Harriet Hageman, Wyoming’s Republican representative to the U.S. House, is running for Senate after U.S. Sen. Cynthia Lummis announced Friday she won’t seek reelection next year.
Rep. Harriet Hageman, 63, told Cowboy State Daily her choice to run for one of the state’s two U.S. Senate seats sprang from calculations about doing the most good for Wyoming — and shielding it from bad policy.
It also contrasts a poll that surfaced in February showing her as a favorite to become governor.
“We’ve been talking a lot about what the opportunities are, and I’ve been talking with my family and my friends, about what is the best thing I can do to serve the state of Wyoming,” said Hageman.
The upper congressional chamber in the nation’s capital fits that priority, she said, in part because “so much of the bad policy that’s affected Wyoming over the last 20 years has come out of Washington, D.C.”
That bad includes government agency overreach, “Biden’s war on coal,” policies against fossil fuels, bad water policy and cases of environmental over-prosecution, she said.
She also said she’s inspired by Lummis, and believes the one-term senator and long-term Wyoming public servant’s seat should go to someone with experience.
“Cynthia Lummis has been such a strong leader in the Senate, and the House before that,” said Hageman. “And I think it’s important that we have someone who can hit the ground running the moment she retires. That’s not the place for on-the-job training.”
Hageman pointed to her two terms in the House, her service on the House Judiciary and Natural Resources committees, her prior career as an attorney and her experience with the Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act.
One of the many priorities Hageman hopes to pursue going forward is the passage of “Connor’s Law,” which would enact into law an agency rule President Donald Trump revived this year, requiring commercial vehicle drivers to be proficient in reading and speaking the English language.
She referenced fatal truck collisions of recent years where truckers’ English proficiency was at issue, including the 2022 crash in which a Haitian trucker struck two Wyoming EMTs on an interstate highway in Sweetwater County.
One of the EMTs died, the other was severely injured.
The Trump Factor
Hageman said Trump is a “strong warrior” and that she hopes to pursue his “America-first agenda” in the Senate.
The president endorsed Hageman ahead of the 2022 and 2024 elections.
“The president is well aware Cynthia is retiring and I’m running for the Senate seat,” said Hageman, adding that she’d welcome his endorsement a third time and appreciates his work so far. “Obviously, having his support is very important — but I’m not prepared to speak on his behalf.”
There may be a learning curve between the House and the Senate, said Hageman, adding that she’s been speaking with Lummis about her bid for the seat, and considers Lummis and Wyoming’s senior U.S. Sen. John Barrasso as her friends and mentors.
“I know (Lummis) will be available to me to help me to navigate what I need to do,” said Hageman. “I also have already started the process of talking to the senators, introducing myself, explaining my background, giving them a heads up on what my ideas are and asking them for guidance.”
Despite the learning curve, said Hageman, “I should be able to hit the ground running.”
She said she seeks to position Wyoming’s interests to withstand a potential future Democratic president.
Because much of Wyoming’s revenue flows from the minerals sector, Washington, D.C.’s attitude toward energy influences the state’s fiscal health.
Many voters are social conservatives as well, electing state legislative delegates who pass anti-abortion and anti transgender-sports-access bills.
Hageman she seeks to defend landowners, working class people, business owners, educators, communities, “and all of our industries” from adversarial federal government maneuvers.
She said she wants to help the state protect and maintain its water infrastructure, highway system, “and we need to be building more housing. Additional housing.”
The Arc
Hageman’s career-defining electoral victory came in the 2022 primary election when she tallied 113,079 votes to three-term incumbent Rep. Liz Cheney’s 49,339 in the Republican contest.
That was after Cheney helped to lead an investigation into Trump’s involvement with the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol and called for his impeachment.
Hageman continued her victory arc in 2024, defeating primary election runner-up Steve Helling with more than four times his vote total.
Because Wyoming has an overwhelming Republican voter majority, the primary election, not the general, carries the highest stakes for statewide office contenders.
Immediate Endorsement
Not even 30 minutes after her announcement did Hageman receive her first endorsement. Wyoming school's chief Megan Degenfelder sent out a statement standing behind the congresswoman.
"Rep. Hageman first ran for Congress in a time that we needed someone to represent Wyoming, not their personal interests. On day one she brought back representation on the most impactful committee to Wyoming, the House Natural Resource Committee, and fulfilled countless promises to the Wyoming people," Degenfelder said.
"I wholeheartedly endorse Representative Harriet Hageman for United States Senate," she said.
Get Ready To Rummmble …
Hageman’s declaration could open a political rodeo in Wyoming, as at least two potential statewide office contenders have hinged their decisions on hers.
Secretary of State Chuck Gray told Cowboy State Daily this year that he does not want to run against Hageman.
House Speaker Chip Neiman, R-Hulett, told Cowboy State Daily in July that whether he runs for governor “depends on what Harriet does.”
Hageman told Cowboy State Daily it’s too soon for her to be endorsing anyone, either to fill her House seat or win another office.
“We’ve been working really on making the phone calls and making contact with people I need to, for this Senate run,” she said. “Sometime next year we’ll be addressing those kinds of questions.”
Gov. Mark Gordon is nearing the end of his second term.
He’s limited by state law from landing a third term, but the Wyoming Supreme Court’s past ruling on term limits for other state offices indicates he could have that law overturned via court action — if he pursues it.
Former House Speaker and state Sen. Eric Barlow, R-Gillette, has declared his run for governor, as has 2022 candidate Brent Bien, another Republican.
Casper businessman Reid Rasner has a governor’s finance account registered with the Secretary of State’s office, but has not declared a run for that office.
Senate President Bo Biteman also has not declared a campaign direction.
Wyoming Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder won her seat after a 2022 primary election in which she didn’t have Trump’s endorsement, and bested the candidate who did.
She would have been pleased to have the endorsement, she told Cowboy State Daily at the time, but added that the favor of the people of Wyoming matters more to her.
Still, she has aligned with Trump on some key issues. She was invited in March to attend a White House event at which Trump announced his efforts to diminish the U.S. Department of Education, and his intention to see it dismantled altogether.
She was also at Mar-A-Lago two weeks ago at Turning Point USA’s Winter Gala.
Like other figures whose names surface in political speculations, Degenfelder gave a measured interview in July, saying she wanted to stay focused on the job for which she was elected.
University of Wyoming trustee Paul Ulrich, a lifelong Wyomingite and Navy veteran, is another potential candidate for a statewide office.
“I haven’t ruled it out,” Ulrich told Cowboy State Daily in July.
Clair McFarland can be reached at clair@cowboystatedaily.com.
