Political newcomers seek to beat U.S. House, Senate incumbents in Wyoming

Republicans will decide in Wyoming’s primaries Tuesday whether to stick with long-serving U.S. Sen. John Barrasso and the first-term congresswoman who ousted Liz Cheney two years ago, Harriet Hageman.

As in the Republican primary, Democratic candidates with no previous political experience are running for U.S. House and Senate. Unlike in the GOP contests, those two Democrats are unopposed.

Meanwhile, the primary in super-conservative Wyoming — the state that has voted for Donald Trump by a wider margin than any other — is also the first time Democrats are barred from switching party registration at the last minute to participate in the livelier Republican contest. A new law bans “crossover” registration at the polls and for three months before primary day — potentially cementing the Republican dominance that has rendered Democrats nearly extinct.

The Republican-dominated Legislature passed the law in 2023 amid GOP grumbling that Democrats changing parties skewed GOP primary outcomes.

The Republican races have been low-key affairs compared to two years ago, when Hageman took on Cheney and denied her a fourth term by a more than 2-to-1 vote margin.

<bsp-list-loadmore data-module="" class=«PageListStandardB» data-gtm-region=«RELATED COVERAGE» data-gtm-topic=«No Value» data-show-loadmore=«true» data-gtm-modulestyle=«List B»> <bsp-custom-headline custom-headline=«div»> RELATED COVERAGE </bsp-custom-headline> <bsp-custom-headline custom-headline=«div»> Democrats are dwindling in Wyoming. A primary election law further reduces their influence </bsp-custom-headline> <bsp-custom-headline custom-headline=«div»> AP Decision Notes: What to expect in Wyoming’s state primaries </bsp-custom-headline> <bsp-custom-headline