Another Republican has joined the race to fill Wyoming’s lone seat in the House of Representatives.
David Giralt, 35, announced his campaign on Thursday, joining several others already in the race, including Wyoming Secretary of State Chuck Gray, businessman Reid Rasner and former state superintendent Jillian Balow.
“I think in large part my story starts with having grown up here. This is home for me,” he said in an interview with the Deseret News.
Giralt said his parents came to the United States and had nothing, teaching him that “a man’s word means everything and that when you serve something bigger than yourself, that’s when you find your purpose.” They were involved in their local community through Boy Scouts and local sports and lived the “American dream story.”
Joining ROTC in college set him up for serving 12 years in the army, including two combat tours. Giralt earned his Ranger Tab, led 43 soldiers as a young platoon leader at Fort Lewis and was selected into the elite 75th Ranger Regiment, he said.
“America gave my family everything. When she called, I answered,” he said. “And the greatest honor of my life was standing shoulder to shoulder with the finest warriors the world has ever seen.”
He said he believes “Washington elites” are failing Wyoming, its ranchers and energy workers.
After serving abroad, Giralt became a congressional liaison for the Army and worked with members of the House Armed Services Committee where he worked on defense policy. He later worked for Wyoming Sen. Cynthia Lummis.
While working in Washington and on Capitol Hill, he said he saw how divided Americans were and thought Wyomingites deserved better.
The antidote to a divided country, he argued, is “not shying away from difficult conversations, it’s just having a better form of those conversations.”
“What I mean by that is like American politics has been divided for our entire existence, but I think the difference in Americans feeling it now is that we’re not having an honest conversation with people, so people are engaging in this sort of rhetorical spectacle and it gets them plenty of media attention,” Giralt said. “And that’s great if that’s your purpose, but if your purpose is to improve the lives of Wyomingites and Americans, then its not useful.”
Giralt said if elected, he would want to be on the House Natural Resources Committee. He noted that current Rep. Harriet Hageman, who is running for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Lummis, has done a “phenomenal job” and Wyoming lawmakers have a long tradition of serving on that committee to best provide for different sectors in the state. He also noted that it would be important to serve on the House Armed Services Committee.
When reached for comment about Giralt’s announcement, Rasner, who previously spoke with the Deseret News about his campaign, said he is a “proven pro-Trump conservative who is running to put Wyoming first, secure the border and create good paying jobs.”
The Wyoming Republican primary election is on Aug. 18.