2026 Wyoming gubernatorial election
 | |||||||||||
November 3, 2026
| |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
| Elections in Wyoming |
|---|
 |
The 2026 Wyoming gubernatorial election will be held on November 3, 2026, to elect the governor of Wyoming. Republican state senator Eric Barlow and Democratic perennial candidate Kenneth Casner are the nominees for their respective parties. Republican incumbent Mark Gordon is term limited and ineligible to seek a third consecutive term.
Primary elections took place on August 18, 2026.[1] Barlow defeated state superintendent Megan Degenfelder in the Republican primary with 45.1% of the vote.[2] Casner secured the Democratic nomination unopposed.
Democrats have not won a statewide election in Wyoming since 2006.
Republican primary
[edit]Candidates
[edit]Nominee
[edit]- Eric Barlow, state senator from the 23rd district (2023–present)[3]
Eliminated in primary
[edit]- Brent Bien, retired U.S. Marine Corps colonel and candidate for governor in 2022[4]
- Megan Degenfelder, Wyoming Superintendent of Public Instruction (2023–present)[5]
- Curt Blake[6]
Disqualified
[edit]- Ozzie Knezovich, former Spokane County, Washington Sheriff (2006–2022) (ineligible due to residency requirements)[7][8]
Declined
[edit]- Chuck Gray, Wyoming Secretary of State (2023–present) (running for U.S. house)[9]
- Harriet Hageman, U.S. representative for Wyoming's at-large congressional district (2023–present) and candidate for governor in 2018 (running for U.S. senate; endorsed Degenfelder)[10][11]
- Curt Meier, Wyoming State Treasurer (2019–present) (running for re-election)[12]
- Kristi Racines, Wyoming State Auditor (2019–present) (running for re-election)[12]
- Reid Rasner, financial executive and candidate for U.S. Senate in 2024 (running for U.S. house)[13]
Endorsements
[edit]Eric Barlow
- State legislators
- Tony Ross, former president of the Wyoming Senate (2013–2014) from SD-04 (2005–2017)[14]
- Organizations
Brent Bien
Megan Degenfelder
- Executive branch officials
- Donald Trump, president of the United States (2017–2021, 2025–present)[18]
- U.S. representatives
- Harriet Hageman, WY-AL (2023–present)[11]
- State legislators
- Ocean Andrew, HD-46 (2021–present)[19]
- Eli Bebout, former president of the Wyoming Senate (2017–2019) from SD-26 (2007–2021)[20]
- Jeremy Haroldson, house speaker pro tempore (2025–present) from HD-04 (2021–present)[19]
- Scott Heiner, house majority leader (2025–present) from HD-18 (2021–present)[19]
- Bruce Hinchey, SD-27 (1999–2002)[21]
- Diemer True, former president of the Wyoming Senate (1991–1993) from SD-18 (1977–1993)[20]
- Organizations
Polling
[edit]| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[a] |
Margin of error |
Brent Bien |
Eric Barlow |
Megan Degenfelder |
Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pulse Decision Science (R)[23][A] | Jul 18–20, 2026 | 400 (LV) | – | 14% | 42% | 19% | – | 22% |
Debate
[edit]| No. | Date | Host | Moderator | Link | Republican | Republican | Republican | Republican |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Key: P Participant A Absent N Not invited I Invited W Withdrawn |
||||||||
| Brent Bien | Eric Barlow | Megan Degenfelder | Curt Blake | |||||
| 1 | Jun. 1, 2026 | Campbell County Republican Party | YouTube | P | A | P | N | |
| 2 | Jun. 18, 2026 | Wyoming Republican Party | YouTube | P | P | P | N | |
| 3 | Aug. 13, 2026 | Central Wyoming College Cowboy State Daily Wyoming PBS Wyoming Public Media |
Steve Peck | YouTube | P | P | P | N |
Results
[edit]
Barlow
- 30–40%
- 40–50%
- 50–60%
- 70–80%
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Eric Barlow | 58,820 | 45.1 | |
| Republican | Megan Degenfelder | 38,739 | 29.7 | |
| Republican | Brent Bien | 30,843 | 23.6 | |
| Republican | Curt Blake | 2,161 | 1.7 | |
| Total votes | 130,563 | 100.0 | ||
Democratic primary
[edit]Candidates
[edit]Nominee
[edit]Results
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Kenneth Casner | 10,706 | 100.0 | |
| Total votes | 10,706 | 100.0 | ||
Independents and third parties
[edit]Candidates
[edit]Declared
[edit]Constitution Party
[edit]- Rebecca Bextel, business owner[25]
Withdrawn
[edit]General election
[edit]Predictions
[edit]| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| The Cook Political Report[28] | Solid R | September 11, 2025 |
| Fox News[29] | Solid R | July 23, 2026 |
| Inside Elections[30] | Solid R | August 28, 2025 |
| Race to the WH[31] | Safe R | June 19, 2026 |
| RealClearPolitics[32] | Solid R | June 5, 2026 |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball[33] | Safe R | August 12, 2026 |
| Silver Bulletin[34] | Solid R | August 25, 2026 |
See also
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ↑ Key:
A – all adults
RV – registered voters
LV – likely voters
V – unclear
- Partisan clients
- ↑ Poll sponsored by Barlow's campaign.
References
[edit]- ↑ "2026 State Primary Election Dates". National Conference of State Legislatures. May 9, 2025. Retrieved August 5, 2025.
- ↑ Howard, Andrew (August 18, 2026). "Trump's pick for Wyoming governor is the latest endorsee to lose primary". Politico. Retrieved August 21, 2026.
- ↑ Zahn, Noah (August 12, 2025). "Sen. Eric Barlow announces run for Wyoming governor". Wyoming Tribune Eagle. Retrieved September 22, 2025.
- ↑ Wolfson, Leo (November 16, 2024). "Republican Brent Bien First To Announce Campaign For Wyoming Governor In 2026". Cowboy State Daily.
- ↑ Eagle, Noah Zahn Wyoming Tribune (January 12, 2026). "Degenfelder announces bid for governor after Trump endorsement". Wyoming Tribune Eagle. Retrieved January 12, 2026.
- ↑ Ouellet, Nicky (June 1, 2026). "Wyoming's primaries are crowded. These are the races to watch". Wyoming Public Radio. Retrieved June 6, 2026.
- ↑ Appel, Emmalee (January 13, 2026). "Former Spokane County Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich announces candidacy for Wyoming governor". KREM. Retrieved January 15, 2026.
- ↑ Duggan, Alexandra. "Knezovich drops out of Wyoming governor race due to eligibility requirement". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved January 15, 2026.
- ↑ McFarland, Claire (December 29, 2025). "Chuck Gray Announces Run For Wyoming's U.S. House Seat". Cowboy State Daily. Retrieved December 29, 2025.
- 1 2 McFarland, Clair (July 28, 2025). "Hageman's Popularity Has Many Uncertain If They'll Run For Governor". Cowboy State Daily. Retrieved July 29, 2025.
- 1 2 Randall, Doug (March 25, 2026). "Rep. Harriet Hageman Endorses Megan Degenfelder For Governor". KGAB AM 650. Retrieved March 26, 2026.
- 1 2 McFarland, Clair (December 23, 2025). "Degenfelder 'Strongly Considering' Run For Governor, Others Ponder Higher Office". Cowboy State Daily. Retrieved December 29, 2025.
- ↑ McFarland, Clair (January 2, 2026). "Rasner Won't Run For Governor, Says To 'Stay Tuned For News Next Week'". Cowboy State Daily. Retrieved January 2, 2026.
- ↑ Ross, Tony (August 11, 2026). "Tony Ross: Why Eric Barlow Deserves Our Support: A Vision for Wyoming's Future". Cowboy State Daily. Retrieved August 12, 2026.
- ↑ "Associated General Contractors of Wyoming endorse Eric Barlow". Cody Enterprise. May 4, 2026. Retrieved August 12, 2026.
- ↑ McFarland, Clair (April 9, 2026). "Wyoming Freedom Caucus Members Split On Who Should Be Governor". Cowboy State Daily. Retrieved August 16, 2026.
- ↑ McFarland, Clair (July 21, 2026). "Wyoming GOP Endorses Brent Bien, Chuck Gray, And Harriet Hageman". Cowboy State Daily. Retrieved August 16, 2026.
- ↑ Bianco, Ali (January 12, 2026). "The solar super PAC's next target". Politico. Retrieved August 16, 2026.
Megan Degenfelder announced she's entering the Republican race for governor of Wyoming with Trump's support.
- 1 2 3 "Members of House GOP leadership endorse Degenfelder for governor". Wyoming News. March 12, 2026. Retrieved March 16, 2026.
- 1 2 Orr, Jimmy (March 25, 2026). "Hageman Endorses Degenfelder For Governor Of Wyoming". Cowboy State Daily. Retrieved April 23, 2026.
- ↑ McFarland, Clair (March 12, 2026). "As 2026 Election Heats Up, Wyoming Political Candidates Stockpiling Endorsements". Cowboy State Daily. Retrieved August 12, 2026.
- ↑ "Degenfelder announces endorsement by Wyoming Right to Life". August 4, 2026. Retrieved August 7, 2026.
- ↑ McFarland, Clair (July 23, 2026). "Barlow Campaign Releases Poll Claiming Big Lead Over Degenfelder And Bien". Cowboy State Daily. Retrieved July 23, 2026.
- ↑ Wyoming Secretary of State (June 15, 2026). "2026 Primary Election Candidate Roster" (PDF). Retrieved June 16, 2026.
- ↑ Zumberge, Marianne (May 13, 2026). "Jackson's Rebecca Bextel announces campaign for governor". Buckrail. Retrieved July 1, 2026.
- ↑ McFarland, Clair (December 19, 2025). "Lummis Announces She's Not Running For Re-Election". Cowboy State Daily. Retrieved December 19, 2025.
State Sen. Eric Barlow, R-Gillette, has declared a run for governor. So too has 2022 candidate Brent Bien, and now-independent candidate Joseph Kibler.
"Joseph Kibler 'stepping away' from 2026 governor's race". - ↑ Wolfson, Leo (April 16, 2025). "Republican Candidate For Wyoming Governor Admits He's 'A Nobody'". Cowboy State Daily. Retrieved April 18, 2025.
- ↑ "2026 CPR Governor Race ratings". The Cook Political Report. Retrieved January 23, 2025.
- ↑ "Fox News Power Rankings: The top races to watch as 36 states choose their next governor". Fox News. Rémy Numa. Retrieved July 24, 2026.
- ↑ "Gubernatorial Ratings". Inside Elections. Retrieved February 7, 2025.
- ↑ "Governor Forecast – 2026-2026". Race to the WH. Retrieved June 30, 2025.
- ↑ "2026 Governor Races | RealClearPolitics". RealClearPolitics. Retrieved June 5, 2026.
- ↑ "2026 Governor". Sabato's Crystal Ball. Retrieved May 1, 2025.
- ↑ Silver, Nate (August 20, 2026). "FLIPR 2026 midterm election forecast". www.natesilver.net. Retrieved August 20, 2026.
External links
[edit]- Official campaign websites