Trump’s pick for Wyoming governor is the latest endorsee to lose primary

Trump’s pick for Wyoming governor is the latest endorsee to lose primary - POLITICO

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Trump’s pick for Wyoming governor is the latest endorsee to lose primary

State Sen. Eric Barlow defeated Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder, who had President Donald Trump’s support in the race.

!Megan Degenfelder talks at Sagewood Elementary School

*Wyoming's State Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder talks at Sagewood Elementary School during an event celebrating their designation as a National Blue Ribbon School on Friday, Oct. 6, 2023.

|

Dan Cepeda/Oil City News*

By Andrew Howard

08/18/2026 11:04 PM EDT

President Donald Trump just suffered another endorsement loss, this time in deep-red Wyoming.

Republican state Sen. Eric Barlow defeated Trump-backed Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder in the gubernatorial primary on Tuesday.

It’s another blow to Trump’s once-stellar primary endorsement record, which has shown vulnerabilities in recent weeks. Former MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell lost his primary for governor in Minnesota last week, as did a Trump-endorsed Michigan congressional candidatewho fell to an opponent who had already dropped out. Two other Trump-backed candidates fell in Florida Tuesday: Rep. Cory Mills and House candidate Catalina Lauf.

Trump’s endorsement power has seemed to particularly wane in governor’s races. Georgia Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, Iowa Rep. Randy Feenstra and South Carolina Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette all fell in their primaries this year despite the president’s support.

Barlow, a fourth generation Wyomingite rancher, centered his campaign on protecting public lands, funding public schools and expanding rural health care access. Degenfelder leaned heavily on her Trump endorsement, and her campaign as well as outside groups supporting her ran repeated attack ads casting Barlow as too liberal to lead the state.

But Barlow was able to overcome those attacks and Trump’s endorsement on Tuesday.

* 2026 Elections
* Wyoming

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