, it was revealed in a series of text messages that Rep. Bear had been Bextel's point person in determining which Freedom Caucus members should receive checks.

Defunding the University of Wyoming

Rep. Bear led the effort to make huge cuts to the University of Wyoming’s budget in 2026, despite it being our state’s only university, a way for Wyoming children to stay in-state, and a huge driver of workforce training and economic development.

Rep. Bear initially proposed to cut $40 million from UW. This turned out to be an incredibly unpopular idea throughout Campbell County and the state.

As negotiations in the House and with the Senate proceeded during the 2026 budget session, Rep. Bear and the Freedom Caucus buckled to popular pressure and backpedaled . They proposed instead a $20 million compromise.

But the House ultimately backed down completely to the Senate. Despite Rep. Bear's efforts, no major cuts to the university went through by the time the governor signed the budget.

Shuns Safety Help for “Highway of Death”

Rep. Bear voted against a budget amendment to make Wyoming Highway 59 from Gillette to Wright safer for workers and families.

This road has been called the “highway of death” because of its history of a high number of fatal collisions. The highway includes heavy industrial traffic and dangerous driver behavior on a two-lane road.

The funding would have allowed the Wyoming Department of Transportation to widen the highway and construct other safety improvements. Rep. Bear voted against it.

No support for mental healthcare

During the 2026 budget session, Rep. Bear repeatedly fought against any kind of funding increase to support mental healthcare in Wyoming.

When asked about his opposition, given Wyoming's high rates of suicide and substance abuse and lack of mental health providers, Rep. Bear argued that the government should not be supporting this kind of care. Instead, he said, it should be the responsibility of churches.

Rep. Bear's comments prompted faith leaders from across Wyoming to host a press conference at the capitol explicitly rejecting the idea that churches are equipped to handle Wyoming's mental healthcare needs. Churches can play a strong role, the leaders said, but so too should the state.

Ultimately, the Legislature passed some modest increases to mental health funding despite Rep. Bear's and the Freedom Caucus' opposition.

Voted against public land access

A court ruling in Wyoming gave hunters a legal right to cross from one piece of public land to another over a “corner” that also touches private land.

Being able to do so opens up tremendous opportunities for Wyoming residents to hunt and fish on public land.

But because court cases can be overturned on a dime and people could lose access, lawmakers brought forward a bill in 2026 to codify corner crossing into law. This would clarify what can and can’t be done and eliminate confusion for hunters and landowners alike.

Rep. Bear voted against this bill, opposing hunters’ ability to access public land that they—along with all other Americans—own.