The last two times the governor’s seat was open in Wyoming, the Republican nominee handily won the general election. But first, they won the primary election with less than 50% of the vote, sparking enduring disputes about conservative bona fides and changes to Wyoming’s primary elections.  This year, four Republicans are running for governor, setting up the possibility of one of them clinching the nomination once again with less than half of the vote.  The candidates include Sen. Eric Barlow, Col. Brent Bien, political newcomer Curt Blake and Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder.  Curt Blake, a Republican and Centennial resident, is running for governor. (Courtesy photo) How voters might split their support between the four, however, depends on who you ask, as does the question of who is the true conservative in the race. In Republican-dominated Wyoming, the primary election victor is expected to win in November and lead the state for the next four years.  The four candidates overlap on several policy issues but are campaigning around different focal points. While Degenfelder is largely running on President Donald Trump’s endorsement, Barlow is concentrating on protecting public lands and Bien is championing a property tax initiative he worked to get on November’s ballot. Blake, who has opted out of traditional campaigning, is the one Republican in the race who opposes abortion bans.  (Read more about the candidates in WyoFile’s election guide.) ‘Insurance policy’ In May, Rebecca Bextel, the Teton County Republican activist at the center of the Checkgate controversy, announced she would run for governor, though not as a Republican. Instead, Bextel secured the Constitution Party’s nomination at its June convention for one specific reason.  “An insurance policy against Eric Barlow,” according to her website.  Rebecca Bextel during the first meeting of the House Special Investigative Committee on Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026, at the Wyoming Capitol in Cheyenne. (Mike Vanata for WyoFile) Bextel’s name is now set to appear on November’s general election ballot. In January, Bextel hosted a fundraiser for Degenfelder, according to the Jackson Hole NewsGuide, after President Donald Trump endorsed the superintendent.  “Like many of you, I know Megan Degenfelder or Brent Bien would make an excellent Governor! I sincerely hope one of them beats out Eric Barlow for the Republican nomination, but unfortunately, history is not on the side of us conservatives,” Bextel wrote on her website.   In 2010, Matt Mead defeated six opponents to secure the Republican nomination with 28.6% of the vote. Eight years later, Mark Gordon triumphed with 33.4% against five contenders. In their respective races, both Mead and Gordon were seen as the more moderate candidates.  Gordon’s victory sparked a yearslong attempt by GOP legislators to rewrite the state’s election law to stop registered Democrats, minor party and unaffiliated voters from changing their party affiliation to participate as Republicans in the primary election. The law passed in 2023, but is now being challenged in court. Lawmakers have also pursued legislation to enact runoff elections for Wyoming’s top offices, but with no success.  Sen. Eric Barlow, R-Gillette, at the Wyoming Legislature’s 2026 budget session in Cheyenne. (Mike Vanata for WyoFile) At the time of Bextel’s announcement in May, Barlow told WyoFile in a statement, “this is a bit confusing.”  “Ms Bextel lost the race for state GOP chair, gave a check to one of my opponents in this race, and is now running against both of us for Governor?” “That’s her right, and she can make her case to the voters,” Barlow wrote. “I’m going to keep doing what I’ve always done: traveling the state, listening to Wyoming people, and earning the nomination from republican voters.”  Bona fides  More recently, Barlow has defended his voting record as a lawmaker, explicitly pushing back on those who have questioned his conservative credentials. Voters first elected the Campbell County rancher in 2013 to the House, where he eventually served as speaker of the House before successfully running for the Senate in 2022.  In June, Barlow released a “Wyoming Republican Platform Scorecard,” detailing his votes on the budget and various pieces of legislation related to taxes, abortion, guns, private property, and religious freedom, among others.  “The scorecard reviews all 23 planks of the Wyoming Republican Party platform and highlights accomplishments from Barlow’s legislative record,” a press release states. “It shows that Barlow has not just voted for but also sponsored or co-sponsored legislation tied to 21 planks of the GOP platform, leading the way on conservative issues.”  Meanwhile, some of the same people who accuse Barlow of not being a true Republican have the same criticism of Degenfelder.  “The difference between Eric Barlow and Megan Degenfelder is like the difference between an unfrosted pop tart and a pop tart without frosting,” Wyo RINO Rocket, a Casper-based, anonymous Facebook page, posted in April.  Brent Bien chats with supporters on May 16, 2025, outside Redeemer Lutheran Church in Jackson, where the candidate for governor hosted a cookout and answered questions. (Ryan Dorgan/WyoFile) “We’re really not concerned that Bien and Degenfelder may split part of the vote,” Cheryl Aguiar, Bien’s campaign manager, told WyoFile. “In reality, I believe that Barlow and Degenfelder will split the vote because neither one of them are conservatives.” Aguiar pointed to the Wyoming GOP convention in June when gubernatorial candidates were given the opportunity for a brief speech.  “Three-quarters of the room stood up and cheered unabashedly for Brent Bien. Stamping their feet, chanting his name, and a quarter of the room just sat there,” she said. “That quarter of the room, they will split the vote between Barlow and Degenfelder.” Endorsements  At that same convention in Douglas, the party voted to adopt new bylaws that establish a framework to vet, endorse and financially back Republican candidates ahead of the primary election — an act in open defiance of Wyoming’s election laws. The party subsequently filed a lawsuit challenging the state while it’s expected to announce endorsements sometime before the primary.  Laramie Republican Rep. Ocean Andrew and Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder chat Feb. 9, 2026, before the start of the budget session in Cheyenne. (Mike Vanata for WyoFile) Bien has said he supports the new bylaws, while Barlow opposes them, arguing that voters should decide the nominees and not the party. Degenfelder has not weighed in publicly.  In the meantime, several members and allies of the Wyoming Freedom Caucus — a group of Republican lawmakers aligned with the right flank of the party — have split on their gubernatorial endorsements. Reps. Scott Heiner of Green River, Jeremy Haroldson of Wheatland and Andrew Ocean of Laramie endorsed Degenfelder in March, while Sheridan Rep. Ken Pendergraft is backing Bien.  In 2024, the caucus formally endorsed legislative candidates. Whether the caucus endorses a gubernatorial candidate this year remains to be seen. Its chair, Rep. Rachel Rodriguez-Williams of Cody, did not respond to WyoFile’s request for comment.  Asked about the possibility of Republicans splitting the vote in August, Barlow told WyoFile in a statement that he’s “running for Wyoming, not against anyone.” “Wyoming voters deserve a real choice about how we meet the opportunities and challenges ahead. That is healthy,” he wrote. “What is really splitting Wyoming, and isn’t welcome, is the out-of-state money, agendas and voices that are trying to buy their way into this election through misguided endorsement processes and dark money mudslinging that disrespects the honest, hardworking people of Wyoming.”  From the start of his campaign, Barlow said, he’s been “committed to being respectful and truthful,” and recently signed “the Peacemaker pledge” with a Christian non-profit that launched in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s death.  Degenfelder did not respond to WyoFile’s request for comment.  Blake told WyoFile last week he’s not accepting donations, endorsements or debate invitations. Asked about the possibility that a candidate could win the nomination with less than half of the vote, Blake said, “I’ll say this tongue-in-cheek.” “I guess that bodes well for me.”  The primary election is Aug. 18. 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