Marshall A. Burt (born May 6, 1976) is an American politician who served in the

Wyoming House of Representatives The Wyoming House of Representatives is the lower house of the Wyoming State Legislature. There are 60 Representatives in the House, representing an equal number of single-member constituent districts across the state, each with a population of ...

. A member of the

Libertarian Party Active parties by country Defunct parties by country Organizations associated with Libertarian parties See also * Liberal parties by country * List of libertarian organizations * Lists of political parties Lists of political part ...

, Burt represented the 39th district from 2021 to 2023. Burt is the first Libertarian candidate to be elected to a state legislature since Steve Vaillancourt in 2000, and the first

third-party Third party may refer to: Business * Third-party source, a supplier company not owned by the buyer or seller * Third-party beneficiary, a person who could sue on a contract, despite not being an active party * Third-party insurance, such as a Ve ...

candidate elected to the

Wyoming Legislature The Wyoming State Legislature is the legislative branch of the U.S. State of Wyoming. It is a bicameral state legislature, consisting of a 60-member Wyoming House of Representatives, and a 30-member Wyoming Senate. The legislature meets at th ...

in over 100 years. Burt was defeated by Republican Cody Wylie in the 2022 Wyoming House of Representatives election.

Early life and career

Burt was born in Rochester, Minnesota. He is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, having served nine years in

Okinawa, Japan is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi). Naha is the capital and largest city ...

, and in the

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. He is employed by the

Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad , legally Union Pacific Railroad Company and often called simply Union Pacific, is a freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Paci ...

as a track inspector.

Wyoming House of Representatives

Elections

2020

In the 2020 Wyoming House of Representatives election, Burt was one of six Wyoming Libertarian candidates running in competitive districts. Burt ran in the 39th district. In a two-way race, Burt defeated his Democratic opponent, longtime incumbent

Stan Blake Stan Blake (born November 8, 1954) is an American railroad conductor and politician, and a former Wyoming state legislator. A member of the Democratic Party, Blake represented the 39th district in the Wyoming House of Representatives from 2007 ...

, receiving 53.6% of the vote to Blake's 44.9%.

2022

Burt ran for re-election in the 2022 Wyoming House of Representatives election against Republican Cody Wylie. Burt was defeated by Wylie, receiving 25% of the vote to Wylie's 75%.

Tenure

In March 2021, Burt alongside a

bipartisan Bipartisanship, sometimes referred to as nonpartisanship, is a political situation, usually in the context of a two-party system (especially those of the United States and some other western countries), in which opposing political parties find co ...

group of house members, co–sponsored legislation that legalizes the sale, purchase, possession, and cultivation of cannabis, for any Wyoming citizen over the age of twenty–one. The bill missed its deadline to be considered by the house after a committee voted to approve it, so it died on the house floor. A bill identical to the March 2021 bill that would legalize cannabis was reintroduced in February 2022. Burt, once again, alongside a bipartisan group of house members, co–sponsored this legislation. On February 16, 2022,

Speaker Speaker may refer to: Society and politics * Speaker (politics), the presiding officer in a legislative assembly * Public speaker, one who gives a speech or lecture * A person producing speech: the producer of a given utterance, especially: ** I ...

Eric Barlow recognized the Libertarian Party as a minority party in the House, and Burt became the chairman of the Libertarian caucus.

Committee assignments

* Wyoming House Committee on Transportation, Highways and Military Affairs ** Joint Subcommittee on Interstate Compact on Students of Military Families *Wyoming House Committee on Corporations, Elections & Political Subdivisions

Political positions

Gun policy

Burt is a gun-rights supporter and opposes expanding gun control regulations. He opposes all gun registration and instant background checks, and calls for "no permit or residency required for either open or concealed carry n the state of Wyoming"

Healthcare

Burt opposes federal and state

vaccine mandates A vaccination policy is a health policy adopted in order to prevent the spread of infectious disease. These policies are generally put into place by State or local governments, but may also be set by private facilities, such as workplaces or s ...

, calling them "

unconstitutional Constitutionality is said to be the condition of acting in accordance with an applicable constitution; "Webster On Line" the status of a law, a procedure, or an act's accordance with the laws or set forth in the applicable constitution. When l ...

Personal life

Burt lives in

Green River, Wyoming Green River is a city in and the county seat of Sweetwater County, Wyoming, United States, in the southwestern part of the state. The population was 12,515 at the 2010 census. History The townsite of Green River, Dakota Territory was platted ...

, with his wife, Theresa Burt and his two children. He is a

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Cathol ...

. Burt has a tattoo on his left forearm associated with the

Three Percenters The Three Percenters, also styled 3 Percenters, 3%ers and III%ers, are an American and Canadian far-right anti-government militia. The group advocates gun ownership rights and resistance to the U.S. federal government. The group's name d ...

, an anti-government and far-right

militia movement The American militia movement is a term used by law enforcement and security analysts to refer to a number of private organizations that include paramilitary or similar elements. These groups may refer to themselves as militia, unorganized milit ...

. Burt denied association with the organization, responding that he "got the tattoo because the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revoluti ...

symbolism appealed to me, and to me it represents my solid commitment to the Second and Tenth Amendment."

Electoral history

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Burt, Marshall 1976 births Living people 21st-century American politicians Members of the Wyoming House of Representatives Military personnel from Minnesota People from Green River, Wyoming People from Pine Island, Minnesota Wyoming Libertarians Libertarian Party (United States) officeholders