RIVERTON—The vocabulary word of the day for the students gathered Thursday at the Boys and Girls Club was “constituent.”
It was apt for the students aged 11 through 17, who have been preparing for weeks to ask questions of Wyoming’s gubernatorial candidates. It was also appropriate for the three GOP candidates — Megan Degenfelder, Eric Barlow and Brent Bien — who glimpsed into the minds of the state’s future voters. Some of the club members will be old enough to vote in November.
The students asked about a variety of issues, including: mental health, workforce needs, stress management and the use of public funds for youth-enrichment programs like theirs.
The students — members of Boys and Girls Clubs in towns like Casper, Riverton and Glenrock — may only represent a small percentage of the state’s current population, noted moderator Preston Blakeley, area director of Boys and Girls Clubs of Central Wyoming.
“But they are 100% of the future,” he said. “They deserve that opportunity to sit at this table and invest their voices in what’s going to happen in the future.”
Based on the sample of young people in attendance and the opportunities that exist in Wyoming, Bien observed, “I think the future is incredibly bright.”
New POV
Wyoming Boys and Girls Clubs invited members this spring to participate in the forum, said Ashley Bright, CEO of Boys and Girls Clubs of Central Wyoming. Club members responded to a call for interest with video pitches, and 13 gathered in Riverton for the event.
Members had worked with staff to develop and winnow questions. They took turns asking candidates how Wyoming loses its young people, about the pressures of public life and the state’s most significant challenges.
The forum brought the candidates face to face with a different demographic than the crowds they’ve been courting during months of campaigning.
Barlow grew up on a Campbell County ranch, served in the Marine Corps and worked as a veterinarian. He was elected to Wyoming’s House of Representatives in 2013 and served as speaker of the House before switching chambers. Degenfelder grew up in Casper as a ranch kid, avid sports player and member of her local Boys and Girls Club, she told the forum. The University of Wyoming graduate was elected superintendent of public instruction in 2022. Bien is a retired U.S. Marine Corps captain who also grew up in Wyoming. He unsuccessfully challenged Gov. Mark Gordon in 2022.
A fourth Republican candidate, Curt Blake, did not attend the forum.
The candidate who prevails in Tuesday’s primary election will face Democrat Kenneth Casner and the Constitution Party’s Rebecca Bextel in the general election.
Flip phones and prayer
Candidates distinguished themselves Thursday with different priorities and styles.
Bien wore a bolo tie, Barlow donned cowboy boots and a tie and Degenfelder appeared in what has become her signature look: firetruck-red blazer, lipstick and nails.
Though Degenfelder has campaigned on the endorsement of President Donald Trump, she did not mention him. She talked about the rise of skilled vocational trades in Wyoming, promising economic opportunities for young people and the comfort she finds in her four dogs. When asked about how she handles criticism that comes with public office, she noted that the top of the hill is always the windiest. She also brought up Wyoming’s state animal, the bison.
“They are one of the only animals that in a snowstorm turn and face into the storm because they instinctively know that that’s the quickest way through,” she said.
When asked about young people leaving the state, Barlow said he himself left Wyoming for 16 years before coming back and finding meaningful opportunities. Rather than focusing solely on a job, he encouraged the members to think about what kind of life they want to live and build a career around that. When asked about how he deals with stress, he told them he prays each morning, goes on long walks and abstains from social media. To illustrate the latter, he held up his flip-phone.
“There are places that are just not healthy to go,” he said of social media. Later, he stressed the importance of civil dialogue and said he’ll work with everyone, regardless of views, to forge solutions.
Bien said one major thing he’ll do to make a better future for young people is limit government. He talked about how important his nuclear family was as a child, stressed community involvement and lauded the club members for getting a jump on that involvement. Losing young people to other states, Bien said, is not unique to Wyoming.
“It’s not a nuance to Wyoming by any means, but the objective here is to bring you back, and I think a lot of that comes down to the cost of living, those kind of things,” he said.
For more information about candidates in Wyoming’s federal, state and legislative races, check out WyoFile’s 2026 Election Guide.
