Wyoming’s 2026 Political Shuffle: Degenfelder Eyes the Governor’s Mansion as Everyone Else Does the Math

The original story by Clair McFarland for Cowboy State Daily.

Wyoming politics just got a lot louder — and a lot more crowded.

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder says she’s “strongly considering” a run for governor, dropping that line Tuesday as the state’s political class scrambles to recalibrate after Sen. Cynthia Lummis announced she’s done after 2026.

And if you’re getting the sense that Wyoming is about to have one of those election cycles where everyone is “praying on it” or “talking with family,” you’re not wrong.

Lummis stepping aside lit the fuse. Within days, Wyoming’s lone US House member, Rep. Harriet Hageman, jumped into the Senate race — and got a fast, full-throated endorsement from Donald Trump.

That move matters because it sets off a chain reaction: an open Senate seat, a potentially open House seat if Hageman advances, and a wide-open governor’s race since Gov. Mark Gordon is term-limited (unless he ever tried to fight that cap in court, which is now theoretically on the table after a Wyoming Supreme Court ruling affected other statewide term limits).

Five statewide offices are up in 2026. Two congressional seats could be in play. Translation: the entire chessboard is getting flipped.

Degenfelder’s pitch is basically: Wyoming needs a bolder driver.

“We’re at a crossroads,” she said, arguing voters want someone willing to make tough calls instead of coasting on the status quo.

She also leaned hard into her fossil fuel roots — ranching and oil-and-gas family background, plus a past role in government and regulatory affairs for an energy company — framing herself as a “true conservative” who’ll fight for the industry that still pays a big chunk of the bills in this state.

She didn’t just talk governor, either. She endorsed Hageman for Senate and praised both Hageman and Lummis as trailblazers — a nod to the political moment, and a tidy way to avoid stepping on toes.

Meanwhile, other Wyoming names are hovering near the launch button:

• House Speaker Chip Neiman sounds like he’s rethinking everything after Lummis’ exit. He said he’s praying about next steps and wants conservatives to coordinate so they don’t split votes across too many races. He also indicated he’s not planning to just run for the House again.
• State Sen. Eric Barlow is already in for governor, along with Brent Bien. Barlow responded to Degenfelder’s comments with a polite welcome — then reminded everyone he’s running a steady, practical campaign and claims his operation is closing out 2025 with more than $500,000 in donations.
• Treasurer Curt Meier says he’s running again. Auditor Kristi Racines says she’s running again too.
• Secretary of State Chuck Gray is widely assumed to be eyeing something bigger. He hasn’t confirmed anything, but he did quickly endorse Hageman, and his allies are already running a glossy image-style TV spot that looks a lot like pre-launch positioning.
• Cyrus Western, now an EPA regional administrator under Trump, declined to comment — classic early-season posture.
• Paul Ulrich, a University of Wyoming trustee and former head of the Petroleum Association of Wyoming, also didn’t commit, but hinted he’s looking at the House angle and said his priority is making sure Wyoming gets a fighter in Washington.
• Gov. Gordon, through his spokeswoman, is sticking with the “focused on the job at hand” line — with a budget session looming in February.

Right now, Wyoming politics feels like a bunch of people standing at the same trailhead, checking their gear, waiting to see who starts hiking first — and which direction the trail even goes.

Degenfelder’s move is significant because it’s one of the first clear signals that the governor’s race won’t just be a quiet internal GOP contest. It’s shaping up as a full-on battle over what kind of conservative leadership Wyoming wants next: more confrontational, more “America First,” more closely tied to Trump-world — or something more managerial and steady.

Either way, with Lummis leaving and Hageman moving up, the state’s 2026 cycle is already acting like it started early. And at this pace, it’s only going to get noisier from here.