Sen. Eric Barlow announces run for Wyoming governor

Yahoo

2 days ago

CHEYENNE — State Sen. Eric Barlow, R-Gillette, announced his bid for governor of Wyoming on Tuesday in Wright.
Barlow served in the Wyoming House of Representatives for five consecutive terms from 2013 to 2022 before he began his first Senate term in 2023. He was Speaker of the House in 2021 and 2022, and currently chairs the Senate Labor, Health and Social Services Committee and the Mental Health and Vulnerable Adults Task Force, as well as serving on the Select Committee on Tribal Relations.
Unlike some other candidates, his candidacy is not rooted in specific priorities or policies, he said. Rather, he would serve as a voice responding to his constituents' needs, whether that be Wyoming energy independence, rural health access or water infrastructure.
'I love Wyoming. I love her honest, hardworking people whose grit and independent spirit make our beloved state so great,' Barlow said in a prepared statement. 'Kelly and I have been blessed to raise our children, Kate and Graham, here. I want the next generations to have even greater opportunities and a future here in Wyoming.'
According to his campaign website, Barlow's approach to public service is to 'show up, listen and get the job done.'
'My approach has always been to listen, learn and do the work,' Barlow said in the statement. 'Wyoming deserves leaders who show up, who do the work, and who get results. That's what I've done — and that's exactly the kind of governor I will be.'
Sen. Eric Barlow, R-Gillette (2025)
Sen. Eric Barlow, R-Gillette
He is a fourth-generation Wyomingite who was born and raised in Campbell County on his family's ranch. After graduating from Campbell County High School in 1984, Barlow joined the U.S. military and served in the Marine Corps.
Following his military service, he went to school in Colorado and earned his Ph.D. in veterinary medicine. While he and his wife were both in school, their two children were born.
The family moved to Newcastle, where Barlow practiced as a veterinarian before ending up in Gillette two years later. His practice primarily focuses on caring for cattle, sheep and bison.
When Barlow's father passed away, he and Kelly took charge of the family ranch in Campbell County, where they raised their two children, with Kelly primarily homeschooling them. Eric Barlow was appointed to the Wyoming Livestock Board in 2006 and served for six years before seeking election to the Wyoming House of Representatives.
Together, they now raise cattle, sheep and yak on the family ranch.
As an elected official, Barlow said he has supported energy independence, property tax reductions, access to health care and private property rights.
'I am a leader who stands firmly on sound, conservative principles and who will fiercely defend your rights, including the Second Amendment and sanctity of life. As your next governor, I will protect your private property rights, safeguard our public lands, and keep Washington, D.C., out of Wyoming's business,' he said in the statement.
The 2026 race for Wyoming governor is still relatively uncrowded. So far, only two other candidates have announced a bid for the state's top elected seat: Brent Bien, a Republican from Cody who ran unsuccessfully in the 2022 GOP primary, and Joseph Kibler, a Republican from Cheyenne who runs a web development and marketing company.
Former U.S. Senate candidate Reid Rasner, who lost by a wide margin in the 2024 Republican primaries to Sen. John Barrasso and who has ambitions to purchase TikTok, has filed a campaign finance account for governor but has yet to announce his candidacy.
The other key players at the moment are the incumbent, Gov. Mark Gordon, who would have to challenge existing term limits to seek a third consecutive term; first-term Secretary of State Chuck Gray, who also is a former state legislator; and U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman, who was elected to a second two-year term last November. None have made formal announcements of their intentions.
In 2013, the Wyoming Supreme Court ruled that term limits on the top elected positions in the state were unconstitutional, but omitted the governor's terms from the ruling. This means Gordon could seek to amend the Constitution in a court challenge if he wanted to seek a third term. It is unclear whether that challenge would be successful, and he had not indicated any intention to do so at the time of publication.
In July, Gray released an internal poll of how he would fare if he sought election to the seat of governor or the state's sole seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. Though he has not announced if or which seat he would seek, he indicated it is likely dependent on what Hageman does.
Hageman has not yet indicated whether she will seek reelection to a third term in the U.S. House next year or make a run for governor.