Wyoming Republicans Head Into Four-Way Primary for Governor

CHEYENNE, Wyo. — Wyoming Republicans will choose among four candidates for governor Tuesday in a closely watched primary that is likely to determine who succeeds Gov. Mark Gordon.

State Sen. Eric Barlow, Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder, retired Marine Col. Brent Bien and businessman Curt Blake are competing for the Republican nomination in the Aug. 18 primary.

With Wyoming’s overwhelming Republican advantage, the winner will enter the November general election as the heavy favorite. Democrats haven’t won a statewide election in Wyoming since 2006.

The race has developed into a contest between different factions of Wyoming’s Republican Party, with the candidates competing over taxes, public lands, education, energy development, abortion and the direction of state government.

Barlow enters the final days of the campaign with the strongest publicly released polling.

An internal Pulse Decision Science poll commissioned by Barlow’s campaign showed him with 42% support among likely Republican primary voters. Degenfelder received 19%, Bien 14% and 22% remained undecided.

The poll gives Barlow a substantial lead, though the results come from his own campaign rather than an independent survey.

Barlow, a veterinarian and rancher, has served in the Wyoming Legislature since 2013 and previously served as speaker of the state House. He currently represents Senate District 23 and has made protecting public lands a central part of his campaign.

Degenfelder, meanwhile, has one of the most valuable endorsements available in a Wyoming Republican primary: President Donald Trump.

Trump endorsed Degenfelder before she formally entered the race and has continued to promote her candidacy. Degenfelder was elected state superintendent in 2022 and has built her political profile around education, parental rights and conservative social policies.

Bien is running with the backing of the Wyoming Republican Party’s leadership.

The retired Marine colonel also ran for governor in 2022, finishing second to Gordon in the Republican primary. This time, Bien has emphasized property-tax relief, limited government and conservative changes to state policy.

His endorsement by the Wyoming Republican Party has drawn particular attention because state party leaders traditionally haven’t endorsed one Republican over another in contested statewide primaries.

The competing endorsements have created an unusual dynamic: Trump is backing Degenfelder while Wyoming Republican Party leaders are backing Bien.

Barlow, meanwhile, is trying to turn his years in the Legislature and support for maintaining public access to federal lands into an advantage with voters.

Blake offers the most unconventional candidacy of the four. A political newcomer and firearms dealer, he has described himself as a different kind of Republican and has broken with his opponents on several issues. Most notably, he is the only Republican candidate in the race who opposes abortion bans.

The size of the field could prove decisive.

Wyoming doesn’t require a runoff if no candidate receives a majority. Whoever receives the most votes Tuesday wins the Republican nomination, raising the possibility that the state’s next governor could effectively be selected with considerably less than 50% of the Republican primary vote.

That wouldn’t be unprecedented. Wyoming’s previous two open-seat Republican gubernatorial primaries were also won with less than a majority.

The Democratic side offers considerably less suspense. Kenneth Casner is running unopposed for the Democratic nomination and is expected to advance to the general election. Constitution Party candidate Rebecca Bextel is also expected to appear on the November ballot.

But Wyoming’s political history gives Republicans a substantial advantage regardless of who emerges Tuesday.

The state has become one of the most reliably Republican in the country, with the GOP controlling every statewide elected office, the congressional delegation and overwhelming majorities in both chambers of the Legislature.

That makes the four-way Republican primary the central contest in the race to succeed Gordon — and puts the focus Tuesday on whether Barlow’s polling lead holds, Trump’s endorsement can propel Degenfelder to the nomination, or Bien can translate support from the state Republican Party into votes.

By: Montana Newsroom wire