What do the numbers tell us about the Wyoming governor’s race?

Come Wednesday, once primary election results have been tallied, Wyomingites will know who will likely be their next governor.

Word-of-mouth enthusiasm, mailers, yard signs, candidate-sponsored polling and high-profile endorsements have all played their part in a tug-of-war to establish a Republican frontrunner. Now, recently released candidate filings show which way supporters have been leaning with their wallets.

WyoFile compiled a series of data points from campaign filings available to the public through the Wyoming Secretary of State’s Office. Artificial intelligence prompts were used to transpose hundreds of pages of contribution and expenditure records from PDF files to a searchable spreadsheet format, which was then checked and verified for accuracy by staff and used to create the following graphs.

The first graph, which shows average candidate contributions and expenditures between the 2010 and 2026 elections, includes data from each cycle’s entire campaign season, with the latest beginning on Jan. 1, 2025. All other graphs show only contributions and expenditures from 2026.

Here are some answers to some common questions about who is contributing what in Wyoming’s gubernatorial race.

Is the governor’s race getting more expensive?

We’ll see, but it’s looking that way. Average contributions to the six gubernatorial candidates as of Wednesday already surpassed 2018 contributions through the full election season, and average expenditures are about $100,000 behind. This year’s contributions are massively ahead of the 2010, 2014 and 2022 contests. (2010, like this year, lacked an incumbent.) (Note to readers: This graphic draws from a different data set than the others below.)

Who has raised the most so far this year?

Megan Degenfelder has collected the most money in 2026, narrowly beating out Eric Barlow. Brent Bien trails them both by a sizeable margin. About 75% of total dollars contributed to Barlow’s campaign came from individuals, compared to 65% for Bien and 29% for Degenfelder.

Which Republican candidate has collected the most contributions from individuals?

The number of contributions to Eric Barlow from individuals represents 96% of his campaign’s total contributions and amount to more than four times the number of individual contributions made to Brent Bien’s and Megan Degenfelder’s campaigns..

Which candidate gets the biggest checks?

Megan Degenfelder’s in- and out-of-state contributors give more on average than contributors to Eric Barlow’s and Brent Bien’s campaigns. Degenfelder’s average out-of-state contributions are more than triple her closest rival.

Who’s getting the most help from family?

Eric Barlow received $20,000 in contributions from his mother and his late father’s trust. Brent Bien received $750 from his brother, Bill Bien, of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Megan Degenfelder’s campaign received no direct family contributions, but received $522,000 in loans — $497,000 from her father, Steve, and a loan from herself for $25,000 — amounting to roughly 40% of her total campaign contributions.

What about anonymous and in-kind contributions?

Brent Bien has benefitted the most from anonymous and in-kind contributions, together representing nearly a third of his campaign’s total contributions.

Which candidate has received the most PAC money?

Megan Degenfelder’s campaign has received a total of $392,500 in PAC contributions, with all but $7,000 coming from Wyoming PACs. Barlow trails by about $150,000. Brent Bien has accounted for a total of $6,500 in funding from two Wyoming PACs.

Where’s the money from outside Wyoming coming from?

While the vast majority of contributions have come from Wyoming residents, people from 35 other states have contributed to the three Republican candidates’ campaigns. Bubble size corresponds to individual contributions to any of the three candidates, but doesn’t necessarily mean individual contributors. One Virginia man, for example, has contributed small sums between $6 and $11 to Eric Barlow’s campaign more than 30 times.

So what stands out about each candidate’s fundraising?

Eric Barlow’s campaign balance sheet shows the strongest support from individuals, with another significant chunk from Wyoming PACs. Brent Bien also sees sizable support from individuals, including anonymous and in-kind contributions. Megan Degenfelder’s largest source of campaign funding is loans from her father, followed by roughly equal support from Wyoming PACs and individuals.

For more information about candidates in Wyoming’s federal, state and legislative races, check out WyoFile’s 2026 Election Guide.

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