Eric Barlow won the Republican nomination for governor Tuesday, according to the unofficial election results.
The state senator from Gillette defeated Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder and retired Marine Corps Col. Brent Bien. Results show Barlow winning 58,820 votes, Degenfelder 38,739 and Bien 30,843.
He’ll face Democratic nominee Kenneth Casner, and Constitution Party nominee Rebecca Bextel at the Nov. 3 general election.
"Kelly and I are grateful, and it's been a remarkable experience this last year," said Barlow in a Tuesday phone interview. "We're blessed and grateful, and there's more work to do, of course."
Barlow secured the win in spite of sizable obstacles.
Degenfelder received President Donald Trump’s endorsement in January. Bien received an endorsement from the Wyoming Republican Party’s state central committee in July.
And in the dog days of the election, Barlow weathered a high-dollar attack campaign from at least two groups: Wyoming’s Turn PAC and Women For Responsible Government PAC. The former published falsehoods about Barlow, claiming he had pushed for fuel tax hikes in 2013 and 2020 when legislative records show he had, rather, fought to keep fuel taxes low both years.
"There's been a lot of out of state money and agendas and voices trying to tell us things that aren't true," he said. "And today Wyoming showed up, and showed us that Wyoming's voice matters most."
Speaking of the two high-profile endorsements his opponents received, Barlow said he looks forward to working with Trump, and has worked to uphold the state Republican Party's planks.
His win "comes down to the work. I'm appreciative of all the folks who knocked on doors and hosted coffees or took a chance by introducing us to family, friends, neighbors - whoever came along during the campaign," said Barlow. "As I've said, we're running for Wyoming, not against anybody."
He was confident team Barlow will be successful in the general election, and said he'd continue to have "meaningful conversations across Wyoming, to understand how best to serve Wyoming. That's what we believe in: serving our community and our state."
Barlow was first elected to the Wyoming Legislature in 2012 and rose to the rank of House Speaker in 2021. Following a Wyoming tradition, not uniformly kept, of seeking higher office after his speaker term, Barlow was elected to the state Senate in 2022.
One of his more high-profile legislative achievements passed in 2023, when he led a bill to give non-violent felons a path to restore their gun and civic rights.
Degenfelder
Degenfelder in a Tuesday statement conceded while voicing gratitude to the many who supported her, and those who opposed her.
“I am deeply grateful to the thousands of neighbors, friends, supporters, volunteers, and people who love Wyoming as much as I do who placed their trust in me throughout this campaign. Thank you for your support, for your vote, for the miles you drove and doors you knocked, and most of all, for your prayers," said Degenfelder in a statement.
"I am also grateful to my opponents and their supporters," she said. "We debated the issues that matter to the future of our state, and I believe that conversation made Wyoming stronger. I congratulate our Republican nominee, and I believe it is now our responsibility to come together, move forward, and continue fighting for the state we all love."
She called the campaign one of the greatest honors of her life, and thanked Trump and U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman for supporting her throughout the race.
"Their support meant more to me than I can adequately express," said Degenfelder. "I will always be grateful for the trust they placed in me, for their friendship, and for their shared commitment to fighting for Wyoming and the values we hold dear."
Degenfelder said she would keep finding ways to serve Wyoming.
The public resistance to Degenfelder's campaign was more muted, but still comprised at least one attack ad campaign and around $200,000 worth of opposition PAC spending.
Strong support from Trump – who reiterated his endorsement of her no fewer than four times – and from U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman marked her run.
When she ran successfully as the state’s schools chief in 2022 against the appointed, short-lived incumbent Brian Schroeder, Schroeder had the Trump endorsement.
Degenfelder told Cowboy State Daily during a live video interview earlier this month that Trump first noticed her when she defeated his endorsee.
In her tenure as superintendent, Degenfelder grappled with the social issues that roiled Wyomingite parents of young kids starting in about 2022. She dispatched guidance for schools to handle sexually-explicit books, and advocated for protections for girls’ school sports.
Bien
Bien finished a distant second to Gov. Mark Gordon in the 2022 primary election, and was the first to declare for office this cycle. His campaign was characterized by passion and a wish to “audit everything” in state government, then “audit the audits.”
Bien touted the backing of both the state’s Republican Party leadership and many Freedom Caucus-aligned groups and figures.
On the campaign trail, he harkened to his experience seeing “the end state of tyranny in many theaters,” and told the public he first ran for office because Gordon had shuttered private businesses and schools during COVID-19.
Clair McFarland can be reached at clair@cowboystatedaily.com.
