Barlow Beats Trump-Endorsed Degenfelder to Secure GOP Nomination in Wyoming Gubernatorial Primary

Barlow topped three candidates and will face a Democrat who ran unopposed.

A vote here sign was displayed outside of the Laramie County Community College polling location in Cheyenne, Wyo. on Aug. 18. Jacki Thrapp / The Epoch Times

CHEYENNE, Wyo.—Republican Eric Barlow will face Democrat Ken Casner after wrangling the GOP nomination in his party’s gubernatorial primary on Aug. 18.

Barlow corralled enough votes in Tuesday’s primary election to beat the Trump-endorsed Megan Degenfelder, retired Marine Corps Col. Brent Bien, and Curt Blake.

The Associated Press called the race at 10:54 p.m. ET with Barlow roughly 16 points ahead of Degenfelder.

Casner, who ran unopposed in his party’s primary, is vying with Barlow to succeed term-limited Republican Gov. Mark Gordon.

Degenfelder was considered the frontrunner ahead of the election, and she received a “complete and total” endorsement from President Donald Trump.

“Megan is fantastic, and strongly supported by many of our Greatest Warriors, including future Senator Harriet Hageman! A Sixth Generation Wyomingite, and Wyoming’s very popular Superintendent of Public Instruction, Megan has dedicated her life to serving her Community,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post earlier this month.

The Cook Political Report predicts a Republican will be the likely winner of the governor’s race.

Barlow wants to explore public-private and community partnerships to address housing costs, allow local governments to have the final say on data center approvals, and start a “healthcare strike team” to address affordability across the board while cutting regulatory red tape so providers can focus on patients.

Casner, who does not have an official campaign website or media page, declined to elaborate on his agenda issues to The Epoch Times.

“My focus is on the people of Wyoming and the issues that directly affect our families and working class,” Casner wrote in an email. “I do not participate in surveys or provide quick takes for preview pieces.”

The Epoch Times spoke to voters in Wyoming on Tuesday afternoon to hear about the main issues that brought them to the polls.

One of the key issues for voters in Cheyenne centered on data center expansion after the City Council approved a 3,460-acre annexation for Microsoft’s planned growth, as well as frustration over construction-related wastewater from Meta’s Cheyenne Data Center that contaminated the city’s reuse water system with the naturally occurring bacterium Cupriavidus gilardii.

The Trump administration, in its July 2025 AI Action Plan, expressed support for a “rapid buildout of data centers” in America, framing them as essential strategic and national security assets for U.S. leadership in the AI race with China.

A handful of voters told The Epoch Times that their negative view of data centers played a big part in their decision at the polling booth.

“I voted for Bien because he’s against data centers,” Jacob Roth, a Republican voter, told The Epoch Times outside of the Storey Gymnasium polling location in Cheyenne.

Roth’s wife, Taylor, echoed her support for Bein due to his stance on data centers and for having a pro-life platform.

“Jobs from these data centers are only a couple of years and we want to keep our open spaces as opposed to being packed [with buildings] like Colorado,” Taylor Roth told The Epoch Times.