Wyoming Governor Voter Guide: Barlow, Casner and Bextel on Top Priorities and Prop 1
Three candidates are on the ballot for governor of Wyoming on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026: Republican Eric Barlow, Democrat Kenneth R. Casner and Constitution Party nominee Rebecca Bextel. The seat is open because Gov. Mark Gordon, a Republican, is term-limited.
The Digital Free Press voter guide video compares the three candidates on their top priorities and on Proposition 1, the property tax measure on the November ballot. Here is where each one stands, based on the video, the candidates' own words and Wyoming reporting.
The names and parties above match the Wyoming Secretary of State's 2026 general election candidate roster. Most of the positions in the video match a Wyoming Public Radio report on the candidates' top issues and coverage of the Oct. 14 governor debate in Riverton.
What Proposition 1 Would Do
Proposition 1 is a citizen initiative, which asks voters whether a law should be enacted. According to the official ballot language from the Secretary of State, it would exempt 50% of the assessed value of a qualified homeowner's primary residence from property tax. To qualify, a homeowner would have to have lived in Wyoming for at least a year, have lived in the home for at least six months of the previous tax year and file a sworn claim with the county assessor. Only one exemption would apply per property and per owner each year.
The official estimate printed on the ballot projects a revenue decrease to the state of about $92.6 million in fiscal year 2028 and $95.9 million in fiscal year 2029, and says it does not include the impact on local governments. Wyoming Republican Party leadership has backed the measure, while groups representing local governments, hospitals, firefighters and schools, which rely on property tax revenue, have opposed it, WyoRoundup reported. The Legislature has also passed several property tax relief measures in recent years.
Eric Barlow (Republican)
Barlow, of Gillette, is a state senator and former speaker of the Wyoming House. He is a Marine Corps veteran, a large-animal veterinarian and a fourth-generation rancher from Campbell County, according to his campaign and MultiState. He won the Republican primary in August with 45% of the vote.
On top priorities, the video says Barlow lists education, health care and water rights as the top challenges facing the state. He told Wyoming Public Radio that people want a Wyoming "where young people can stay," and named health care for young families, education from K-12 through community colleges and the university, and water challenges from the Colorado River to prolonged drought. His campaign website also lists cash-based budgeting and local control for communities.
On Proposition 1, the video says Barlow does not support it, citing local services funded by property taxes. At the Oct. 14 debate, he said he has supported five measures in the Legislature that significantly reduce the property tax burden and does not support adding another cut before their full effects are clear, WyoRoundup reported. "Property taxes support school districts, the schools in your community and the services that you receive," he said, according to the Jackson Hole News&Guide. "I do not support it, and we have done a lot, and there's more that can be done through the legislature," he added, according to WyoRoundup.
Kenneth Casner (Democrat)
Casner, of Elk Mountain, was born in Cheyenne and graduated from East High School in 1968. He describes himself as a third-generation, working-class Wyoming resident. He has run for governor before and was unopposed in this year's Democratic primary.
On top priorities, the video says Casner's number one issue is easier elections and more opportunity for independent candidates. He told Wyoming Public Radio his top issue is ease of elections, simpler voting and more room for independent candidates: "I'm tired of living in 1892, where Wyoming has pretty much made it standard that you either join a party or you don't join a party, because you can't run in the primaries." He told Your Wyoming Link he wants tax dollars directed toward taking care of people, including funding for universal health care.
On Proposition 1, the video says Casner did not say whether he supports or opposes it. Asked about the measure at the Oct. 14 debate, he did not take a position. Instead, he said he remained "fully committed to upholding the Wyoming Constitution and defending the rights of our citizens against federal overreach," WyoRoundup reported.
Rebecca Bextel (Constitution Party)
Bextel, of Jackson, is a business owner who has lived in Wyoming for more than 20 years and raised four daughters with her husband, Jonathan, according to her campaign. She was active in the Wyoming Republican Party and a major fundraiser for the party and for President Trump before switching to the Constitution Party this year, Wyoming Public Media and Cowboy State Daily reported.
On top priorities, the video says Bextel's campaign website proposes a first 100 days plan to shrink state government, including a freeze on discretionary grants. Her plan calls for reviewing every executive agency, board and commission, freezing or publicly reviewing discretionary grant programs, reviewing energy subsidies and tax breaks, and sending lawmakers a permanent property tax package that protects primary residences. "Wyoming does not need another administration that manages the status quo," the plan says.
On Proposition 1, the video says Bextel opposes property taxes altogether and doubts the official revenue estimate for the measure. She supports Proposition 1 and wrote in an Oct. 13 opinion piece that she is voting yes. At the debate, she called property tax a "scam" and said official estimates are "always wrong," WyoRoundup reported. "Property tax is a free-for-all on whatever those elected officials want to spend money on," she said, according to the Jackson Hole News&Guide.
In February, the Wyoming House created a special committee to investigate after Bextel walked onto the House floor and handed $1,500 checks from a Teton County donor to Republican lawmakers. The committee found that lawmakers did not accept bribes, and Bextel has denied wrongdoing, WyoFile and Wyoming Public Media reported; a criminal investigation by the Laramie County Sheriff's Office was ongoing as of September, according to Cowboy State Daily. Separately, Wyoming Game and Fish has asked a Lincoln County court to block construction on a property bought by a company registered to her husband, where the agency holds a public hunting and fishing easement. That case is ongoing, and Bextel says it is political. A related misdemeanor trespassing charge against her was dismissed without prejudice in May, Cowboy State Daily reported.
Where to Follow the Candidates
Eric Barlow: @Barlowforwyo on X, @barlow_wyo on Instagram and @barlowforwyo on TikTok. Rebecca Bextel: @RebeccaforWY on X and @rebeccaforwyoming on Instagram. No campaign social media accounts for Kenneth Casner could be confirmed.
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026. This guide is for information only; The Digital Free Press does not endorse any candidate.
Yossi Schmidt, Founder and Editor-in-Chief, The Digital Free Press
Hold Everyone Accountable.
Sources: Wyoming Secretary of State, 2026 General Election Candidate Roster: https://sos.wyo.gov/Elections/Docs/2026/2026_WY_General_Election_Candidates.pdf ; Wyoming Secretary of State, 2026 Statewide Ballot Propositions: https://sos.wyo.gov/Elections/Docs/2026/2026_Statewide_Ballot_Propositions.pdf ; Wyoming Public Radio, "Governor candidates highlight top issues facing Wyoming": https://891khol.org/governor-candidates-highlight-top-issues-facing-wyoming/ ; WyoRoundup, "Gubernatorial candidates split on Proposition 1 as Bextel calls property tax a 'scam'" (Oct. 15, 2026): https://www.wyoroundup.com/article/831,gubernatorial-candidates-split-on-proposition-1-as-bextel-calls-property-tax-a-scam ; Jackson Hole News&Guide, "Candidates for governor, secretary of state clash in PBS debates": https://www.jhnewsandguide.com/jackson_hole_daily/state_and_regional/wy_news/candidates-for-governor-secretary-of-state-clash-in-pbs-debates/article_147d50bc-e4f5-42ef-af3c-9f244ed89b2f.html ; Cowboy State Daily, debate coverage (Oct. 14, 2026): https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/10/14/at-wyoming-gov-debate-bextel-bashes-barlow-almost-the-whole-time/ ; Wyoming Public Media, "Rebecca Bextel runs as the Constitution Party nominee for governor" (Oct. 14, 2026): https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/politics-government/2026-10-14/rebecca-bextel-runs-as-the-constitution-party-nominee-for-wyomings-governor ; Your Wyoming Link, Ken Casner's priorities: https://www.yourwyominglink.com/news/local/the-people-are-the-party-ken-casners-priorities-in-the-governor-race/article_ab23228c-4665-4052-89f4-f416917fa812.html ; MultiState, Wyoming Governor Race 2026: https://www.multistate.us/elections/governor-race/wyoming-2026 ; Oil City News, primary results (Aug. 18, 2026): https://oilcity.news/general/2026/08/18/republican-barlow-advances-to-face-democrat-casner-constitution-partys-bextel-for-wyoming-governor/ ; WyoFile, Checkgate committee coverage: https://wyofile.com/bextel-lawmakers-maintain-no-wrongdoing-as-wyoming-house-panel-questions-witnesses/ and https://wyofile.com/campaign-checks-did-not-constitute-bribery-but-conduct-must-never-occur-again-wyoming-legislative-panel-concludes/ ; Wyoming Public Media, "House committee finalizes 'Checkgate' report" (March 5, 2026): https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/politics-government/2026-03-05/house-committee-finalizes-checkgate-report ; Cowboy State Daily, Bextel and Game and Fish (Sept. 18, 2026): https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/09/18/unpacking-rebecca-bextels-legal-battle-against-the-wyoming-game-and-fish/ ; Rebecca Bextel campaign, First 100 Days: https://bextelplan.com/ ; Eric Barlow campaign, Positions: https://www.barlowforwyo.com/positions ; Cap City News, Rebecca Bextel opinion, "Vote yes on Prop 1" (Oct. 13, 2026): https://capcity.news/opinion/2026/10/13/opinion-vote-yes-on-prop-1/
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