Backed by Trump, Wyoming Schools Chief Megan Degenfelder Jumps Into 2026 Governor’s Race

WyoFile, Cap City News, and Wyoming Public Radio contributed to this report.

Wyoming’s top education official is officially aiming higher.

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder announced Monday that she’s running for governor in 2026, rolling out her campaign just days after landing a high-profile endorsement from former President Donald Trump.

“I am humbled and inspired to have the support and encouragement of President Trump,” Degenfelder said in a press release announcing her bid. “Coastal elites and liberal activists are coming for our oil, gas and coal jobs. Radical extremists seek to redefine genders, threatening our young women. And the political establishment cares more about undermining President Trump than serving the people who elected them. Not in Wyoming. Not when I’m Governor.”

Trump’s endorsement came Friday via a post on Truth Social, where he praised Degenfelder as a strong defender of Wyoming values.

“Many of my strongest supporters and friends in Wyoming have been calling me and telling me how great ‘MAGA’ Megan Degenfelder is,” Trump wrote.

Trump remains deeply popular in Wyoming, having carried the state by the largest margin in the country in the 2024 election — a political boost Degenfelder is clearly leaning into.

Degenfelder isn’t the first Republican to jump into the race for the seat Gov. Mark Gordon will vacate due to term limits. State Sen. Eric Barlow of Gillette, a former House speaker, announced his candidacy last summer. Brent Bien, a retired US Marine Corps colonel and previous gubernatorial candidate, and business owner Joseph Kibler are also in the race.

Her announcement comes amid a broader shake-up in Wyoming politics, with several high-profile officeholders making moves. Last month, Rep. Harriet Hageman announced a run for US Senate, and Secretary of State Chuck Gray followed with plans to run for Wyoming’s lone congressional seat.

A Casper native, Degenfelder graduated from Natrona County High School before earning bachelor’s degrees in economics and political science from the University of Wyoming. She later earned a master’s degree in economics from the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing.

Before entering statewide office, Degenfelder spent roughly a decade working in the coal, oil and gas industries. She also worked for then-Rep. Cynthia Lummis and later served as chief policy officer under former Superintendent Jillian Balow.

When Balow resigned in early 2022, Degenfelder sought appointment to the post but wasn’t selected by the Wyoming Republican Party. Instead, she challenged the party-backed candidate, Brian Schroeder — who had Trump’s endorsement at the time — and won the Republican primary later that year.

She and her husband, Bryan Dugas, live in Laramie.

Since taking office, Degenfelder has made herself a prominent conservative voice in education policy. She convened statewide stakeholders to help guide school district decisions on book access, launched a new literacy initiative, promoted career and technical education, and strongly supported Wyoming’s school voucher program and charter school expansion.

She’s also taken a firm stance on culture-war issues, backing legislation that limits transgender students’ participation in sports and access to bathrooms. In 2024, she joined Gov. Gordon and Attorney General Bridget Hill in challenging new federal Title IX rules under the Biden administration.

“I continue to oppose these new rules,” Degenfelder said last year, arguing they threaten female students, reduce due process protections and burden school districts.

Her campaign messaging doubles down on those themes.

In a campaign video released Monday, Degenfelder said, “When activists came for our classrooms, we fought back and won.”

On her campaign website, Degenfelder pledges to aggressively support fossil fuel development, back ICE, promote “conservative family values,” and align Wyoming closely with Trump-era policies — including calls to dismantle the US Department of Education.

Degenfelder will face off against at least three Republican opponents in the Aug. 18, 2026, GOP primary, setting up a high-stakes race that could further reshape Wyoming’s political landscape.