James Willard Mr. Byrd
Byrd, a former state legislator, sponsored Wyoming’s 2017 resolution discouraging boycotts of Israel at a Jackson rabbi’s request, telling the Casper Star-Tribune it was “primarily about the Jewish nation, the Jewish culture, but it really does extend fundamentally to everything else.” Nothing located since, on any tracked topic.
Byrd is the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in Wyoming, a former state House member (2009-2019).
His one located record item is from 2017: as a state representative he sponsored a non-binding joint resolution discouraging boycott, divestment and sanctions practices against Israel, asking state agencies to weigh whether contractors participate in such boycotts. He introduced it at the request of Rabbi Zalman Mendelsohn of Jackson and told the Casper Star-Tribune, as quoted by the Brandeis Center: "This is primarily about the Jewish nation, the Jewish culture, but it really does extend fundamentally to everything else." The research also rendered him as saying the measure took no stance on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and was meant to oppose discrimination against Jews; those words were not found on any page that opens (the Star-Tribune’s own page sits behind a paywall), so they are described here, not quoted.
Nothing since 2017 was located on any tracked topic: no campaign statement on aid, the conflict, lobbying, or antisemitism. Ask Byrd directly and send us the reply: it goes on this page in his own words.
Research
U.S. military aid and weapons to Israel
- Nothing located at any date.
U.S. aid to Palestinians
- Nothing located at any date.
Characterization of the conflict
- [Position, 2017-01, as quoted] His words to the Casper Star-Tribune on the resolution, verified on the Brandeis Center’s reproduction of the January 2017 report: "This is primarily about the Jewish nation, the Jewish culture, but it really does extend fundamentally to everything else." The research’s further rendering, that the measure took no stance on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, was not found on any page that opens; described, not quoted.
Related rhetoric and lobbying
- [Action, 2017-01] House Joint Resolution 4, the state anti-boycott resolution he sponsored at Rabbi Zalman Mendelsohn’s request, asking agencies to note whether a company boycotts Israel when contracting; the request and the mechanism verified on Israel-Palestine News’s reproduction of the Star-Tribune report (January 31, 2017). His election-guide profile confirms the candidacy.
- No tracked committee support.
Safety and antisemitism
- [Reported, 2017-01] The opposition-to-discrimination framing appears in the Brandeis Center’s account as the resolution’s aim; it is not carried as his words.
Sources retrieved for this card
- Pages the research round retrieved on 2026-08-21 (HTTP 200, naming the candidate) and read into the digest this card was written from; each is listed once, and those already cited above are not repeated.
- [Retrieved 2026-08-21, published 2009-06-07] en.wikipedia.org/James_W._Byrd
- [Retrieved 2026-08-21] ballotpedia.org/United_States_Senate_election_in_Wyoming,_2026
- [Retrieved 2026-08-21] en.wikipedia.org/Matthew_Shepard_and_James_Byrd_Jr._Hate_Crimes_Prevention_Ac
- [Retrieved 2026-08-21, published 2023-10-12] wyofile.com/we-must-continue-to-talk-about-matthew-shepards-murder
- [Retrieved 2026-08-21] ballotpedia.org/James_Byrd
- [Retrieved 2026-08-21] myemail.constantcontact.com/More-Good-News.html
- 1 address did not open to the fetcher (facebook.com); a machine cannot read those carriers, and any that matter are named in the sections above.
Race and status context
- Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate. His Republican opponent’s card carries its own record.
Also in this race: Harriet Hageman (Republican) · All Wyoming candidates.
See the full record →But What Can You Do? tracks where 2026 candidates stand on U.S. weapons and funding for the government of Israel. Every claim on this page goes through at least two verification steps. Open the interactive card for votes, funding and contact details.