Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder announced Monday she will run for Wyoming governor in 2026. Her announcement follows a Friday afternoon endorsement from President Donald Trump.
“I am humbled and inspired to have the support and encouragement of President Trump,” Degenfelder said in a press release. “Coastal elites and liberal activists are coming for our oil, gas and coal jobs. Radical extremists seek to redefine genders, threatening our young women. And the political establishment cares more about undermining President Trump than serving the people who elected them. Not in Wyoming. Not when I’m Governor.”
Trump, in a Friday post on Truth Social, said Degenfelder would champion Wyoming values.
“Many of my strongest supporters and friends in Wyoming have been calling me and telling me how great ‘MAGA’ Megan Degenfelder is,” Trump wrote.
Trump remains popular in Wyoming, having won the state by the largest margin in the nation in 2024.
Degenfelder is not the first to announce a run for governor. Former Speaker of the House, Republican State Sen. Eric Barlow, announced his own bid in August. Brent Bien, former gubernatorial candidate, and political newcomer Joseph Kibler also made previous announcements.
Degenfelder is the latest in a string of Wyoming politicians seeking higher office. Last month, Rep. Harriet Hageman announced she would run for the Senate seat being vacated by Cynthia Lummis. Then, Wyoming Secretary of State Chuck Gray announced he would run for the congressional seat opening up due to Hageman’s departure.
Born and raised in Casper, Degenfelder attended the University of Wyoming, where she earned bachelor’s degrees in economics and political science. She then earned a master’s degree in economics from the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing.
She and her husband, Bryan Dugas, live in Laramie.
Before voters elected her as superintendent in 2022, Degenfelder spent about a decade working in the coal, oil and gas industries. She also previously worked for U.S. Sen. Cynthia Lummis when she was in the House and served under former Superintendent Jillian Balow as chief policy officer.
When Balow resigned in January 2022 to take a job out of state, Degenfelder threw her name in the hat of nominees to fill the post. However, the Wyoming Republican Party picked three other nominees instead, including Brian Schroeder, whom Degenfelder challenged in 2022. While Trump endorsed Schroeder, Degenfelder was ultimately victorious in the Republican primary.
As superintendent, Degenfelder promptly gathered stakeholders of differing political views and geographical locations to help craft a document to guide districts in shaping policies for providing or restricting books. More recently, she announced a new statewide language and literacy initiative.
Degenfelder supported legislation to authorize charter schools and a voucher program to make public funds available for private tuition. She also spoke in favor of a pair of bills aimed at limiting transgender students’ participation in school sports and bathroom accessibility. In 2024, she partnered with Gov. Mark Gordon and Attorney General Bridget HIll to challenge the Biden administration’s Title IX rules that prohibited blanket bans on transgender athletes.
“I continue to oppose these new rules because they endanger female students, decrease the due process rights of teachers and students, infringe upon the religious liberty of teachers and students, and create unnecessary and overly burdensome requirements on school districts,” she said in a June 2024 press release.
Degenfelder also supported legislation to authorize charter schools and a voucher program to make public funds available for private tuition.
She’s made efforts to align with the Trump administration, including her support for the dismantling of the U.S. Department of Education and opposition to the Biden administration’s summer school lunch program.
This so called ‘Superintendent of Public Instruction’ who is helping decimate public education in Wyoming, is now running for Governor. That’s all the State needs is another orange stain sycophant joining maga to subvert democracy…Wake up Wyoming!!!
People beware! She cheered trump’s decision to dismantle the department of education. Will she follow trump’s moves and dismantle the Wyoming department of Education ,if elected governor?
The US Dept of Education came into existence in 1979.
Judging by the general knowledge a high school graduate has today compared to that of previous generations, I would say the Federal involvement was a failure.
Like many WY politicians, her divisive rhetoric is doing far more damage than she could ever undo with policy. WY is a dying state with REAL and SUBSTANTIAL problems. Now more than ever, we need a problem-solver, not a MAGA poser eager to further enrich the trillion dollar oil and gas industry.
One of these days I’m hoping to read an article about someone announcing their candidacy that I would actually vote for. So far every article has shown me who not to vote for.
A very reliable person who also is prety smart says Barlow is not bad. Also Tara Nethercott has decent head on her shoulders. ( i hope I didn’t mess her name up)
I remember when Degenfelder ran for Superintendent, she presented herself as the rational, reasonable candidate to defeat a right-wing kook. Immediately upon winning her office, she changed tactics and began her full-MAGA transformation, complete with bathroom bills and diverting public funds to private schools. What policy differentiates her from the guy she defeated? Who will she decide to be next? Will she change stripes again? She is not trustworthy.
I was introduced to a sane and reasonable person during her run for office and within days of being elected, Mr Hyde replaced her and we had a MAGA warrior complete with bejeweled cross of the not so Christian Right wing. Instead of dealing with actual issues that Wyoming faces, it was as if an invasion of trans students was taking over our schools. Sending vouchers when our public schools are underfunded to well funded private schools and stopping summer lunch programs, bowing to the Epstein pedophile when you are anywhere near children makes her grossly unqualified to run this state. The Wyoming way is not rich boys funded by their daddies from big cites as with her MAGA leader and Chuck Gray. A state that values public land and parks, values science, wants people to have the ability to make their own health care decisions cannot vote for these people or those who rubber stamp MAGA policies. Get rid of the lot please
Megan has definitely earned Trumps endorsement. She is always performing. He likes that kind of stuff.
Another Trump bootlicker. Sadly, probably enough to get her elected in Wyoming.
Her statement reads like a tired joke. She thinks that gender fluidity is the most serious problem affecting Wyoming women? REALLY??? Someone with zero understanding of the myriad of substantial issues and challenges facing this state, and obviously less than zero idea about how to solve any of them, shouldn’t even be in consideration for the office.
Why can’t she stand on her own merit? Her campaign reads like it could apply to any MAGA Republican running for office. It’s sad to see someone so blatantly disregard Wyoming’s current needs in favor of a backwards-looking national agenda. She has been terrible for public education (just ask any school) because she spent most of her tenure chasing down Trump, and she will be terrible for the state as a whole if elected for governor. Disappointing to say the least.
One would think that a state Sec of Education would be an advocate for children yet Degenfelder accepts an endorsement from Epstein buddy Donald Trump? I think this proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that Megan is and has been all in it for her. What an absolutely dismal candidate for the Gov of our State and I hope that the voters take care of this sellout in the primaries
Shaping up to be an interesting primary.
President trump endorsed chuck gray in 2022,
&
Brian Schroeder !
Eric Barlow & Reid Rasner are trying to get elected without president trump’s endorsement.
I see Brent bien & Joseph killer taking votes away from Eric Barlow.
Typo not Joseph killer , but Joseph kibler !
Donald J Trump, a convicted felon, Epstein associate, thug and bully, well, he sure knows how to pick pond scum. Heck, if he were alive, O.J. probably would of been his VP. Trump’s endorsement of Degenfelder will bite her back in the long run and prove out to be meaningless.
She’s endorsed by “Trump”…do you mean the Epstein Files Trump? Quite the endorsement there, Meggie! Better go shoot a dog and have a ton of plastic surgery on your lips, sweetie, then we’ll talk
I think she has done well as Superintendent of Instruction. I do not understand how vouchers are controversial. Choice and competition are strong public policy. Her story is very impressive and I think she is the clear front runner.
So far all that have announced for an office are people I wouldn’t vote for.
She’ll have to go to the Mar-a-Lago Face plastic surgeon first. Like Kristi Noem did. Although she’s close, Megan doesn’t quite have the ‘look’ yet. Got the fingernails down though 🙂
Ladies and gentlemen, the next Governor of the Great State of Wyoming…..
Burrrppp.
Oh great. Another tRump boot licker wanting another job she is not qualified for.
She has what it takes to win in Wyoming and with Trump; young, blond hair, no credentials and a silver cross.
So this is why she went full MAGA. Yet another opportunist with no principles
I find this to be terribly depressing that she has been endorsed by DJT. Money will come into the state to support her and PAC’s like The Club for Growth which are not in WY love to support extremist policies for WY. The work continues to see sanity and stop cruelty like not feeding children lunch.
A Trump endorsement is all that I need to say “no way” for her to get my vote.
Way too many slimy people trying to kiss that criminal’s booty at the moment for my taste (and yes, Trump is a convicted felon whether you choose to accept a legitimate fact or not). Time for the moderates (whoops, meant RINOs) and the democrats to line up some credible competition or we’re begging for more of the same blatant corruption and ineptness as we’ve had lately in our “leaders”….just sayin’.
Just say NO!
An individual who took money away from programs that help feed children in the summer should not be in charge of anything. She should definitely not be governor of our state
Agreed. Just the start of why she should not be governor.