The results of the 2026 Primary Election are in, and Bill Bryant has earned a place in the General Election for Cheyenne City Council, Ward III.
For a first-time candidate entering a race against a well-established incumbent, the result deserves to be put into perspective.
The primary results:
• Ken Esquibel — 1,525 votes | 42.29%
• Bill Bryant — 972 votes | 26.96%
• Matthew Hurt — 632 votes | 17.53%
• Joshua Christopherson — 440 votes | 12.20%
Bill finished a clear second in a four-candidate field, securing his place on November’s ballot.
But perhaps the most important number is this:57.71% of the votes cast went to someone other than the incumbent.
That matters.
Ken Esquibel is not a newcomer to public office. He has represented Ward III on Cheyenne City Council since 2019 and previously served in the Wyoming Legislature.
Bill entered this election without that political history or the advantages of incumbency.
Yet on his first attempt at elected office, 972 Ward III voters put their confidence in him.
For some additional context, when Councilman Esquibel was last elected in the 2022 General Election, he received 58.87% of the vote, defeating Joe Shogrin, who received 40.13%.
In Tuesday’s four-way primary, Esquibel’s share was 42.29% — 16.58 percentage points below his share in the 2022 General Election.
The two elections are different — a four-way primary cannot be directly compared with a two-candidate general election — but the numbers nevertheless tell us something important:
Ward III is competitive.
And voters have made Bill Bryant the candidate who will challenge the incumbent in November.
Bill received 26.96% of the primary vote, equivalent to almost 64 votes for every 100 received by the incumbent, despite entering the campaign with substantially less political name recognition.
There were also 1,072 votes cast for Matthew Hurt and Joshua Christopherson combined.
Bill currently sits 553 votes behind the incumbent.
That means the General Election is not a ceremonial continuation of the primary.
It is a genuine contest.
The primary narrowed four candidates down to two.
Ken Esquibel vs. Bill Bryant.
To everyone who voted for Bill, spoke with him, shared his campaign, displayed a sign, encouraged a neighbour to learn more, or simply gave a first-time candidate the opportunity to be heard:
Thank you.
This result belongs to you as much as it does to Bill.
We are proud of what has been achieved, but we also know exactly what this result means.
There is more work to do.
Between now and November, Bill will continue meeting residents, listening to the concerns of Ward III and making his case for why he believes he can bring effective, practical representation to Cheyenne City Council.
972 votes got us through the primary.
Now the campaign begins again — with two names on the ballot and every vote to play for.
Bill Bryant for Cheyenne City Council — Ward III.
📰 Read the full Cap City News report:
https://capcity.news/community/elections/2026/08/18/2026-primary-election-incumbent-esquibel-bryant-top-crowded-cheyenne-city-council-ward-iii-race/