Wyoming’s senior U.S. Senator is endorsing U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman to serve alongside him in the upper chamber.
Sen. John Barrasso’s current counterpart in the upper chamber of Congress is Sen. Cynthia Lummis, who announced Dec. 19 that she’s not seeking to run for a second six-year term this year.
Hageman, Wyoming’s lone delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives, announced four days later that she will run to fill Lummis’ seat.
All three of Wyoming’s congressional delegates are Republicans.
Barrasso didn’t delay his endorsement of Hageman, telling Cowboy State Daily in a Saturday phone interview that he supports Lummis’ decision not to seek reelection and believes Hageman “is going to be terrific in the U.S. Senate.”
He’s known her for 30 years, he said, noting that his late wife Bobbi and Hageman attended law school together.
Also around the time Barrasso was in the state Senate, Hageman’s dad had been the speaker of the Wyoming House of Representatives, he added.
“That’s how Wyoming is,” said Barrasso of the state’s culture of familiarity.
Hageman is the only high-profile candidate to have made a public bid for Lummis’ seat.
She said in a Monday statement that she appreciates Barrasso's endorsement.
"An endorsement from Senator Barrasso means a lot because he has a record of credibility and trustworthiness and a long history of standing up for our way of life, energy independence, and Western values," she said in the statement. "I am grateful for the confidence he has shown in me, and I look forward to joining him in the Senate to represent the good people of Wyoming.”
The primary election is in seven months and the general in 10 months.
On the state Legislature side, many lawmakers are bracing instead for the four-week budget session that begins Feb. 9.
But Barrasso’s early endorsement, besides being a nod to Hageman, is part of a larger nationwide strategy, he said.
“Seems like there’s going to be so much politicking in Wyoming this year,” he said, referencing the open governor’s race, the U.S. House seat Hageman is leaving, and “people in various positions trying to get into other spots — opening up other spots.”
His mind, meanwhile, is on making sure Republicans hold the U.S. Senate in Washington, D.C., he said.
“I felt that if we get this race over with quickly, get Harriet seen as the frontrunner and the dominant force in the election, people will turn their attention to other races,” said Barrasso. “And we can make sure we have a majority in the Senate; and focus on other states where w’ere trying to make sure we can pick up additional Republican senators.”
Barrasso emphasized Republicans’ work toward securing the Southern border, a spending package passed toward that end last summer, and passage of the 2025 Working Families Tax Cuts, and a goal toward more tax cuts in 2026.
Clair McFarland can be reached at clair@cowboystatedaily.com.
