John Holtz

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

John Holtz

Republican Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

August 20, 2024

Education

Bachelor's

University of Wyoming, 1972

Law

St. Mary's University, 1977

Military

Service / branch

U.S. Air Force

Years of service

1973 - 1975

Personal

Religion

Christian

John Holtz (Republican Party) ran for election to the U.S. Senate to represent Wyoming. He lost in the Republican primary on August 20, 2024.

Biography

John Holtz served in the United States military from 1973 to 1975. He attended the University of Maryland in Munich, Germany for undergraduate study. He earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Wyoming in 1972. He earned a J.D. from St. Mary's University in 1977. Holtz worked in the electro-optical and space division of the Hughes Aircraft Company, where he worked on developing a new fire control system for the U.S. Army's M60A3 main battle tank. Holtz's other professional experience includes work as an attorney and a judge. He has been affiliated with the Christian Legal Society.

Elections

2024

See also: United States Senate election in Wyoming, 2024

General election

General election for U.S. Senate Wyoming

Incumbent John Barrasso defeated Scott Morrow in the general election for U.S. Senate Wyoming on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		John Barrasso (R)	75.1	198,418
		Scott Morrow (D)	24.1	63,727
		Other/Write-in votes	0.8	2,017

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 264,162
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Wyoming

Scott Morrow advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Wyoming on August 20, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Scott Morrow	98.3	10,088
		Other/Write-in votes	1.7	178

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 10,266
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. Senate Wyoming

Incumbent John Barrasso defeated Reid Rasner and John Holtz in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate Wyoming on August 20, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		John Barrasso	66.8	70,494
		Reid Rasner	24.1	25,427
		John Holtz	7.5	7,868
		Other/Write-in votes	1.7	1,756

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 105,545
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Holtz in this election.

2020

See also: United States Senate election in Wyoming, 2020

United States Senate election in Wyoming, 2020 (August 18 Republican primary)

United States Senate election in Wyoming, 2020 (August 18 Democratic primary)

General election

General election for U.S. Senate Wyoming

Cynthia Lummis defeated Merav Ben-David in the general election for U.S. Senate Wyoming on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Cynthia Lummis (R)	72.8	198,100
		Merav Ben-David (D)	26.8	72,766
		Other/Write-in votes	0.4	1,071

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 271,937
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Wyoming

The following candidates ran in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Wyoming on August 18, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Merav Ben-David	40.3	9,584
		Yana Ludwig	20.7	4,931
		Nathan Wendt	17.7	4,212
		Ken Casner	9.0	2,139
		Rex Wilde	7.9	1,888
		James Kirk DeBrine	3.6	865
		Other/Write-in votes	0.7	173

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 23,792
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Chuck Jagoda (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. Senate Wyoming

The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate Wyoming on August 18, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Cynthia Lummis	59.7	63,511
	Submit photo	Robert Short	12.7	13,473
		Bryan Miller	10.3	10,946
		Donna Rice	5.5	5,881
		R. Mark Armstrong	3.7	3,904
		Joshua Wheeler	3.5	3,763
		John Holtz	1.7	1,820
		Devon Cade	1.0	1,027
	Submit photo	Michael Kemler	0.9	985
	Submit photo	Star Roselli	0.6	627
		Other/Write-in votes	0.5	501

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 106,438
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Rolland Holthus (R)
• Patrick Dotson (R)

2018

See also: United States Senate election in Wyoming, 2018

General election

General election for U.S. Senate Wyoming

Incumbent John Barrasso defeated Gary Trauner and Joe Porambo in the general election for U.S. Senate Wyoming on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		John Barrasso (R)	67.0	136,210
		Gary Trauner (D)	30.1	61,227
		Joe Porambo (L)	2.8	5,658
		Other/Write-in votes	0.2	325

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 203,420
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Wyoming

Gary Trauner advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Wyoming on August 21, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Gary Trauner	100.0	17,562

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 17,562
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. Senate Wyoming

The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate Wyoming on August 21, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		John Barrasso	65.0	74,292
		David Dodson	28.6	32,647
		John Holtz	2.6	2,981
		Charlie Hardy	1.9	2,184
		Roque De La Fuente	1.1	1,280
	Submit photo	Anthony Van Risseghem	0.7	844

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 114,228
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

John Holtz did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.

Questionnaire with WyoFile

Holtz highlighted the following themes in an questionnaire with WyoFile. The questions from WyoFile are bolded and Holtz's responses follow below.

“

How as a federal lawmaker would you address the biggest challenges and opportunities facing Wyoming today? What legislation is needed to address them? Government is best that governs least. I will strengthen America's defense and reduce the deficit. I would make Social Security non-taxable once again. I would export our resources to Europe and Israel through the Straits 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. Nearly half of the land in Wyoming is managed by the federal government. How as a member of Congress do you plan to ensure that land is managed in the best interest of the people of Wyoming? We must follow the Constitution. I would introduce novel concepts, coupled with the courage to do what it takes to solve the problems of America today. I am willing to risk my career to do the right thing. More and more will result in less and less. We must have the courage to stop hyperinflation. Wyoming has wrestled for years with issues of housing, health care, education and economic development. What do you believe the state's role should be in supporting the well-being of Wyoming citizens and their families? Minimal. How willing are you to compromise with legislators and other officials with different perspectives? Somewhat. How does immigration affect Wyoming and how can Congress improve immigration policy for the benefit of Wyoming citizens? We must secure the border. Would you support federal legislation that either restricts abortions or guarantees access on a national basis? What about contraceptives? Restrict abortion. How do you balance the often competing demands of wildlife and open spaces versus energy, industrial and real estate development? Carefully.

”

2020

John Holtz completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Holtz's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am an Eagle Scout and a member of the Christian Legal Society since law school. I obtained the first double-digit firm fixed-price contract in the history of the Hughes Aircraft Company; and I was the head of the team to redesign the fire control system; consisting of the laser range finder, ballistic computer and thermal imaging system of the Army's main battle tank, the M60A3. I was in the Electro Optical and Space Division of the Hughes Aircraft Company. When I was at Hughes, they would tease me about the horse on my Wyoming license plates.

My grandmother met my grandfather in Gillette in 1919 and her brothers had the livery stable. I was one of the youngest judges in Wyoming history and helped establish the Circuit Court system of today. I was president of my college fraternity and the president of the Alumni Association of the Delta Gamma chapter of the Kappa Sigma Fraternity at the University of Wyoming from 1988 to 1992. I was instrumental in placing the carrying of concealed weapon without a permit for Wyoming residents on the Wyoming Republican platform in 2010. I am a life member of the NRA. I still drive the car I had as a judge in 1992, it has over 600,000 miles on the original engine and transmission.

I was class president at Clark Air Base in the Philippines, where the Japanese first developed kamikaze tactics as a mass weapon of war. I was on the Bataan Death March 20th anniversary march with three of the original survivors.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Government is best that governs least. I will strengthen America's defense and reduce the deficit. I would make Social Security non-taxable once again.
• I will strengthen America's defense and reduce the deficit and uphold the Constitution of the United States of America.
• More of the same will result in less and less.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I was a Space Systems Operations Officer in the United States Air Force. I am passionate about strengthening America's defense and reducing the deficit before we experience hyperinflation.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

Abraham Lincoln. He had the courage to act in a crisis.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

The Bible.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Honesty.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

Most people break down during a crisis, my skills improve.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

The courage to employ a gyroscopic analysis.

What legacy would you like to leave?

A strong defense and no deficit.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

The Bataan Death March 20th anniversary march. There were still bullet holes on the trail. I was 12 years old in 1962.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

A summer job at the Golden Spike drive-in in Omaha.

What is your favorite book? Why?

The Bible.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

None.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

None.

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

No.

What do you perceive to be the United States’ greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade?

Defense and the deficit.

What qualities does the U.S. Senate possess that makes it unique as an institution?

100 members.

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for senators to have previous experience in government or politics?

Yes, I do.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Campaign finance summary

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Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

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John Holtz campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2024*	U.S. Senate Wyoming	Lost primary	$0	N/A**
2020	U.S. Senate Wyoming	Lost primary	$0	N/A**
2018	U.S. Senate Wyoming	Lost primary	$0	N/A**
Grand total			$0	N/A**
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* Data from this year may not be complete
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

See also

2024 Elections

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External links

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Footnotes

[show]

Wyoming's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

John Barrasso (R)

Cynthia Lummis (R)

Representatives

Harriet Hageman (R)

Republican Party (3)