Wyoming

Republicans control the governor’s office and both chambers of the Legislature. Wyoming is the most Republican state legislature in the country. The Wyoming Freedom Caucus took control of the House after the last election cycle and is pushing deep budget cuts and socially conservative policy.

Governor Mark Gordon is term-limited and cannot run again. The 2026 open governor’s race, the U.S. Senate seat, and several statewide offices are all on the ballot. Every lever of state power is up for grabs.

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Rural hospitals are running out of time

Wyoming is one of ten states that has not expanded Medicaid. Approximately 9,000 residents are in the coverage gap. They earn too much for traditional Medicaid and too little for marketplace subsidies. They have essentially no path to health insurance.

$120 million lost annually by Wyoming hospitals treating uninsured patients who cannot pay

Six of the state’s 30 hospitals are in immediate jeopardy of closing. Three more are on the verge. In a state where the nearest hospital can be 100 miles away, closures are not budget line items. They are life-or-death distances.

The state tried a workaround. Federal administrators approved Wyoming’s $205 million Year 1 plan under the Rural Health Transformation Program. But two key proposals were dropped: a state-operated public insurance plan for healthcare emergencies and a perpetuity fund system. In May 2026, the feds denied Wyoming’s proposal for long-term rural health funding entirely, sending the state back to the drawing board.

The Freedom Caucus has blocked expansion repeatedly. Members of the Joint Appropriations Committee initially voted to deny federal funding for healthcare on the Wind River Reservation, claiming it would save taxpayer money. The vote was reversed when it became clear the decision would actually cost the state more.

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The state is betting everything on fossil fuels

The Legislature created a $105 million Energy Dominance Fund offering grants and loans to attract fossil fuel, nuclear, and rare earths projects. Lawmakers described the fund as necessary to “dominate” the energy market.

HB 128 creates a five-year window for a 2% state severance tax reduction to encourage investments in secondary oil and gas recovery. These are taxpayer subsidies to an industry that already dominates the state economy.

Wyoming is deeply conflicted on wind energy. Gordon has supported the Chokecherry and Sierra Madre Wind Energy Project as part of the state’s energy exports. But Secretary of State Chuck Gray and growing numbers of legislators oppose new wind development.

Gordon and Gray sparred publicly during a wind project hearing in January 2026. The Legislature declined to give local officials more say over wind and industrial uses on state lands.

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Voter rolls are being purged ahead of the primary

In May 2026, county clerks purged thousands of voters from the rolls ahead of the party affiliation deadline. The party affiliation cutoff was moved to May 13 for choosing which primary to vote in.

Change	What it does
Crossover voting banned (2023)	Voters can no longer switch parties at the polls on primary day
Proof of residency	Required for voter registration
Absentee windows compressed	Less time to request and return a mail ballot
Federal citizenship verification	New requirement layered onto existing ID rules
Party affiliation deadline	Moved to May 13, weeks before the August 18 primary

These changes are the most sweeping overhaul of Wyoming election rules in years. They were driven by anger over crossover voting in the 2022 primary, when Democrats registered as Republicans to vote for Liz Cheney. Cheney still lost to Harriet Hageman by 37 points.

The practical effect is a state where the only competitive elections happen inside the Republican primary, and the rules now make it harder for anyone outside the party to participate in those decisions.

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The Freedom Caucus runs the House

The dominant political fight in Wyoming is between Governor Gordon and the Freedom Caucus, a bloc of hard-line conservative House members who took control of the chamber after the last election cycle.

Gordon calls them “Club No.” During his February 2026 budget address, he said: “Using ‘no’ as a club is not how America became great."

Gordon recommended across-the-board pay raises for state employees. The Freedom Caucus blocked it. Lawmakers agreed only to raise pay for specific positions like plow drivers and Highway Patrol officers. The caucus pushed cuts across multiple state agencies.

This matters because the Freedom Caucus controls what reaches the floor. Medicaid expansion, wind energy permits, state employee pay, education funding, and rural healthcare all run through their votes. A term-limited governor cannot force the issue.

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Every statewide office is on the 2026 ballot

Governor Gordon is term-limited. The open governor’s race has drawn four Republican candidates and no clear frontrunner.

Secretary of State Chuck Gray announced a bid for U.S. House. Gray has been one of the loudest opponents of wind energy in state government. His departure from the secretary of state’s office opens another statewide race.

Race	Primary	General	What to watch
Governor	August 18	November 3	Open seat, four-way Republican primary
U.S. Senate	August 18	November 3	Sen. Barrasso’s seat
U.S. House	August 18	November 3	Chuck Gray entering the field
Secretary of State	August 18	November 3	Open if Gray leaves for House race
Supt. of Public Instruction	August 18	November 3	Open if Degenfelder wins governor primary

The August 18 primary will decide most of these races. Wyoming’s general elections are rarely competitive. The primary is where the real decisions happen, and the new voting rules make participating in it harder.

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Protect yourself right now

1. Check your voter registration and party affiliation. The May 13 party affiliation deadline has passed, but verify your registration is active. County clerks purged thousands of voters in May. Confirm your status before the August 18 primary.

2. Know your hospital. If you live in a rural area, find out whether your nearest hospital is one of the six at risk of closing. Ask your state legislator where they stand on Medicaid expansion.

3. Watch the governor’s race. Four Republicans are competing for an open seat. Their positions on Medicaid, fossil fuel subsidies, wind energy, and Freedom Caucus priorities will shape the next four years. Ask them directly at town halls and candidate forums.

4. Track mineral royalty decisions. Wyoming schools and local governments depend on mineral revenue. HB 128’s severance tax cut and HJ 2’s royalty shift will change those budgets. Ask your county commissioners how they plan to absorb the impact.

5. Call the governor’s office. 307-777-7434. Ask about Medicaid expansion, the Rural Health Transformation Fund denial, and what the state plans to do about the nine hospitals at risk of closing or on the verge.