After at least two weekends of an aggressive advertising campaign that named no specific political office, Wyoming Secretary of State Chuck Gray declared Monday that he’s running for the state’s lone U.S. House seat.
The Republican incumbent, U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman, told Cowboy State Daily last week that she’s running rather for the soon-to-be vacated seat of U.S. Sen. Cynthia Lummis.
Lummis announced Dec.19 that she’s not running for another six-year term in 2026.
Gray announced his bid Monday via Fox News. His political Facebook page then posted a profile photo depicting him in an orange and grey flannel shirt, with a tawny field in the blurred background, and white-backed lettering reading “CONSERVATIVE FOR CONGRESS.”
The “Intro” segment of the page to the left of the photo reads “Republican Secretary of State — MAGA Conservative — Candidate for Wyoming’s At-Large US House seat.”
A second paragraph reads: “Fighting for election integrity, Wyoming Energy, the Second Amendment and the Trump agenda.”
Who’s Gray
Gray was elected secretary of state in 2022 after three terms in the state House of Representatives.
He is an outspoken ally of President Donald Trump and a perennial critic of Republican Gov. Mark Gordon.
He’s backed dozens of election reform bills ahead of the past and upcoming legislative sessions.
Gray’s announcement also comes after Wyoming Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder announced she’s “strongly considering” a run for Gordon’s seat, which the governor will have to depart at the close of his second term unless he challenges the state’s term limit law in court.
Gray in response to Cowboy State Daily’s request for comment first sent a Fox News story referencing a statement by his team.
He then sent the statement to Cowboy State Daily, which touts his intention to build on Hageman’s “strong record, advance our shared Wyoming values, and advance the Trump agenda that has delivered the largest margin of victory in the nation in three straight presidential elections.”
Election Integrity
The statement notes that while Gray has been secretary of state, the Wyoming Legislature has enacted proof-of-citizenship requirements to register to vote, banned ranked-choice voting and foreign funding of elections, and written legislation geared at stopping third-party interference in election administration.
The statement says Wyoming has “protected Republican primaries from Democrat interference.”
That legislation, passed in 2023, banned people from changing their party affiliation after the date by which primary election candidates file for office.
“Wyomingites say what we mean and mean what we say,” Gray said. “My record shows that I follow through to get conservative priorities done for the citizens of Wyoming.
“In Congress, I will secure the border, unleash Wyoming’s energy, lower costs for families, and protect the Second Amendment.”
A ‘Strongest Defender’ Of Trump
Gray’s statement calls him one of Trump’s “strongest defenders nationwide,” pointing to his filing of an amicus brief in the Colorado Supreme Court when Republicans in that state challenged Trump’s eligibility for office.
The amicus brief generated controversy in the state House of Representatives, which contemplated a budget to ban Gray from spending state money on his own legal actions.
When the campaign arm of the Wyoming Freedom Caucus — a group aligned with Gray — launched campaign mailers against multiple House candidates claiming this action amounted to a vote to keep Trump off the ballot, two of those candidates filed a defamation lawsuit against the group in response.
That lawsuit is ongoing.
Gray’s Monday statement says that, “When political insiders abandoned President Trump, I didn’t flinch. I stood with the President and the American people, because in this country voters decide elections — not radical leftist attorneys.”
Gray’s statement says he’s fought to protect coal, oil and gas jobs “from coastal elites and ESG-driven mandates.”
“Woke wind is wrong for Wyoming,” Gray said. “I will work to end Obama-Biden subsidies for boondoggle projects and stand up for reliable, affordable energy that powers Wyoming families and jobs.”
The statement points to a poll by Tony Fabrizio showing Gray leading potential opponents in various races.
“Today and every day, our campaign is about the people of Wyoming,” Gray says. “I will listen to them, work for them, and deliver results.”
Clarification: An earlier version of this story said Gray announced via Facebook, when in fact he announced his bid via Fox News.
Clair McFarland can be reached at clair@cowboystatedaily.com.
