LUSK – U.S. Senate hopeful Reid Rasner appeared at the Thursday night meeting of the Niobrara County GOP (Grand Old Party). A fourth generation Wyomingite, Rasner is seeking to unseat physician and U.S. Senator John Barrasso. Barrasso has held the Wyoming Senate seat since 2007. Rasner took some time to speak with the Herald, laying out an agenda that he says distinguishes him from his opponent.

“I actually have a plan to balance the budget,” Rasner told the Herald. “I have a true immigration reform plan, something that Barrasso has been unable to accomplish. John has never balance the budget. In fact, he has voted for every omnibus, cromnibus, and continuing resolutions since he was elected 20 years ago. He hasn’t even attempted to balance the budget.”

Rasner is a graduate of Natrona County High School. He went on to the University of Wyoming where he earned a B.A. in English literature with minors in history and theatre. In the professional world, Rasner established himself as a wealth manager with the founding his company, Omnivest Financial. While working as a financial advisor, Rasner was encouraged by people to step into politics. According to Rasner, his initial response was reluctance. Rasner’s hesitation, however, eventually wore off and he embarked on a Senatorial run.

“I am a financial advisor by trade,” Rasner said. “I have around 300 clients and they just kept asking me for two years to run. I kept telling them, ‘No, I don’t want to. I’m better behind the scenes.’ Finally they talked me into it and I started running. I announced my run on August 15 and it has turned into a movement across the state. My poll numbers are doing very good and the movement is growing exponentially.”

Rasner is among a growing number of politicians and political candidates who feel illegal immigration is one of the most significant issues currently facing the nation. Illegal immigration, says Rasner, has been accompanied by a number of pernicious criminal activities, including the sale of narcotics and the exploitation of women and children. Rasner told the Herald Wyoming is not immune to crime that is a result of a porous southern border. He bases that assertion on conversations he has had with a number of Wyoming law enforcement officials. For Rasner, crime associated with illegal immigration will not abate in Wyoming specifically and the nation in general until changes are made at the nation’s border.

“We got to secure the border,” Rasner said. “It’s affecting Wyoming today. When I talk to law enforcement in Wyoming, they tell me the cartel is established right here. Fentanyl is coming through Wyoming. The cartel is also sex trafficking women and children through Wyoming. We are being ignored by our leadership right now.”

Rasner is calling for mass deportation of people who are illegally residing in the country. That move, however, is not enough for the Senate candidate. According to Rasner, reform to the current immigration system is desperately needed. Rasner envisions a vetting system that prevents criminal elements from entering the country while permitting law-abiding people to gain citizenship.

“We don’t want the criminals and the cartel here,” Rasner said. “We want the best of the best and the brightest here to push the country.”

Energy independence and industrial growth have also found a place on Rasner’s platform. The Senate candidate sees Wyoming’s energy sector and industry as a key to the state’s prosperity. In Rasner’s view, however, the energy sector is being held back by a plethora of regulations and restrictions pouring out of the federal government. Rasner offers up a rollback of regulations and a shrinking of the federal government as way of growing Wyoming’s industrial and energy sectors.

“We are going to get energy back on track, especially for Wyoming,” Rasner explained. “We’re going to get American energy and manufacturing producing again. We’re going to start creating manufacturing in this country like you’ve never seen before. We are going to cut regulations and large factions of the federal government out.”

Rasner encourages Wyoming residents to find out more about him and his platform. Interested people can obtain more information by visitng Rasner’s website at www.ReidRasner.com.