Constitution Party candidate for U.S. House visits Worland

WORLAND - U.S. House of Representative Constitution Party candidate Jeff Haggit spent some time in Worland visiting with media and contacting party members in the community before eventually heading to Lander for the quarterly executive committee meeting.

Haggit is the Wyoming Constitution Party chairman as well as serving as the chairman for the Uinta County Constitution Party.

The Mountain View resident has lived in Wyoming since 1976, coming from Michigan. He said he fell in love with the state and has no plans of leaving.

He currently works at TATA Chemicals that mines trona.

"I am running for U.S. House to offer a choice to that voting block who wants to get the U.S. hating U.N. out of our country; who wants their property rights protected; who wants the freedom to choose medical treatment as they see fit without government intrusion," Haggit said.

Daniel Clyde Cummings had been the Constitution Party candidate for U.S. House in 2018, 2016, 2014 and 2012. Haggit said Cummings opted not to be the party's nominee this year so Haggit decided to throw his name in for consideration.

Haggit has been a member of the Constitution Party for the past eight years. He said he previously considered himself an independent with ideas that "more closely aligned with Republicans rather than Democrats."

He said he was introduced to the party by a neighbor and became involved when the part was working on the petition to restore the powers of State Superintendent of Public Instruction Cindy Hill.

"I have never run for any office. It intrigued me so I put my name out there and no one objected," Haggit said.

With the Constitution Party a minor party in Wyoming, Haggit knows he has an uphill battle to defeat incumbent Rep. Liz Cheney or Democratic nominee Lynnette Grey Bull. "I am going to do the best I can and get our message out there," he said.

He began a tour of the state on Tuesday, leaving Mountain View with stops in Rawlins, Cheyenne and Casper before coming to Worland. "I'm working on getting a hold of people in the party to let them know they are not forgotten. And I want to let other voters know that there are other options available," Haggit said.

Some of his personal concerns are the rising national debt and the continual slide of rights and freedoms in this country.

Her said if elected he would work to put a stop to the slide.

Haggit said if elected he would also take seriously the oath/pledge/affirmation to uphold the Constitution seriously.

If elected, any bill he voted on would have to pass the "Constitution sniff test. Either you take the oath seriously or not."

Regarding the rights and Constitution, he noted on his travels he heard from one Cheyenne resident who went to vote in the Primary and was denied a ballot because she was neither Democrat or Republican. She should have been given at least the non-partisan municipal races to vote on. Instead she had to switch party affiliation in order to vote.

He said he believes Wyoming can get a better system for the primary election.

Haggit said he also has concerns about the Patriot Act that was passed shortly after the 9/11 terror attacks. "That violates a lot of our rights," he said. "I'd like to see that act cleaned up."

The Constitution Party platform promotes fiscal responsibility and less government, two things Haggit feels strongly about as well.

On a more personal level, Haggit said he has concerns with the 16th Amendment that established the income tax.

With just under two months left before the general election, Haggit said he was encouraged by the voter turnout for the primary election and he hopes to see a strong turnout in the general.

"I think everyone can feel it in the air. This is an extremely important election. All people have is their vote right now, and you hope people exercise their duties as citizens to be involved and to contact their representatives and senators whether at the state or national level," Haggit said.

As for the Constitution Party, Haggit said Platte County has the most active county party. His focus is to ensure each county has a county contact for the party.

The Constitution Party of the U.S. was founded in 1992. The Constitution Party of Wyoming was officially organized July 10, 2010, and was accepted as an affiliate member of the national party in November 2010, according to the state party website.

The party's foundational plank is, "The only legitimate role of government is to secure our God-given right of life, liberty, and the ownership and control of property. Individuals have the right and responsibility to protect these God-given rights. Because government derives its power from the consent of the governed, the only power it rightfully has is to provide protection for these rights. When government assumes other functions, it becomes tyrannical."

People can learn more about the Constitution Party at https://wyocp.com/.