Cowboy State Daily recently ran an article discussing the prospective gubernatorial candidates for the 2026 election.
The real question facing the candidates is who can find the available financing and where is the money going to come from to get the job done.
More than anything, there is a lot of time between now and the deadline for filing for office. Some have chosen to start campaigning, now. Others have played their cards closer to the vest.
My old friend, Mike Enzi, waited until the last day of the filing period to submit his name for office. He said, “God winked and then he filed.” Enzi proved that a three-month campaign in Wyoming can be successful.
Rep. Hageman has name recognition, a firm conservative base and pretty significant fundraising capability, given her run for and term in congress. She enjoys great support.
Her term hasn’t been smooth sailing, though. A few of her public meetings have been marred by protesters unhappy with her votes.
Additionally, her choice to double down on the sale of public lands to private bidders made people mad. That being said, given her popularity, there is really no reason for her to announce early.
Secretary of State Chuck Gray, a California transplant, has been holding town-hall meetings all over the state. He touts his conservative views peppered with political catch phrases.
Secretary Gray’s father funded $700,000 of his campaign for Secretary of State, so if his family pitches in again, fundraising won’t be an issue for him.
Gray used a Nevada political consulting firm that uses focus groups, polling, and statistical targeting of voters to craft his message for Secretary of State.
Apparently, Gray has no reason to vary from that plan of action. Whatever office he chooses, expect a well-funded, focus group driven campaign full of catch phrases meant to advance his message.
Secretary Gray has adopted the role of a character in one of the greatest movies of all time – Little Big Man.
Like the character Younger Bear, Secretary Gray has become a contrary (Heyoka). When Governor Mark Gordon says yes, Secretary Gray say no.
When Gov. Gordon says up, Secretary Gray, down. When the governor says white, Secretary Gray says black. All of his carping gets him newspaper exposure and publicity.
Secretary Gray’s efforts into creating name recognition indicate he will run for whatever office Rep. Hageman does not choose.
Sen. Eric Barlow is reportedly preparing an announcement for the governor’s office. As a former representative, speaker of the house and state senator, he brings a wealth of political experience and a reputation as a getting the job done.
He is a military veteran (Marine), a veterinarian, a rancher and a known problem solver. He has the political track record to demonstrate competence and strategy to deal with the issues of the day.
It will be interesting to see if he can muster the financial support necessary to support a gubernatorial campaign in the days of high-dollar billionaire funded political campaigns.
Brent Bien was the first to announce his candidacy, way back in 2024. He ran a distant second in the Republican primary in 2022, when he ran for governor, before. Bien is also a former Marine.
He has been campaigning, now, for over a year. In 2022, Bien’s contributions totaled $99,822. Of that amount, Bien spent $58,332 of his own money and received contributions from others totaling $40,490.
Given the days of million-dollar campaigns underwritten by scientific word polling, Bien is going to have to attract funding from other sources.
The only other announced candidate is Joseph Kibbler, another California transplant who plans on a grassroots campaign. Given a field of highly financed sophisticated campaigns of well-known candidates, Kibbler’s chances of success are slight.
The wild card in this race is Gov. Mark Gordon. Gordon has been, throughout his entire term, one of the most popular governors in the nation, consistently ranking in the top four.
Currently, he has a 65% approval rating. Granted, twenty-five percent of the voters do not like his performance, but statistically a huge approval rating like the governor’s is hard to beat.
I asked Gordon if he was running. He gave me the coy politicians grin and changed the subject.
One of Lubnau’s Rules of Politics is that if a politician denies they are running for office, the campaign committee is already formed.
Unless the candidate has the funds necessary to run a competent campaign, in this age of mailers and websites, money is a key to a successful campaign.
Who can raise the funds will, in large measure, determine who is in the race at the end of the campaign.
Get ready for a season of no-pads full contact political brawling where the fate of the State of Wyoming is on the line.
Tom Lubnau served in the Wyoming Legislature from 2004 - 2015 and is a former Speaker of the House. He can be reached at: YourInputAppreciated@gmail.com
