James was born and raised in Cheyenne, a 4th generation Wyomingite. He represented District 44 in Wyoming's House of Representatives from 2009-2018, a seat his mother, Harriett E. Byrd (Rhone) held from 1980 until her election to the Wyoming Senate in 1988.
James is a graduate of Cheyenne's Central High School and the University of Wyoming, and has served his community in numerous positions, including volunteering with Head Start, as a youth soccer, baseball, and football coach, the youth programs Learning with Legislators and We the People, planning the Cheyenne Juneteenth Celebration, and as Vice President and then Board Chair of the Southeast Wyoming Economic Development District.
James is a moderate Democrat with fiscally conservative positions, with the exception of education--he believes education is an investment in our future, and our youth need and deserve the best we can provide. He is pro small business, energy development, and offers his full support to the U.S. military and Wyoming Guard branches.
We can begin addressing the state fiscal problem by applying recommendations from the efficiency report, and creating new revenue streams with industries like solar, wind, enhanced coal derivatives and tech data centers, and supporting and expanding our tourism industry.
Wyoming has a constitutional obligation to provide the best possible education to its students. Rather than continuing to slash education budgets, we should be supporting and enhancing the state K-12 and advanced education systems
Wyoming is a place like no other, built on a foundation of equality and individual rights. I'm committed to protecting every citizen's voting rights, and to preserving our way of life by keeping public lands in public hands.