(Fremont County, WY) – Following last night’s Primary Election and the finalization of the unofficial results, the Fremont County Commission will see three new faces in the Commission seats after the November General Election. Incumbents in District 1 and District 3, Clarence Thomas and Ron Fabrizius, fell short of the votes to newcomers David Mossburg and Shanell Stanley. For District 4, incumbent Mike Jones did not seek reelection, and Steff Kessler led the field of five candidates when the polls closed.
In the District 1 race, Mossburg had a small margin of votes over Thomas, with a 255 to 227 decision. Following last night’s outcome, Mossburg shared the following with County 10.
“My effort was mainly grassroots. I knocked on probably 200 doors… all across District 1, which is mainly the Indian Reservation, and I think everybody that I met was very friendly and professional and nice… only had a couple not nice people. But I think that was what did it; a lot of Wyoming people don’t operate online. There’s a lot of word-of-mouth, and so being able to go out and meet probably half of the people in the district was, I think, the key to winning.”
Thomas shared the following concession and congratulations to Mossburg with County 10.
“I congratulate David Mossburg on his electoral win. From the bottom of my heart, I thank all you. Thank you to all of those who believed in the promise of this campaign, to those who contributed to my campaign thank you very much. Even though it wasn’t the outcome we wanted or worked for, know that there are still ways for us to win a better future.”
Mossburg said the two exchanged pleasant emails when the results were announced.
“He’s been doing it for 10 years, and I wish him well on his next endeavor.”
Following the results of the Primary, Fremont County resident Nicole Wagon shared with County 10 that she will run against Mossburg in the General Election in November as an Independent candidate. County Clerk Julie Freese confirmed that Wagon has met the filing requirements, which state that anyone who has not already been on the ballot for a partisan race in the Primary can run as an Independent in the General, provided the additional requirements are completed.
In District 3, Stanley received 762 votes to 664 for Fabrizius. Ryan Preston received 456 votes.
In the more crowded District 5 race, Kessler was the clear front-runner with 902 votes. J. D. Carper was next in line with 555 votes, followed by Christy Hirasawa Gabel with 356, Jim Taylor with 294, and Jeffrey Young with 238.
Stanley and Kessler were unable to respond to County 10’s requests for comment by publication time, but Kessler shared the following Primary win announcement on her campaign Facebook page:
“Thank you, Fremont County – for showing up to vote! Thank you to all our volunteer election workers and our stellar County Elections office – they deliver! I’m tired after a loooong day yesterday but humbled and grateful for your support!”
Mossberg, Stanley, and Kessler will now join Larry Allen and Jennifer Wilson on the Commission. To hear where they stand on some of the local issues, check out their responses to the recent County 10 Questionnaire.
Barring any issues or recounts, the local unofficial results will be certified tomorrow, August 20, at 1 PM, in the Fremont County Commissioners’ Chambers at the Courthouse, located at 450 N 2nd Street. The public is invited to attend.
For all of County 10’s 2026 Primary Election coverage and forthcoming write-ups, click here.
Editor’s Note: Following the publication of this post, Fremont County resident Nicole Wagon shared with County 10 that she will run against Mossburg in the General Election in November as an Independent candidate, which we verified with the Clerk’s Office. The post has been updated with this information.