Black Hat Scandal

The Black Hat Scandal is a political scandal in 2022 involving several Republican Party members in the state of Wyoming. It is commonly referred to as "BlackHatgate" or "Wyominggate".

Outline
Several prominent Wyoming Republicans, including Senator Liz Cheney, Auditor Cynthia Cloud, Treasurer Mark Gordon, Speaker of the House Steve Harshman, and Senate Majority Leader Drew Perkins illegally took bribes from a group called "Black Hat", giving several members office positions. The state's other Senator, John Barrasso, accused the five of them of taking illegal campaign donations and an investigation was started, led by Special Council Robert Mueller. Enough evidence was found to accuse the five of bribery, fraud, corruption, and illegal use of campaign donations. Liz Cheney resigned from her Senate seat on March 13, 2023. The five were found guilty of all charges and sentenced to 30 years in prison.

Effects
A Special Election was held in Wyoming during the 2024 elections due to Cheney's resignation. The Special Election, along with the regular election for Barrasso's seat, became unusually competitive due to the effects of the scandal. It also led to an increase in Democratic voters, either from new Democrats moving into the state, or from to Republicans switching parties due to the scandal. It is estimated that due to the scandal, 22% of Wyoming Republicans switched their party and became Democrats.