Republican state legislator and rancher Eric Barlow has won Wyoming’s gubernatorial race, beating Democrat Ken Casner.
Both the Associated Press (AP) and NBC News called the race in the Republican’s favor early on election night:
With about four percent of the votes counted as of 8:00 p.m. local time, Barlow has about 61 percent support over Casner’s 27 percent.
Back in the August GOP primary, Barlow defeated Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder, who had President Donald Trump’s support in the race.
As reported by Breitbart News, Barlow has earned a reputation for repeatedly voting against bills in line with the MAGA movement’s crackdown on illegal immigration:
As a state representative in 2016, Barlow voted “no” on HB0135, a bill that would have restricted public welfare programs to American citizens and lawful residents — ensuring that illegal migrants do not take advantage of the state’s public benefits.
Furthermore, the then-representative also voted against bills that would have banned sanctuary cities and counties in Wyoming three years in a row: in 2018, 2019, and 2020.
Barlow only officially changed his position on banning sanctuary cities in 2025, voting in favor of HB0133, which successfully became law.
In February 2025, Barlow also voted “no” on an omnibus immigration bill that would have created penalties for transporting, hiding, or hiring illegal aliens; required citizenship or lawful-status checks for public benefits; and pushed state law enforcement to cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Casner, who also ran unsuccessful campaigns for governor in 2002 and 2018, is a veteran of the Vietnam War who stressed to local media that he is proud to be seen as a “perennial candidate” because that means he is resilient.
The Republican Governors Association (RGA) congratulated Barlow on his win shortly after the race was called.
Barlow will succeed the term-limited Gov. Mark Gordon (R) in January.
Olivia Rondeau is a politics reporter for Breitbart News based in Washington, DC. Find her on X/Twitter and Instagram.
