Degenfelder to vie for governor

CHEYENNE — State Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder officially announced her bid for Wyoming governor Monday following an endorsement from President Donald Trump over the weekend.

“When my President calls on me to serve my state and my country, I answer,” she wrote in an X post Friday responding to Trump’s Truth Social post.

Degenfelder was elected to her current role in 2022, becoming one of the youngest statewide officials in state history at age 34. Since then, she has become known as a staunch conservative who often aligns with Trump’s priorities.

“Megan is an unwavering supporter of President Donald J. Trump, often referring to her political ideology as ‘the new generation of Trump Republicans,’” her campaign website said. “She attended the signing of President Trump’s executive order to overhaul the U.S. Department of Education.”

According to her website, she is a sixth-generation Wyomingite from a ranch in Casper and graduated from the University of Wyoming with degrees in economics and political science. While in school, she served as student body president and captain of the women’s rugby team.

Later, she earned a master’s degree in economics from the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing, writing her thesis on the elasticity of demand between coal and natural gas.

Following her schooling, Degenfelder spent nearly a decade working in the coal and oil and gas industries across Wyoming.

As the top education official in the state for the past three years, Degenfelder has overseen several conservative education reforms. She spearheaded Wyoming’s first state-authorized charter schools and a voucher program designed to provide $7,000 annually for K-12 students in private or home schools. 

The latter is on hold pending an appeal of a district court’s suspension based on its constitutionality.