Wyoming Senate Voter Guide: Hageman and Byrd on Energy and Rural Health Care
Two candidates are on the ballot for U.S. Senate in Wyoming on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026: Republican Rep. Harriet Hageman, Wyoming's lone member of the U.S. House, and Democrat James Byrd, a former state representative. The seat is open because Republican Sen. Cynthia Lummis is not seeking a second term.
The Digital Free Press voter guide video compares the two candidates on energy and rural health care. Here is where each one stands, based on the video, the candidates' own words and Wyoming reporting.
Why Energy and Rural Health Care Are Issues
Both candidates told Wyoming Public Radio that they would make the state's energy industry a priority, but in different ways. Hageman emphasized coal, oil, gas and uranium, while Byrd emphasized investing energy revenue in new technologies.
Health care costs and access topped the list of issues WyoFile readers ranked as most important to them, according to WyoFile's 2026 election guide. Wyoming was allocated $205 million through the federal Rural Health Transformation Program, Wyoming Public Media reported, and the two candidates disagree about how much that money will help.
Harriet Hageman (Republican)
Hageman grew up on a ranch outside Fort Laramie and worked as a trial attorney for three decades on property, water rights and natural resources cases before winning her House seat in 2022, when she unseated then-Rep. Liz Cheney. She won the Aug. 18 Republican Senate primary with 64.9% of the vote over former Kirby Mayor Sam Mead.
On energy, the video says Hageman has worked to bring more coal leases to Wyoming, which has not had a new lease since 2012. She told Wyoming Public Radio that coal lease money "was really the primary funding that we used for building all of the beautiful schools that we have in the state of Wyoming." "Energy security is national security, and Wyoming is one of the most important energy states in the nation," she said in the same interview. "My agenda in the House of Representatives has been to protect our energy industry, make sure that we can continue to produce oil and gas and coal and uranium. I will continue to do that over there as well." At a July forum, Hageman dismissed wind and solar energy, saying they lack the density of fossil fuels and that the state has enough coal, oil and gas to power the country for centuries, Oil City News reported.
On rural health care, the video says Hageman believes the Rural Health Transformation Fund, which brings $205 million to Wyoming, will help fix health care systems. "I am proud to have secured more than $205 million for Wyoming health care through the Rural Health Transformation Program to strengthen care and access across our state," Hageman told WyoFile. She told Wyoming Public Radio that the money will be tailored to the communities that need it because the state Legislature decides how it is divided, but added, "Government programs are not always the solution to providing these resources." At the July forum, she also called for pharmacy benefit manager reform and letting insurers sell coverage across state lines.
James Byrd (Democrat)
Byrd served 10 years in the Wyoming House, from 2009 to 2019, representing Laramie County. He describes himself as a fifth-generation Wyomingite and a professional geophysicist, and he worked in oil exploration and later cybersecurity, according to Wyoming Public Media. His mother, Liz Byrd, was the first Black woman elected to the Wyoming Legislature. He won the Aug. 18 Democratic primary with 79.3% of the vote.
On energy, the video says Byrd wants Wyoming to invest its energy revenue in research on nuclear waste, solar, wind and geothermal technologies. "Because I'm a capitalist, we could license these technologies to the rest of the world and make more money on the licensing than we would actually make on the energy production," Byrd told Wyoming Public Radio. In a candidate article for the Green River Star, he proposed a "Wyoming Energy Corridor Act" with 90-day federal permitting deadlines and said tech companies building data centers should cover the full cost of grid upgrades. His campaign website says he will "fight to lower energy costs by backing domestic production, cutting red tape, and ending the wasteful foreign wars driving prices up." He told the Wyoming Tribune Eagle that he supports "protecting our energy workers while aggressively expanding into next-generation innovations—like advanced nuclear in Kemmerer and carbon capture."
On rural health care, the video says Byrd believes the rural health money will arrive too late to make a significant difference. "By the time these dollars roll into Wyoming, it'll be too late, and it won't be significant to make any difference," he told Wyoming Public Radio. In WyoFile's guide, Byrd said Congress should safeguard support programs and critical access designations for small rural facilities, push for transparent medical pricing, cap prescription drug costs and make telehealth reimbursements permanent. His campaign website says he will "push to lower drug costs, protect rural hospitals, and make insurance actually work for the people paying into it."
Where to Follow the Candidates
Harriet Hageman: @HagemanforWY on X and @hagemanforwy on Instagram. James Byrd: @ByrdforSenate on X and @jamesbyrdforsenate on Instagram.
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 Public Media, "Senate candidates talk public lands, healthcare and energy" (Oct. 2, 2026): https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/open-spaces/2026-10-02/senate-candidates-talk-public-lands-healthcare-and-energy ; WyoFile 2026 Election Guide, Harriet Hageman: https://projects.wyofile.com/election-guide-2026/candidates/hageman-harriet/ ; WyoFile 2026 Election Guide, James Byrd: https://projects.wyofile.com/election-guide-2026/candidates/byrd-james/ ; Green River Star, "Voter's Guide - US Senator - 2026 General Election" (Oct. 15, 2026): https://www.greenriverstar.com/story/2026/10/15/news/voters-guide-us-senator-2026-general-election/14372.html ; Wyoming Tribune Eagle, "James Byrd, Democrat, U.S. Senate": https://www.wyomingnews.com/news/elections/candidates/james-byrd-democrat-u-s-senate/article_6abc6c81-4dd1-40cb-9d7e-62942fccf485.html ; Oil City News via Cap City News, "Wyoming US Senate candidates agree on insider trading, split on energy, healthcare, Social Security" (July 9, 2026): https://capcity.news/latest-news/2026/07/09/wyoming-us-senate-candidates-agree-on-insider-trading-split-on-energy-healthcare-social-security/ ; Wyoming Public Media, "Hageman wins Republican primary for Senate, Byrd wins Democratic vote" (Aug. 18, 2026): https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/politics-government/2026-08-18/hageman-wins-republican-primary-for-senate-byrd-wins-democratic-vote ; Wyoming Secretary of State, 2026 General Election Candidate Roster: https://sos.wyo.gov/Elections/Docs/2026/2026_WY_General_Election_Candidates.pdf ; Wikipedia, 2026 United States Senate election in Wyoming: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_United_States_Senate_election_in_Wyoming ; Harriet Hageman campaign: https://www.hagemanforwyoming.com/ ; James Byrd campaign: https://www.byrdforsenate.com/
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