JACKSON, Wyo. — John Holtz is one of five Republicans running for Wyoming’s open seat in the U.S. Senate, and the primary election is just one month away.
Holtz was born in Omaha, Nebraska, to a U.S. Air Force family. Years prior, his grandparents had relocated there from Gillette, he told Buckrail. The family lived “all over the world,” according to Holtz, who attended kindergarten in Anchorage when Alaska was still a U.S. territory. After graduating high school in Omaha, he began college at the University of Maryland’s Munich campus while his father was serving as Deputy Inspector General of Security for the Air Force in Wiesbaden, Germany. Holtz graduated from the University of Wyoming and attended law school at St. Mary’s University in San Antonio.
Like his father, he eventually joined the U.S. Air Force, where he held the position of Space Systems Operations Officer. He was also in the Electro Optical and Space Division of the Hughes Aircraft Company. Holtz also served as a judge for many years in Douglas, and he said that he helped establish the Circuit Court system of today and was one of the youngest judges in Wyoming history.
“I was instrumental in placing the carrying of a concealed weapon without a permit for Wyoming residents on the Wyoming Republican platform in 2010,” Holtz wrote to Buckrail in an email. “I am a life member of the NRA.”
Holtz said he is passionate about strengthening America’s defense and reducing the deficit to avoid hyperinflation. He said he would make Social Security payments nontaxable again. He noted that he has international experience and qualifications “unmatched by others.” And he does not want to see Wyoming turn into Disneyland.
“Government is best that governs least,” Holtz said. “I would export our resources to Europe and Israel through the Strait of Gibraltar to broaden our opportunities. Wyoming is an energy treasure trove in an energy short world. Our natural resources should help our friends, not our enemies.”
Holtz joins the Republican field with Harriet Hageman, Jimmy Skovgard, Sam Mead and Jill Edwards. The Democrat ticket holds candidates James Byrd and Billy Benavidez. The primary election takes place on Aug. 18.
