Wyoming tends to be more conservative than the rest of (the states)," said Dave Metz, the Democratic pollster. "Oil and gas development is happening at a faster clip there than they are in the other states."
Other independent nonpartisan research bolsters this poll’s findings. Headwaters Economics found on average that "Western non-metro counties have a per capita income that is $436 higher for every 10,000 acres of protected federal lands within their boundaries."
"The West is outpacing the rest of the country in terms of jobs and income growth," said Ray Rasker, executive director of Headwaters. "We’ve got an awful lot of open land; we’ve got an enviable way of life. CEOs are telling us they use this as a way to recruit talent."…