U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman is a fighter. She is tried, true, and has real-world experience. She gave ole Liz a real stomping and we all praised the establishment’s resounding exit from the swampy scene. She’s now announced her run for U.S. Sen. Cynthia Lummis’ Senate seat and my prediction is she’ll win sweepingly, no matter who runs against her.
I read an opinion column elsewhere saying Gov. Mark Gordon should consider a DC run for Hageman’s former seat.
That would be interesting to see him lose to Secretary of State Chuck Gray.
The embroiled dialogue would be popcorn-worthy. Chuck Gray would absolutely mop the floor with him. Get the martini glasses chilling for that debate please. I wager Cowboy State Daily would livestream it.
That leaves the governor’s race.
Brent Bien has gained a significant amount of momentum from the independent movement. Last time he ran, he was a virtual unknown. This time around, he’s done some leg work. In a challenging endeavor, in which he was successful, he led grassroot reform to do what lawmakers met with collective sluggishness – lower your property taxes. He’s also from Wyoming and a retired Marine Corps Colonel, aviator and combat veteran.
And then there is state Sen. Eric Barlow. A politician for many years who helped place our state in the position you find it today and has earned his stripes by all seasoned and respectable opinions. He’s been to all the conferences and worn all the ties. He’ll remind you that really, he’s a rancher. The establishment thinks it’s his time to shine.
His voting record will speak for itself in the coming spars.
But will another individual join the race? Sen. Bo Biteman and House Speaker Chip Neiman are garnering whispers. Both are fine men. However, the interesting division between Biteman and the Freedom Caucus could cause a rift that would be insurmountable in a split race. If Neiman leaves the Legislature, his replacement has very big shoes to fill. The void in our legislative body would be significant.
And what about the other offices?
If the champion Megan Degenfelder leaves her post as Superintendent of Public Instruction for a gubernatorial run, who would fill her void? She has truly turned the trajectory of Wyoming education, toward listening to educators and funding students over systems. She is digging into root causes of the problems in our system and how students are learning and behaving differently than any other era. She is tough, seasoned, and fire-tested.
But, she and Chuck Gray have disagreed more than once on the State Lands and Investments Board. Will this divide her vote also? Or his? She would be a great governor too.
These are all questions to consider. And they should be discussed loudly, with transparency and strategy behind them. With the interjection of public opinion also.
Because this decision isn’t just about these people. It isn’t about their quest to the governor’s mansion or their next logical stepping stone in a political career.
This is about being a servant. Serving, at times, where God has positioned you. How do we know when it’s time to move back or forward from that position? I do not know. We can only pray and ask. I believe our intentions will place us. Sometimes that is in a difficult position, sometimes that is in an uncomfortably easy one. Check your ego, the voters depend on it.
If you are in a split race and every indication tells you that you’ll lose, quit. It’s not a loss, it is a pivot. Better yet, work alongside those next to you to broaden the mission instead of focusing on the race. If you have skillsets, maybe use them in the successful ways you’ve already tried, instead of inventing new versions of yourself hoping to achieve whatever idea of success you’ve envisioned for yourself.
What I’m saying is I want each true champion of Wyoming to be willing to die for him- or herself. That’s my goal for 2026 and I hope it could be yours too. Fighting doesn’t mean what it used to. But winning still means what it always has.
Cowboy State Daily columnist Cassie Craven is a University of Wyoming College of Law graduate who practices law in Wyoming. She can be reached at: longhornwritingllc@gmail.com
