Despite consistently being the state with the highest approval rating of President Donald Trump, one of Wyoming’s leading Republican candidates for governor, Eric Barlow, has repeatedly voted against bills in line with the MAGA movement’s crackdown on illegal immigration.
Barlow, a state senator who formerly served as Speaker of the Wyoming House of Representatives, has sided with Democrats when it comes to sanctuary cities and blocking illegal aliens from public benefits.
The other Republicans in the race ahead of August’s Republican primary election include the Trump-endorsed Megan Degenfelder, who has been the state’s Superintendent of Public Instruction since 2023.
Brent Bien, a retired colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps, is also in the running for the Republican nomination.
As a state representative in 2016, Barlow voted “no” on HB0135, a bill that would have restricted public welfare programs to American citizens and lawful residents — ensuring that illegal migrants do not take advantage of the state’s public benefits.
Furthermore, the then-representative also voted against bills that would have banned sanctuary cities and counties in Wyoming three years in a row: in 2018, 2019, and 2020.
Barlow only officially changed his position on banning sanctuary cities in 2025, voting in favor of HB0133, which successfully became law.
Still, some of Barlow’s votes remained opposed to the mainstream conservative view on immigration even after Trump began his second term as president.
In February 2025, Barlow voted “no” on an omnibus immigration bill that would have created penalties for transporting, hiding, or hiring illegal aliens; required citizenship or lawful-status checks for public benefits; and pushed state law enforcement to cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
SF0124 would have also required people to prove their citizenship to obtain driver’s licenses and ID cards, which contributes to election integrity.
Trump offered Degenfelder his endorsement and called on her to launch her campaign in early January after she told local outlet Cowboy State Daily that she was “strongly considering” a run for governor in December.
“Many of my strongest supporters and friends in Wyoming have been calling and telling me how great ‘MAGA’ Megan Degenfelder is, because she is considering launching a Campaign to be the next Governor of the Great State of Wyoming, a place I love and WON BIG in 2016, 2020, and 2024,” the president wrote on Truth Social. “From everything I know about her, she would be fantastic!”
If she becomes governor of Wyoming, Trump wrote that Degenfelder will keep the border secure, stop migrant crime, ensure law and order, and champion several other MAGA-aligned causes.
“Should she decide to enter this Race, ‘MAGA’ Megan Degenfelder has my Complete and Total Endorsement,” Trump concluded his post. “RUN, MEGAN, RUN!”
Degenfelder faced off with the other Republican candidate besides Barlow, Bien, in a debate this week. Both said they support stronger immigration enforcement, with Bien stating that he wants to cooperate with ICE “to the fullest extent possible.”
“If you’re here legally, you got nothing to worry about. If you aren’t, it’s time to go home,” Degenfelder stated.
Olivia Rondeau is a politics reporter for Breitbart News based in Washington, DC. Find her on X/Twitter and Instagram.
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