Gov. Gordon wins GOP primary; Gray and Degenfelder also win

Aug. 17—CHEYENNE — Gov. Mark Gordon defeated his two Republican opponents in the primary election for another term in a landslide Tuesday.

In another key race, Rep. Chuck Gray, R-Casper, was chosen to become the next secretary of state, in an open race because the current office-holder is becoming a judge.

Around 12:30 a.m. Wednesday, all 23 counties had reported their unofficial results to the Wyoming Secretary of State's Office.

Gray and Gordon were among the candidates in five key Republican primary state races, including the secretary of state, state treasurer and state superintendent of public instruction. These races were highly contested.

Gordon won with 101,092 votes in the gubernatorial campaign, among GOP members. Rival Brent Bien had 48,549, while Rex Rammell earned 9,373 votes and James Scott Quick got 4,725. There were 533 write-ins.

Gordon will face Theresa Livingston, the winner of the Democratic primary, in the general election, after she defeated Rex Wilde. Livingston garnered 4,989 votes from Democrats, while Wilde had 2,016.

The incumbent Gov. Gordon said he will fight for a second term heading into the general election, and that he and his wife, Jennie Gordon, take nothing for granted.

"We're very encouraged by what we're seeing, and it feels good," said Gordon from his election party in Buffalo. "I really want to thank all the supporters for doing such an incredible job."

He faced Rammell and Bien in the Republican primary, both of whom accused Gordon of not standing by the Republican Party's platform strictly enough.

Bien told the Wyoming Tribune Eagle, before polls closed at 7 p.m. local time, it was an incredible experience to campaign throughout the state. He said he was privileged to meet so many Wyoming residents. He said because Wyoming is geographically so vast, and the incumbent, by virtue of being in office, has an advantage, it's hard to overcome.

"It's a challenge, but it's very rewarding at the same time," he said.

Bien and Rammell

Bien also faced backlash from Rammell in the weeks before election night, and accused him of running in the race illegally because he hadn't lived in the state long enough.

Bien retired from active duty in the Marine Corps in 2019. He has repeatedly said he kept his residency throughout the entire time he served.

The Committee to Elect Rex Rammell Governor of Wyoming stated that outgoing Secretary of State Ed Buchanan did not say Bien was eligible to run for governor when Rammell's camp made the complaint.

Rammell told the WTE Tuesday afternoon that he felt he ran a good campaign, but Buchanan should have never allowed Bien to run for governor. He said if Bien was not on the ballot, the votes would not have been split between the two of them.

"Mark Gordon was probably the weakest incumbent," Rammell told the WTE. "And I really feel like I could beat him if Bien wasn't in the race."

Secretary of State

Sen. Tara Nethercott, R-Cheyenne, Rep. Gray and Mark Armstrong were the three candidates vying to be the secretary of state.

According to the unofficial results from the Secretary of State's Office, the winner of the race was Gray. Wyoming voters cast 75,938 votes for him, and Nethercott received 63,044.

Buchanan had earlier dropped out of the race. He later was appointed by Gordon to be a district court judge for the Eighth Judicial District serving Goshen County.

The secretary of state race was contentious leading up to primary election night as Nethercott and Gray made accusations against one another.

Nethercott said more than a week in advance that Gray should be disqualified following a complaint to the Federal Election Commission against him. The complaint was filed by former Secretary of State Max Maxfield, who questioned the financial disclosure from Gray when he previously sought the U.S. House seat for Wyoming. Gray, in turn, says he got the money legitimately, and an expert told the Casper Star-Tribune the candidate was free to contribute the money to his own campaign.

Maxfield endorsed Nethercott, alongside other political leaders in the state who said they doubted the qualifications of Gray and his stance the 2020 election was stolen.

Neither Nethercott or Gray commented Tuesday night.

Gray was endorsed by former President Donald Trump, and has made claims of his own against the Cheyenne attorney. WyoFile reported Monday that text messages paid for by the Committee to Elect Chuck Gray said his opponent was being sued for lying and slander, investigated for violating state campaign law and gave herself a $30,000 taxpayer-funded raise, which Nethercott denied.

Armstrong reflected on the campaign Tuesday before polls closed. He said it had been a long battle against Nethercott and Gray, and he didn't have the funds they did.

"The other two have spent over $800,000 on their campaigns," he told the WTE. "I don't want them anywhere near public money."

Armstrong garnered 14,292 votes, syphoning a significant portion from Nethercott. Dan Dockstader, who withdrew his candidacy after ballots had been printed, received 3,465 votes, and there were 410 write-ins.

There were no declared Democrats for secretary of state.

State Superintendent

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Brian Schroeder was seeking a first full term in office, and lost to challenger Megan Degenfelder by more than 3,500 votes.

He was appointed to the office by Gordon after the former state superintendent, Jillian Balow, went to serve in a similar job under newly elected Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin.

Degenfelder received 59,301 votes across the state. Schroeder followed closely behind with 55,746.

He told the WTE his campaign did everything humanly possible and left no stone unturned. He said he did the very best to get across the state to every event. He also received an endorsement from Trump.

The two other contenders in the Republican primary were Jennifer Zerba and Robert White III, who together received just over 18,000 votes.

Degenfelder will face Democratic candidate Sergio Maldonado Sr. in the general election, who received 6,690 votes in an uncontested primary.

Other statewide races

Incumbent State Treasurer Curt Meier also won his primary election for against challenger Bill Gallop, and was recently endorsed by Trump. According to unofficial results from the Secretary of State's Office, Meier received 97,489 votes to Gallop's 40,643.

Kristi Racines is currently the Wyoming state auditor and was the only candidate in the Republican primary. She received 133,724 votes. She doesn't face an opponent in the general election for a second term, according to the Secretary of State's Office.

Jasmine Hall is the Wyoming Tribune Eagle's state government reporter. She can be reached by email at jhall@wyomingnews.com or by phone at 307-633-3167. Follow her on Twitter @jasminerhphotos and on Instagram @jhrose25.