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For the first time, all of the billboards in Times Square were shut off and then lit up with the true meaning of Christmas: The birth of Jesus Christ

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Cowboy State Daily is Wyoming’s largest newspaper with Wyoming’s most experienced journalists. 

<title>You Still Here? Bonus: Christmas Edition | Cowboy State Daily</title>

You Still Here? Bonus: Christmas Edition

 For the first time, all of the billboards in Times Square were shut off and then lit up with the true meaning of Christmas: The birth of Jesus Christ

Headshot of Cowboy State Daily's managing editor, Greg Johnson.

Greg Johnson

Wyoming Life

Around Wyoming

RAWLINS — Six weeks ago, Carbon County Sheriff’s Sgt. Zach Burns was fighting for his life in the dirt parking lot of a Baggs apartment building after 

 from a gunman who later died in a shootout with law enforcement.

Wednesday, he was discharged from a Colorado hospital and got a hero’s welcome as he was escorted roughly 230 miles home by a long procession of law enforcement representing agencies across two states.

 streets through downtown Rawlins were lined with pockets of people who paused their workdays to wave and yell as Burns was driven by with a loud chorus of sirens following.

“That doesn’t surprise me at all,” said local resident Deanna Deffenbaugh about the turnout. “We take care of our own around here.

“Anytime an officer has gotten hurt in the line of duty — even his family — we get the community involved to step up and help take care of them.”

Deffenbaugh said she doesn’t know the Burns family personally, “but that doesn’t matter. If they’re willing to put their lives at risk for us, we need to take care of them.”

Maybe Deffenbaugh doesn’t know Burns, his wife and two young children, but the folks at the Carbon County Courthouse do. He’s their courtroom bailiff, said Jo Rieger, who had staked out a small patch of shade along 3

“Woo-hoo. He’s coming home!” she shouted. “This is cool and very inspiring. He deserves it. He deserves the biggest hero’s welcome ever.”

For Micah Johnson, who also works with Burns at the courthouse, Wednesday was 

, when Burns took bullets in the neck, arm and hip.

“You fear the worst when you first hear about that, you know?” he said. “I think a lot of us were just waiting to hear any kind of piece of news, right? Then I saw the post that he’s coming home today.”

He was referring to a Facebook post Sheriff Alex Bakken made earlier Wednesday telling people that Burns had been discharged from a Colorado hospital and was on his way home.

At 3:31 p.m., the small groups stationed at street corners and in front of the Carbon Building on the corner of 3

 and Pine streets began to cheer as they heard the sirens blaring louder, along with a medical helicopter circling the procession.

“There he is. I see him,” said a woman in the crowd as a Carbon County Sheriff’s Office truck slowly passed.

Sergeant Burns was sitting in the passenger side with the window rolled down and enthusiastically waving to those who gathered for him.

His beaming smile got just a little bit bigger when he saw a giant red, white and blue “Welcome Home Zach” banner.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"‘We’re All Family’"}]

About an hour earlier, Valeta Rogabaugh was anxious for the procession to get to Rawlins.

The longtime dispatch supervisor for the Rawlins Police Department walked into the bullpen at the department with tears in her eyes.

She had just heard a county dispatch bulletin that Burns and the procession had “come home” and had just passed into Carbon County on westbound Interstate 80.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” she said when Chief Michael Ward asked how she was holding up. “It’s just emotional. They even talked to (Burns’ wife) and told her welcome home too.”

Although Burns works for the county sheriff’s office, there are deep connections with the Rawlins PD and other agencies, she said.

“We’re all a team and we’re all family,” Rogabaugh said, adding that Burns’ wife also is a dispatcher for the sheriff’s office.

There are no lines between agencies, said Rawlins Police Sgt. Thom Gamblin, adding that he’s good friends with Burns.

“This isn’t just a guy in uniform coming home, he’s a guy who works and lives here. I’m saying that this is a community, this is home, and it isn’t just his workplace,” Gamblin said.

“This isn’t just his work office, it’s people who love him,” he continued. “These are the people who care for him. It’s the people he meets every day when he serves.”

There’s a reason close to 100 officers from multiple jurisdictions around Wyoming and Colorado responded to Baggs that afternoon when the bulletin went out about an officer down and a gunman was on the run, Gamblin said.

“This is personal,” he said. “He did his job and nearly lost his life over it. He didn’t — thankfully — and now he’s back here where we can protect him.”

Without the quick action of a pair of Baggs residents who 

, he likely would have died, said Chief Ward. Wednesday’s procession was for them as well.

[{"type":"text","text":"“They’re heroes, too,” he told Cowboy State Daily."}]

“It’s a miracle that he’s still with us,” Ward added. “All of us are grateful for that, every minute of every day. His daughter still has a father. His wife still has a husband. He’s still with all of us.

“We could not be more relieved, grateful and excited he’s coming home today.”

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Stopped ‘Large-Scale Act’"}]

The scope of the potential carnage Burns may have prevented unfolded in the days following, Carbon County Sheriff Alex Bakken has said.

That includes Burns interrupting the suspect carrying out what appeared to be a devastating plan, the sheriff said

The man had a stockpile of semiautomatic weapon ammunition in his Baggs apartment and was likely planning a "large-scale act," Bakken reported June 17.

Burns was in the area June 8 when dispatchers relayed information about a suspect in an active shooting incident. Burns located the suspect driving in town and conducted a traffic stop at his apartment, the CCSO has reported.

“Upon coming to a stop, the suspect immediately exited his vehicle and opened fire on Sergeant Burns with a semiautomatic rifle,” Bakken said in the report.

The suspect — who so far has not been publicly identified — then 

The suspect tried to start his apartment complex on fire with numerous propane tanks inside, then sped away in his car again, according to the CCSO.

He was eventually killed in a shootout with law enforcement after crashing his car north of town off state Highway 789.

“Thanks to his bravery, (Burns) saved the lives of countless first responders and community members,” Bakken says in the report. “The gunman had stockpiled hundreds of AR-15 magazines in his apartment and, by all appearances, had been prepared to initiate a large-scale act of violence.”

At the Hilltop Conoco station along Cedar Avenue, Paige Garwood and Heather Stalinski were working Wednesday afternoon, handling a steady stream of locals and visitors driving through just off I-80.

They both said they were excited to learn that the long procession of emergency responders for Burns would go past their station.

Neither knows Burns or his family, but both said that Rawlins is a small town, and when one person is in trouble, everyone knows and responds.

“I’ve been reading about him and heard what happened to him. He’s a hero,” said Stalinski. “That he’s coming home is really good, and great for his family, his wife.

“I think he was really brave for what he did. He’s a brave, brave man. I think she should get a lot of (accolades). Would I call him a hero? Absolutely.”

Garwood said that Burns getting out of the hospital and getting back to Rawlins is a great boost for the whole town.

“I think it’s great that he’s coming home, because he almost died because of that idiot,” she said. “He deserves it.”

For Chief Ward and other law enforcement officers, the risk is always there, he said. While running toward danger while others run from it is what they sign up for, the hope is that they won’t have to.

“He took an oath to protect our community, and he almost gave his life doing so,” Ward said about Burns. “On the scale of heroism, that’s pretty far up there.”

Sgt Burns Home 1

<title>Hero’s Welcome In Rawlins: Deputy Nearly Killed In Baggs Shootout Comes Home | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Sgt. Zach Burns — shot three times by a gunman in Baggs last month — got a hero’s welcome in Rawlins after a 230-mile escort from a Colorado hospital Wednesday. “On the scale of heroism, that’s pretty far up there,” said the Rawlins police chief.

Hero’s Welcome In Rawlins: Deputy Nearly Killed In Baggs Shootout Comes Home

Headshot of Cowboy State Daily's business and tourism reporter, Renée Jean

Renée Jean

Cheyenne Frontier Days' new “skybox” experience might be two or three stories above the rodeo action, but somehow that action feels closer than ever.

It’s a curious paradox, hard to explain until you’ve seen it yourself.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Maybe it’s the view."}]

It’s full-on. It’s literally over the top. Your eyes stretch from one end of Cheyenne’s historic outdoor arena — the largest outdoor rodeo arena in the world — to the other end, with no obstructions. 

Stand or sit wherever you want. It doesn’t matter. The view will still feel as if you’re a king or a queen, looking down on creation. Fix your gaze anywhere you like.

Or maybe it’s the sound, wired straight into the box and wrapping itself around spectators. 

It’s immersive — pounding hooves, foot-stomping music, the cheering crowd. 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Like some kind of rodeo dream."}]

The announcer’s voice rolls over it all like thunder.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Long Overdue Leap"}]

Cheyenne Frontier Days has been delivering world-class rodeo competition since 1897, drawing elite cowboys and top-tier musicians to the “Daddy of 'em All.” 

Until now, however, the venue has lacked a true, modern skybox experience. While the grounds previously offered limited, basic, upper-level VIP areas, the new complex marks a much bigger leap into premium hospitality. 

CFD CEO Tom Hirsig has told Cowboy State Daily the $8 million multi-level facility was a long-overdue necessity. 

What CFD had previously was essentially a weathered wooden box above the ropes that Hirsig said had “far outlived its life expectancy.”

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Fixing it would be a huge challenge. "}]

But it also presented an opportunity — one that could support the rodeo’s future.

“One of the things we recognized is the need for VIP experiences,” Hirsig said. “Those are the fastest things that go, if there’s some sort of VIP area.”

A VIP area done right not only supports itself, it also helps chip away at deferred maintenance, he said. 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"From Sliders To Shade"}]

 VIP experiences had room for roughly 25 sponsors, as well as a rooftop area that could accommodate about 70 people.

Now there’s room for about 450 in a mix of VIP boxes that are perfect for parties of around 30, along with individual seats that cost $125 each for those who aren’t part of a large group.

The private VIP box suites all come pre-stocked with snacks and drinks. Guests can also order a range of catered items. 

On Tuesday afternoon, the skybox occupied by Nate Janousek and his family felt as if a family living room had been dropped over Chute 9. The children leaned against the rail to watch broncs explode from the chutes, while parents huddled over drinks and plates piled with brisket sliders, wings, and corn dogs. 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"There were smiles all around."}]

“This was all really good,” Janousek told Cowboy State Daily. “There’s tons of catering options, and everything we’ve had has been terrific.”

Janousek, who provides concessions at CFD, comes to the rodeo every year, but Tuesday was family day for him, so he decided to do something special. 

“The view above Chute 9 is incredible for the steer roping events and the steer wrestling,” he said. “And then just the ability to have so many spaces for the seating and the televisions, and places for food and drink and stuff like that.”

The light breeze constantly blowing in felt like air conditioning, he added.

“You’re not getting blasted by the sun,” he said. “It’s really terrific. I think it’s going to be harder and harder to get these as people find out.”

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"'This Is Just Fantastic'"}]

From their skybox perch, Jennifer Gray and her travel buddy, Brian Hayes, could see straight down into Chute 9. 

That was just perfect for Gray, who was videotaping each steer, hoping to catch a cowboy wrestling one to the ground. 

The previous day, she and Hayes had squinted into the sun from the grandstands, craning around hats and flags to catch the Military Monday displays. Gray’s son was to have been part of a parachute jump that ultimately was canceled. 

“This is just fantastic,” Hayes said. “The view, to be able to see the action, especially right down in here, it’s just amazing.

“We sat over there yesterday,” he added, gesturing toward the left-hand stands. “And this is like a whole different experience.”

For former roughstock rider Chris Hall, the skybox is as close as he can get to an arena these days. Hall did “that stuff” as a teenager, he said, nodding toward a bucking bronc throwing a rider to the dirt about two seconds into his ride. 

“I’m all broken, so I can’t do any of this stuff anymore,” he said. “But I love watching it.”

He watched a string of riders “tossed one right after the other,” calling it “crazy” and grinning like he’d just been down in the chutes himself. 

Drinks and snacks were just a few steps away, he added, and there were no lines, making a drink run feel seamless and smooth. 

Skip and Taryn Schuman, CFD regulars from Fort Collins, Colorado, felt the same about the skybox versus just about any other place they’ve tried at CFD, from the Wrangler box to the grandstand benches. 

“That was fun, but this is so much better,” Skip told Cowboy State Daily. “It’s classier.”

“And there’s an elevator for the old folks,” his wife added with a chuckle. “Before the stairs were real steep. It’s so nice and cool up here. The seats are comfortable.”

“There’s food and drinks,” her husband continued. “You’ve got everything here. Check, check and check.”

For all its new polish, the skybox doesn’t change the essence of Cheyenne Frontier Days. It’s still the same old rodeo it’s always been. But now there are softer seats and party rooms — with a commanding view, one that will make spectators feel like royalty at the rodeo. 

CFD Sky Box 20260721 153424 7 22 26

<title>Cheyenne Frontier Days' New Skybox Delivers Luxury — And An Over The Top View | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Soft seats, catered food, and a commanding view — Cheyenne Frontier Days’ premium skybox experience already has fans. “The view above Chute 9 is incredible,” one said. “I think it’s going to be harder and harder to get these as people find out.”

Cheyenne Frontier Days' New Skybox Delivers Luxury — And An Over The Top View

Mac Watson

Daily Video News

It’s time to take a look at what’s happening around Wyoming for Wednesday, July 22nd.  I’m Reece Cowan, filling in for Mac Watson

This newscast is brought to you by the Wyoming State Fair. Wrap up your summer at the Wyoming State Fair, August 11th through the 15th in Douglas!

Rodeo, Demolition Derby, live music, entertainment and fair food await. Learn more at W-Y State Fair dot com. See you at the fair! This ad was paid for by Converse County Tourism.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"–"}]

State Sen. Eric Barlow released poll results Tuesday showing him with a sizable lead over other Republican candidates in the race for Wyoming governor. Cowboy State Daily’s Clair McFarland reports the polling showed him at 42% support, followed by Degenfelder at 19% and Bien at 14% — with 22% undecided.

“This is internal campaign polling, so it's not done by a neutral third party. It's permissioned by a candidate, and the candidate can be involved in the process. So, with that in mind, Degenfelder and Bien's campaigns both cast significant doubt on it. Bien's campaign associate associate Cheryl Aggie are saying, 'Yeah, we're doing our own thing.' And there's speculation. Will Degenfelder and Bien split a conservative vote? How will Barlow do it? Picking up moderates and conservatives? So there's a lot of speculation around that trio effect. So for Barlow to release poll figures, showing him at more than the other two candidates combined, it is noteworthy, though his opponents are saying 'this is internal polling, so don't forget that.'”

Curt Blake tells Cowboy State Daily “I think a poll can say whatever you want it to say. With that being said, it wouldn’t surprise me if Eric is in the lead. He’s a damn good guy.”

A 14-year-old ranch kid from Big Timber, Montana, had a rope in his hand when cries for help erupted from the Yellowstone River. Cowboy State Daily’s Kolby Fedore reports he sprinted into the water, threw one loop and caught a struggling man around the arm and neck, pulling him safely to shore.

“14-year-old Jory Thompson was visiting his grandparents along the Yellowstone River in Big Timber, Montana, when he heard cries for help coming from the river. Three people had fallen in after their boat struck a rock. Two of the people were able to swim to shore safely. A third man was clinging to a cooler when Thompson waded into the water, rope in hand. He was able to lasso the man and pull him to shore. A search and rescue sergeant said that without a doubt, he would not have made it had Thompson not been able to act quickly.”

The Thomas family lives on a ranch about a dozen miles outside Big Timber, directly across from a campground where Jory's grandparents had been staying for the week. To his family, the rescue wasn't entirely surprising. Jase Thomas said his son has always been the first person to help someone else.

Dr. Eric Cubin whom Gov. Gordon sought to remove from the Wyoming Board of Medicine for advocating a ban on child sex changes has won his appeal – halfway. Cowboy State Daily’s Clair McFarland reports that a Tuesday ruling sent the case back to federal court, reviving First Amendment claims against Gordon.

“He had lobbied in favor of a bill to ban child sex change treatments across the medical spectrum, including surgeries, including puberty blockers, and he had also emailed lawmakers saying that a medical private association that was lobbying in favor of the bill had gone woke, had been taken over by leftist interests. And so when Gordon pushed him off the board, the governor was saying, 'Look, the doctors that you are governing, adjudicating, have to know that you're not biased and you're out here saying these things.' So Cuban sued, alleging the governor had violated his First Amendment rights.”

Though Cubin showed a strong enough case for retaliation to revive his official-capacity claims, he didn’t prove that Gordon was violating a clearly-established right, the appeals court ruled. 

A Jackson man is accused of blasting another driver twice with bear spray during a Sunday road rage showdown, leaving the victim struggling to breathe. Cowboy State Daily’s Kolby Fedore reports he admitted using bear spray on the other driver, but told police it was self-defense.

“Investigators say that 30-nine-year-old Leonard Dominguez on Sunday admitted to spraying another motorist on the road with bear spray, not once but twice. Both drivers said that one person cut the other person off. They ended up pulled over on the side of the road, and when the man approached Dominguez's driver's side window, Dominguez sprayed him with bear spray. The man kind of stumbled back to his car, and that’s when Dominguez sprayed him again. He made a first appearance in court on Monday, and he was charged with felony assault.”

The investigating officer wrote that bear spray is intended to stop bears — not people — and can cause severe eye injuries, swelling, airway constriction and potentially life-threatening respiratory complications when used at close range. 

I’ll have more news from Cowboy State Daily right after this.

Cowboy State Daily News continues now….

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"–"}]

Days after a religious clash exploded on the Wind River Indian Reservation, the Northern Arapaho Tribe’s government says it has adopted a new policy. Cowboy State Daily’s Clair McFarland reports it requires ministry and charitable groups to get tribal authorization for their work on the reservation. 

“Tribal government asked the church to leave the reservation. The Church is saying no, we're on private land. Here on Monday, the tribal government released a statement saying it has crafted a policy so that outside groups conducting recurring ministries, outreach stuff like that have to talk to the tribe and get its authorization to do that. Now the church didn't respond for my story Tuesday, but this is a very complex area of law where lots of questions come into play. There is a federal law on the books that subjects tribal governments to First Amendment like restrictions. There's also other uncertainties about where the property divisions impact this case.”

It may be a point of debate whether private land surrounded by tribal trust lands falls within tribal jurisdiction, and if so, for what purposes. It’s unclear if the tribe’s new policy is constitutional. 

Aggressive elk attack far more people than grizzlies, black bears, coyotes and mule deer — especially in tourist areas, according to an extensive study. Cowboy State Daily’s Mark Heinz reports that a wildlife specialist says elk can “inflict serious damage with those stomps and kicks.”

“Elk are are the number one animal that people are having negative interactions with, up to and including being attacked and injured in national parks. It does not mean that. Oh my gosh, elk are that much more fearsome even than a grizzly. The the folks I talked to said that the best that they can surmise it probably boils down to just a game of odds. There are just more places across more locations across greater time frames when you have a lot of people and a lot of elk in close quarters with each other and they don't really see people as a threat.”

Any animals that are raised around people such as town deer in some Wyoming communities, can be more aggressive than those that live out in the wild where they’re hunted.

Attorneys for a former Cheyenne woman accused of murdering her newborn boy 38 years ago say there’s not enough evidence for a trial and want a judge to order a new preliminary hearing. Cowboy State Daily’s Greg Johnson reports that she's also out of jail on a lower bond granted last week.

“Her defense team want a new preliminary hearing. They're asking the court, 'Hey, send it back. We want to redo the preliminary hearing because we don't think the judge ruled correctly in the first one. The prosecution didn't show that the the elements of the crime are there to move it forward to trial.' It's fairly unusual, but it does happen sometimes. And of course, the prosecution may say, 'Look, there's nothing wrong with the preliminary hearing. Everything was fine, and besides, you don't just get a do-over because you don't like what the judge said.'”

While Martinez was granted a lower bond — and posted it, it was required to have been posted by a bondsman, not personally, and she has to wear an ankle monitor. If convicted of first-degree murder, Martinez could face life in prison or the death penalty.

A tourist was caught on video climbing one of the famous Mormon Row buildings in Grand Teton Park. Cowboy State Daily’s Andrew Rossi reports that the grandson of T.A. Moulton says the tourist broke the law and disrespected his family’s heritage.

family is still living in Wyoming, and when they saw the video of someone climbing over the roof of one of the historic structures on Mormon Road, they were understandably upset. Those barns belong to the American people, they're part of the National Park Service. They gave that land so that everybody could enjoy it. So for somebody to not only approach those barns and touch them, let alone climb on them when they're fragile and need to be preserved, it's incredibly disrespectful to people who gave this gift to the people of Wyoming, the nation, and the world.”

As visitation to national parks increases, one commonly heard concern is that they’re “being loved to death.” Higher densities of tourists are causing more destruction and disturbance to the natural vistas that drew people there in the first place. 

And that’s today’s news. Get your free digital subscription to Wyoming's only statewide newspaper by hitting the Daily Newsletter button on 

 - and you can watch this newscast every day by clicking Subscribe on our 

 channel, or listen to us on your favorite podcast app.  Thanks for watching - I’m Reece Cowan, in for Mac Watson, for Cowboy State Daily.

News image 7 22 26

<title>Cowboy State Daily Video Newscast: Wednesday, July 22, 2026 | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Today's headlines include: 
*14-year-old Ropes Drowning Man
*Eric Barlow Campaign Releases Big Poll
*Tourist Illegally Climbs On Moulton Cabin Building

Cowboy State Daily Video Newscast: Wednesday, July 22, 2026

Headshot of Cowboy State Daily's general assignment reporter, Clair McFarland.

Clair McFarland

Government & Politics

Politics

State Sen. Eric Barlow released poll results Tuesday showing him with a sizable lead over other Republican candidates in the race for Wyoming governor.

[{"type":"text","text":"Two of his opponents doubt that outcome. One of them doesn’t."}]

Barlow, a legislator of 13 years and former House speaker, is running for the Republican nomination against Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder, retired Marine Col. Brent Bien, and Centennial man Curt Blake.

His campaign released polling results Tuesday showing him at 42% support, followed by Degenfelder at 19% and Bien at 14% — with 22% undecided — when people were asked who they would vote for if the election were held today.

The poll was taken in the past three days by the Pulse Decision Science firm, the campaign says.

“Barlow has gained 10 points since the campaign’s previous survey and his net favorability has climbed from +19 to +34,” says a Tuesday statement by his campaign. “This comes even as he has been outspent more than 5-to-1 by Degenfelder and the outside groups supporting her.”

Barlow said he’s taken six full trips through all 23 Wyoming counties and is starting his seventh statewide tour.

[{"type":"text","text":"The primary election is set for Aug. 18."}]

“We believed from the beginning that if we showed up, listened and stayed focused on Wyoming, voters would respond,” Barlow said. “This poll is encouraging, but it does not change how we campaign.

[{"type":"text","text":"\"We will keep showing up, keep listening and keep earning every vote.\""}]

Barlow told Cowboy State Daily in a Tuesday-evening phone call that he trusts the polling, and its cross-tabulation veracity checks. He said Wyomingites' reception of him on the campaign trail is also "quite encouraging." 

His campaign has amassed 2,500 volunteers and contributions from nearly 2,000 individual Wyoming donors, with more than $1 million raised from in-state individuals, the statement says.

The statement says Barlow has focused his campaign on expanding economic opportunity, improving access to rural health care, strengthening Wyoming’s energy and agriculture industries, addressing housing challenges, keeping decisions local and keeping the state's public lands accessible to Wyomingites. 

[{"type":"text","text":"Nah, Says Degenfelder"}]

Degenfelder’s campaign manager Charlotte Jones emphasized that Barlow’s numbers are from his own campaign.

“Voters should take the Barlow campaign’s internal ‘polling’ numbers with a heavy grain of salt, which come as no surprise from the campaign of a career politician desperately trying to run from his record of opposing Wyoming Industries and Wyoming values,” wrote Jones in a Tuesday email. 

“Megan’s campaign is focused on talking to voters about the issues they care about and highlighting her record as the only candidate in the race with a proven record fighting for our mineral industries, and defending women’s sports and parental rights," wrote Jones, "which is why she has earned the support of Donald Trump and Harriet Hageman.”

Trump endorsed Degenfelder in January before she entered the race, and doubled down with a 

U.S. House Rep. Harriet Hageman, who’s running for U.S. Senate, has endorsed Degenfelder and campaigned with her in multiple locations.

[{"type":"text","text":"Not Doing That"}]

The Wyoming Republican Party Central Committee broke tradition Monday night and 

One delegate, Weston County GOP Chair Kari Drost, asked the committee to consider endorsing Degenfelder as well, but the committee cast a majority vote to end the process instead.

The Central Committee considered, but voted against, adopting an official position opposing Barlow.

Bien is not doing polling, says a Tuesday email from his campaign associate Cheryl Aguiar. She called his campaign a grassroots effort.

“As someone who taught statistics to graduate students, I would have all sorts of questions on methodology, sample size, randomness, question wording, and other aspects mainly founded in ‘who paid for the poll?’” she said.

The landline and cellphone call poll was taken from 400 likely Republican primary election voters and with a margin of error of 4.9%, according to the Barlow campaign.

The main prompt asks, “If the Republican Primary election for Wyoming Governor were held today, for whom would you vote?”

Respondents could give answers in three categories for each of the four candidates. For example, for Barlow they could choose “Definitely Barlow,” “Probably Barlow,” or “Lean Barlow.”

[{"type":"text","text":"They could also choose different variations of undecided.  "}]

“Since we don't have the poll's methodology, I would say that this poll is obviously being released by a campaign, so we would advise voters to evaluate it accordingly,” wrote Aguiar. “Our campaign is more interested in what we're hearing from Wyoming  citizens at town halls and community events across the state.”

[{"type":"text","text":"Aguiar said campaigns release internal polling “to tell a story.”"}]

“We respect that. Our campaign is focused, though, on earning votes, not headlines,” wrote Aguiar, adding that no one appears to have gathered 50% of voters and the race has room for “a lot of movement.”

A group called Women For Responsible Government Action has run multiple attack ads against Barlow, and favorable ads supporting Degenfelder in recent weeks.

This group bears a similar name to one linked to Hageman’s campaign for U.S. Senate, “Women for Responsible Government PAC.”

But the group launching TV ads against Barlow is a 501(c)4 run by Hageman’s allies, not Hageman, according to a Thursday text message from Hageman’s campaign advisor Tim Murtaugh.

Murtaugh said Hageman does not control the TV-ad-buying group, but it “often aligns with her views, including protecting Wyoming’s children from permanent genital mutilation and preventing coercive gender identity education for kindergarteners.”

Jones said Thursday on Degenfelder’s behalf that the superintendent isn’t aligned with either the action group or the PAC funding Hageman’s Senate run.

"Megan is not involved with either organization, and her campaign is not permitted to coordinate with either of them,” wrote Jones. “She is focused on her own campaign and her positive message of making Wyoming more affordable, growing our legacy industries and protecting Wyoming values."

The Eric Barlow gubernatorial campaign released an internal poll Tuesday showing a significant lead over both Megan Degenfelder and Brent Bien. According to his internal polling numbers, 42% of voters support Barlow while Degenfelder is at 19% and Bien at 14%.

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