Wyoming Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder is “strongly considering” a run for governor, she told Cowboy State Daily on Tuesday.
With five statewide elected seats up for election in 2026, as well as two Congressional seats with both incumbents departing, Wyoming is in for a shakeup this coming election season.
Degenfelder articulated her choice in a phone interview a couple hours after Wyoming’s lone U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman announced she’s running for the Senate seat that U.S. Sen. Cynthia Lummis is vacating after the 2026 election.
“I’m very strongly considering a run for governor,” Degenfelder said. “We’re at a crossroads in our state. I believe that our people are desperately seeking an unabashedly bold and strong leader — and someone who’s not going to be content with the status quo, but make tough decisions to propel Wyoming as a true leader in the country.”
Lummis’ Friday announcement that she’s not running for Senate next year is sparking a chain reaction of endorsements and speculation across the Wyoming political landscape.
Hageman is a Trump favorite of four years who made national headlines for ousting incumbent U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney in the 2022 primary election. Her Senate bid hit the news cycle early Tuesday morning.
Degenfelder said she applauds the work of both women, calling them trailblazers.
She also endorsed Hageman’s Senate run, saying she’s “thrilled” at the move.
Degenfelder touted her own strong background in the traditional energy sector and upbringing in a ranching and oil and gas family.
Between her work as chief policy officer for former Superintendent of Public Instruction Jillian Balow and her own leadership of that office, Degenfelder was government and regulatory affairs manager for oil and gas company Morning Star Partners.
“I was born, and raised, and built my career in (our fossil fuels industry),” she said. “It’s everything to this state and Wyoming needs someone who’s going to truly fight for that.
“I think Wyoming deserves a true conservative in the race."
Former state House speaker and state Sen. Eric Barlow, R-Gillette, has declared a run for governor, as has 2022 candidate Brent Bien.
Casper businessman Reid Rasner has established a finance account for the governor’s race, but hasn’t declared. He did not respond by publication to a Tuesday voicemail request for comment.
Wyoming Treasurer Curt Meier told Cowboy State Daily in a Friday voicemail he's running for treasurer again. His office had watermark success this year with investment revenue.
Getting Organized Up North
Wyoming House Speaker Chip Neiman, R-Hulett, took Cowboy State Daily’s call while parked just north of the Montana line, waiting for a man with whom he was exchanging one well valve for a better-fitting one.
Before Lummis threw an atomic curveball into the political arena with her declaration, Neiman said he considered running for state Senate.
Now he’s not sure what to do.
“I’m praying a lot, trying to seek the Lord and do what He wants done,” said Neiman. “If we don’t consult Him we’re just working on our own.”
Neiman said he and other like-minded people hope to coordinate so they don’t overcrowd the race for any office with so many fiscal and social conservatives as to split the vote and cripple that movement.
“We’re talking, trying to figure out what’s going to be the smart move here,” he said. “I would say, I don’t have any plans to stay and run for the House again, (but I’m) ready to work and serve wherever I can do the folks the most good.”
Neiman’s state Senate counterpart, Sen. Ogden Driskill, R-Devils Tower, announced in 2022 that his current term would be his last.
Neiman endorsed Hageman and extended his gratitude to Lummis.
Today’s Job
Gov. Mark Gordon is focused on the job at hand, his spokeswoman Amy Edmonds told Cowboy State Daily in a Tuesday phone interview.
“Governor Gordon is focusing on his job. The job at hand,” said Edmonds. “The voters have trusted him with being governor, and that’s what he’s doing.”
The Wyoming Legislature faces a budget session starting Feb. 9, and that has real implications, she added.
“Historically voters don’t like long elections,” Edmonds continued. “We want our elected officials to be focused on the work to be done today instead of what our next job might be.”
Gordon is nearing the end of his second term as governor and state law prevents him from landing a third term.
But a Wyoming Supreme Court case that overturned the same term limit for other statewide offices poses an open invitation for any two-term governor to have his own cap removed via court action.
State Sen. Cheri Steinmetz, R-Torrington, voiced the same sentiment as Gordon.
“I’m focused on my legislative priorities. Nothing has changed today for me,” she said.
The Harvard Grad
Cyrus Western, former state representative and current regional administrator for Trump’s U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, is another name floated in political speculations.
The Harvard graduate and Wyoming native declined Tuesday to comment, citing the early phase of the election season.
Noted Wyoming Outdoorsman
University of Wyoming Trustee Paul Ulrich, a lifelong Wyomingite, Navy veteran and former chairman of the Petroleum Association of Wyoming, was tentative on Tuesday.
“I haven’t made a decision yet on if I plan on running for office,” said Ulrich, noting the fluidity of the Cowboy State’s political landscape at this phase.
If he were to pursue a seat, however, “I’d have to take a look at the House,” he said.
“What’s far more important to me,” he said, “is that with the lone seat in the House of Representatives that Wyoming has — we have the best possible representation. Somebody who cares deeply about Wyoming; loves Wyoming; understands Wyoming and will fight for Wyoming.”
To him, added Ulrich, “that is far more important than whether or not I get into the race.”
Secretary Of State
Neiman speculated that Secretary of State Chuck Gray will not want to remain in his current office.
Gray did not return a Cowboy State Daily voicemail request for comment by publication.
The group Committee to Elect Chuck Gray ran a television commercial last weekend taking the form of an image ad, touting Gray as a good fit for Wyoming without declaring for a specific office.
As of July, Gray was hinging his political ambitions at least in part on Hageman’s, saying he did not want to run against her.
He endorsed her Tuesday within minutes of her declaration.
Gray is a perennial adversary to Gordon, criticizing the governor in numerous public statements throughout his term.
Meanwhile In The Legislature
State House Appropriations Chair John Bear, R-Gillette, did not return a request for comment by publication.
Neither did Driskill, state Senate Appropriations Chair Tim Salazar, R-Riverton; Senate President Bo Biteman, R-Ranchester; or Senate Majority Floor Leader Tara Nethercott, R-Cheyenne.
Rep. Rachel Rodriguez-Williams, R-Cody, who chairs the socially conservative Wyoming Freedom Caucus, requested a text rather than phone interview.
Hageman’s choice signals “a serious commitment to step up for Wyoming and to continue to support Trump’s America-First agenda,” says a text Rodriguez-Williams sent Tuesday. “I have no doubt she will continue to fight for liberty, fiscal responsibility, and the rule of law.”
Rodriguez-Williams did not answer a texted prompt about her own political intentions.
In response to Degenfelder’s statements, Barlow said, “I welcome anyone who chooses to enter the race for Governor. Wyoming voters deserve a thoughtful, respectful discussion about our state’s future.”
He said his focus remains on strengthening Wyoming’s economy, protecting private property and local control, and advancing strong education policies “that prepare our kids for opportunity while respecting parents and communities. I’m running for one job—Governor of Wyoming—and I’m focused on steady, practical leadership rooted in Wyoming values.”
Barlow's campaign advisor Ivy Castleberry also noted that his campaign will end 2025 with over $500,000 in campaign donations.
Clair McFarland can be reached at clair@cowboystatedaily.com.
