Weld County, Wyoming? Colorado Governor Says ‘Hands Off’

Following Governor Mark Gordon saying he is open to a county in northern Colorado joining Wyoming, Colorado Governor Jared Polis issued a sharp response: Not so fast.

"Hands off Weld County," Polis said in a statement on social media.

Efforts for Weld County, which borders Wyoming's Laramie County, to join the Cowboy State are nothing new. Last year, Weld County Wyoming founder Todd Richards told Townsquare Media of Cheyenne that "Wyoming is what Colorado once was."

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During the Feb. 9, 2020 interview with KGAB's Doug Randall, Richards admitted making his dream is a reality won't be easy and likely will involve getting approval from Colorado, Wyoming and the U.S. Congress. But he said he thinks the rest of Colorado, with its increasingly progressive political orientation, will be ''glad to see us go."

Richards said he and other secession advocates were in the process of deciding how to proceed, and in the meantime are working on educating people about the movement, which he says is rapidly gaining support in Weld County.

Advocates of the move say Colorado leaders have forgotten the needs of rural Coloradans in favor of the metropolitan front range.

And the prolific Denver-Julesburg oilfield extends into Wyoming.

On Monday, Gordon told KOA News Radio he'd "love" for Weld County to secede into Colorado.

"From time to time, states have said, 'Gosh, we like what Wyoming is doing,'" Gordon said. "We'd be happy."

Even if the move were to gain the approval of Weld County Commissioners (it hasn't), both Wyoming and Colorado's legislatures would have to greenlight it along with Congress.

As of Tuesday afternoon, a petition for Weld County to join Wyoming has gathered nearly 9,000 signatures. 

Weld County includes Greeley, which has a population in excess of 100,000 residents.