Harriet Hageman secured the Republican Senate nomination in Wyoming on Tuesday, clearing her path toward the upper chamber.
Hageman, 62, defeated four challengers in the GOP primary for the seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Cynthia Lummis, 70, who was elected in 2020 after four terms in the US House. The primary field included former Kirby Mayor Sam Mead, Jill Edwards, John Holtz, and former environmental services business owner Jimmy Skovgard. Hageman captured 61.5% of the vote, according to unofficial results reported by local outlets.
President Donald Trump endorsed Hageman ahead of the primary, renewing the alliance that first propelled her to national prominence. In a Truth Social post last December when she launched her campaign, Trump called her a “TOTAL WINNER!” And wrote, “Harriet has ALWAYS delivered for Wyoming, and will continue to do so in the United States Senate.” Hageman responded at the time by pledging to advance Trump’s agenda, stating in her launch video, “President Trump’s America First movement made it popular to say you want to Make America Great Again, and he continues to deliver on that promise.”
Hageman’s campaign focused heavily on energy production, property rights, and border security. In her December announcement, she emphasized resource access as central to Wyoming’s future. “I will always defend Wyoming’s ability to access, manage and use our natural resources to fuel our economy,” she said in a statement. “We must ensure that Wyoming remains a leader in energy and food production to help us maintain our way of life.” She also referenced working with Trump to deliver “the largest tax cut in American history” and to pass billions for “border security.”
The attorney from Cheyenne now faces Democratic nominee James Byrd in the November 3 general election. Wyoming has not elected a Democrat to the US Senate or House since the late 1970s. The Cook Political Report rates the seat as solidly Republican with a R+23 partisan lean, the most favorable Senate odds for Republicans this cycle. All statewide offices in Wyoming are currently held by Republicans.
Hageman’s rise has been closely tied to her loyalty to Trump and her rejection of the Republican establishment that Cheney represented. In a statement when Lummis announced her retirement last December, Hageman praised the outgoing senator while positioning herself as the logical successor. “For forty-six years in jobs with the public trust, Cynthia Lummis has embodied the clear-eyed common sense that Wyoming is known for,” Hageman wrote. “Her retirement marks the close of an extraordinary era in our state’s political history — one defined by integrity, independence, and unwavering devotion to the people she served.”
In the viral moment that made her a national figure, Hageman ousted then-Rep. Liz Cheney in the August 2022 Republican primary for Wyoming’s at-large House seat. Cheney, 58, daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, had become Trump’s most prominent Republican critic after voting to impeach him following the January 6, 2021 Capitol attack and subsequently serving as vice chair of the House select committee investigating the riot. Trump aggressively targeted Cheney, endorsing Hageman in the primary race. Hageman defeated Cheney by more than a 2-to-1 margin, taking 66.3% of the vote to Cheney’s 28.9%. Cheney’s loss effectively ended her political career in Wyoming, and she later campaigned for Democratic nominee Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential race.
Hageman’s Senate bid is part of an unusually large turnover in Wyoming’s political leadership. For the first time in 32 years, the state has open races for governor, US Senate, and US House in the same election cycle. Her departure from the House has triggered a crowded Republican primary to replace her in the at-large congressional district, with Secretary of State Chuck Gray and conservative activist Steve Friess among the leading contenders.
Hageman will face Byrd in the general election on November 3.