Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder scored another big endorsement for governor on Wednesday when U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman announced her support.
In a Wednesday afternoon statement, the congresswoman said she and Degenfelder have "spent countless hours" discussing the superintendent's vision for Wyoming, and that Degenfelder is a "proven winner with a strong conservative record."
“I’m proud to join President Trump in supporting Megan Degenfelder as Wyoming’s next governor,” Hageman said.
Degenfelder said she was honored by the endorsement and likewise mentioned the president in her response.
"I am honored and energized by her endorsement and ready to stand with her and President Trump to protect our legacy industries, fight for our conservative values, and ensure Wyoming remains a place where families can thrive," Degenfelder said.
Barlow On Endorsements
The other Republican candidate in the race, state Sen. Eric Barlow, downplayed the power of big-name endorsements Wednesday morning on Cowboy State Daily's radio show with Jake Nichols.
Barlow said that Wyoming "isn't a top-down state" and the only endorsements that matter to him are the people who will vote for him in the primary.
He said he was at a coffee shop in Rock Springs on Tuesday when someone thanked Barlow for his work on restoration of gun rights and he said it made a difference in his life.
"Those are the kinds of endorsements that make a difference," Barlow said.
"You're not going to read about those in the newspaper, but those are the ones that matter," he added.
Past Endorsements
Nobody vying for statewide office has landed a broader endorsement spectrum than Degenfelder.
On March 12, she announced endorsements by three Republican members of state House leadership: Majority Floor Leader Scott Heiner of Green River, Speaker Pro Tempore Jeremy Haroldson of Wheatland, and House Majority Whip Ocean Andrew of Laramie.
Heiner and Haroldson are publicly-listed members of the Wyoming Freedom Caucus, which aimed this year for numerous state budget reductions. While the group does not list Andrew as a member, he often votes in alignment with its members.
Then Degenfelder swung the other direction, announcing three endorsements March 17 from Wyoming's old-guard end of the Republican spectrum.
Those are former state House Speaker and Senate President Eli Bebout, of Riverton — who was the first person to hold both those positions in the Wyoming Legislature; former state GOP Chair and National Committeeman Diemer True, who was a state Senate president and chair of the Independent Petroleum Association of America; and former House Speaker Bruce Hinchey, who also served as the president of the Wyoming Petroleum Association.
All three have backgrounds in the oil industry, in which Degenfelder also has served as a top executive.
“She’ll make a great governor because I know she’ll look out for everyone — not just oil and gas but ranchers, mining industry. She loves Wyoming,” Hinchey told Cowboy State Daily.
Jimmy Orr can be reached at jimmy@cowboystatedaily.com.
