U.S. Sen. Cynthia Lummis’ team confirmed to Cowboy State Daily on Tuesday she’s gearing up for reelection, which means there could be an even more crowded field for other statewide Wyoming races in 2026.
Joe Jackson, a senior communications adviser for Lummis, told Cowboy State Daily that plans are underway for her 2026 bid for reelection to a second term.
“An official announcement will come at a later date, but we are gearing up for reelection,” Jackson said.
On Monday, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) endorsed Lummis’ reelection campaign, her first endorsement of the 2026 cycle.
She’s also planning on having a kick-off fundraiser event in Washington, D.C. soon.
Lummis was elected to the Senate in 2020. Prior to that, she served four terms in the U.S. House from 2009-2017 and was Wyoming’s treasurer from 1999-2007.
Despite a few rankles with the Wyoming Republican Party, Lummis has enjoyed a relatively high level of popularity during her time in office. Once it became clear President Donald Trump was likely to get the Republican nomination in his bid for reelection, Lummis quickly aligned with him and since that time has consistently supported his efforts.
What U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman and Gov. Mark Gordon’s plans are for 2026 still haven’t been officially announced.
What It Means
Lummis’ announcement will likely crowd the field for other statewide races in Wyoming as there isn’t likely to be a formidable challenger to her reelection bid.
“The more candidates there are, the better incumbents like Hageman and Gordon would fare,” said former House Speaker Tom Lubnau.
The most talked about race for 2026 so far has been for governor.
A handful of sources Cowboy State Daily spoke with all agreed that what Hageman decides to do will determine the fate of the governor and U.S. House race.
“It crowds whatever field Harriet Hageman is not going to,” said Rep. John Bear, R-Gillette.
Bear said he has concerns this field will become too crowded and prevent a more conservative candidate from getting elected, a scenario many conservatives alleged occurred in the 2018 Republican gubernatorial primary where Gordon beat Hageman.
All About Harriet
Joey Correnti, who runs the political podcast “Just Blame Joey,” has similar concerns but said Hageman’s ambitions in politics have always been centered around running for governor. If she wants to run for governor, Correnti expects her to become the next governor, even though he also stressed that the people will get to decide this race that is still a long ways out.
“As governor, you hold a lot more voice out here,” Correnti said. “Although she’s useful in the House, she’s one of 435 voices on the floor, even though she’s a really loud one.”
During this year’s legislative session, an election bill was brought that would have created a separate, runoff election for statewide officials in Wyoming, including governor. If no candidate got more than 50% of the overall vote, a second primary election would be held among the top two candidates.
This bill died in the state Senate.
Hageman has enjoyed a very high level of popularity in Wyoming since first elected in 2022, coasting to reelection last fall. Polling data released in February shows Hageman with a 72% favorability rating in Wyoming and leading her next closest competitor by more than 30 points in a potential governor’s race. Bear believes anybody who decided to run against Hageman would be “foolish” to do so.
“Everything hinges on Harriet Hageman,” said Gail Symons, a lobbyist with civic engagement group Civics307. “It comes down to how much does she like being in Washington and how much she likes being a little frog in a small pond versus being a governor and being the top dog in Wyoming, where you got a hell of a lot more influence.
Political consultant Rebekah Fitzgerald agrees and said the longer Hageman holds out on announcing her candidacy, the longer it will prevent other candidates from declaring candidacy, and thereby hurt their fundraising opportunities.
“There’s a lot of people who want to run early, but a lot of people are not going to jump in as early as they want,” she said.
Symons believes if Hageman doesn’t run for governor, candidates in this race should be wary of aligning themselves too closely with the Wyoming Freedom Caucus of the state Legislature, who she believes has drawn a strong base of opposition due to their policies.
Potential Candidates
Bear expects candidates to start announcing for the 2026 campaigns this summer.
“They’ve got to do it this summer,” he said. “It’s going to be a 12-month election, and maybe 14-month election.”
Around eight to nine potential candidates have been rumored to be showing a strong interest in the governor’s race, with multiple polls conducted featuring potential candidates that include Secretary of State Chuck Gray, Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder, state Sen. Cheri Steinmetz, R-Lingle, Treasurer Curt Meier and Gordon.
Fitzgerald believes the field of real candidates actually planning to run is much smaller.
Gordon still hasn’t ruled out running for a third term and would be considered a formidable candidate in whichever race he decides to run in, Bear said. Lummis’ announcement, Bear said, makes it more likely that Gordon will try and run for a third go-around, which the governor would likely have to file a lawsuit to do so.
“He’s held on to the left leaning people in Wyoming pretty good and has a solid group in the middle,” Bear said.
Three candidates have already announced they are running for governor in 2026, Cody resident Brent Bien, Cheyenne resident Joseph Kibler and Guernsey magician Charles Porter.
Mounting Up?
Bear said anyone hoping to mount a serious statewide campaign in 2026 should have started raising money last year. He pointed out that Gordon has a considerable war chest and that the bigger field, the more money will be needed to win a race.
According to Federal Election Commission data, from 2023-2024, Lummis raised $805,805.
Hageman raised $3 million during that same time period and had $882,963 cash on hand at the end of 2024.
Degenfelder was given $500,000 from her father late last December for her Degenfelder For Wyoming campaign committee, according to Secretary of State campaign finance data. Entering 2025, she had $504,941 in this campaign account.
Gray had $27,473 cash-in hand for his Committee to Elect Chuck Gray account after raising $8,325 in 2024.
Gordon had $29,295 cash-in hand for his Friends of Mark Gordon committee after raising $14,010 in 2024. In addition, his Prosperity and Commerce political action committee had $37,046 in the bank entering 2025.
Leo Wolfson can be reached at leo@cowboystatedaily.com.
