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Wyoming’s chief of schools is running for governor in 2026, officially throwing her hat in the ring just days after scoring an endorsement from President Trump.
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder’s campaign announcement, published Monday, touts her allegiance to Trump’s vision for America.
“President Trump is taking our country back, and I’m proud to have his support,” she said in a campaign announcement video. “Wyoming is with him. It’s time for us to do our part.”
On her campaign website, Degenfelder promises to support ICE, “aggressively support fossil-fuel development,” and promote “conservative family values.”
Degenfelder came from a background in fossil fuels to serve as chief policy officer under Superintendent of Public Instruction Jillian Balow, who left the state in 2022. Degenfelder was elected to the role later that year for a four-year term.
As superintendent, Degenfelder has promoted career and technical education and literacy improvements. She has also defended Wyoming’s new school voucher program amid legal challenges and taken aim at “political bias” in K-12 classrooms.
Her campaign announcement celebrates new statewide prohibitions on transgender inclusion in female sports.
“When activists came for our classrooms, we fought back and won,” she said in the campaign video. “And when they tried to tell our daughters that girl sports aren’t just for girls, we said, not in Wyoming.”
Degenfelder will face off against at least three other Republicans in the primary election on Aug. 18: State Sen. Eric Barlow (R-Gillette), former U.S. Marine Brent Bien and business owner Joseph Kibler, who have all announced.
