NEWS
For over a century, third party political movements in Wyoming faced steep challenges breaking through the state's traditional two-party dynamic. Historically, third-party candidates running for statewide office across the Equality State found it difficult to cross into double-digit territory, with most minor-party nominees securing single-digit vote percentages.
When the votes were counted, Constitution Party candidate Rebecca Bextel earned more votes than any third party candidate in Wyoming history at 16.8% with 31,430 votes.
Wyoming holds a distinct place in national history as the first state to grant women the right to vote, enacting the Territorial Women’s Suffrage Act in 1869, decades before the passage of the 19th Amendment, and formally codifying universal suffrage upon joining the Union in 1890. That historical legacy intersected with the political landscape in the 2026 general election, where the state saw a notable performance by a female third-party candidate.
Prior to 2026, the highest percentage of the vote achieved by a third-party gubernatorial candidate in Wyoming history occurred in 1894, when Populist Party nominee Louis Tidball secured 11.3 percent of the vote. In the decades that followed, non-major-party candidates rarely approached that century-old threshold in gubernatorial contests. In modern state history, independent candidate Taylor Haynes reached 7.3 percent in 2010, while independent Don Wills won 5.9 percent in 2014. Nominees running on minor-party lines in recent gubernatorial contests generally recorded smaller totals, such as Constitution Party candidate Rex Rammell receiving 3.3 percent in 2018, and Libertarian candidate Jared Baldes capturing 4.2 percent in 2022.
Wyoming statutory law dictates that any political party whose candidate achieves at least 10 percent of the total vote in a gubernatorial or top-of-ticket statewide election automatically secures major-party status within the state. Maintaining that status has historically proven to be an insurmountable hurdle. In 2014, no Democratic candidate filed for Wyoming Secretary of State. Republican Ed Murray won the seat, but Constitution Party nominee Jennifer Young received 18,918 votes (12.1 percent), and Libertarian candidate Kit Carson earned 16,858 votes (10.8 percent). Both candidates cleared the 10 percent threshold, resulting in Wyoming having four legally recognized major political parties heading into the 2016 primary elections.
However, state law required major parties to maintain that 10 percent threshold in subsequent statewide general election cycles. In the 2016 U.S. House race—their sole opportunity to retain major-party standing—the Constitution Party nominee received 4.1 percent of the vote while the Libertarian nominee earned 3.6 percent, causing both organizations to lose their major-party status in that general election.
The 2026 Wyoming gubernatorial election established a new historical mark for third-party vote share in the state. According to preliminary numbers from the Wyoming Secretary of State's office, the state recorded 191,688 total ballots cast out of 281,219 registered voters prior to Election Day, representing a 68.1 percent voter turnout rate among pre-registered voters. Official totals will be updated as same-day voter registrations are processed over the next 30 days per Wyoming statutes.
This turnout rate among pre-registered voters continues to build on turnout patterns seen in recent Wyoming general elections. Midterm election cycles in Wyoming historically draw lower voter participation compared to presidential election years. During the 2014 midterm general election, the state recorded 171,260 total ballots cast out of 231,218 registered voters, representing a 74.1 percent registered voter turnout rate. In the 2018 midterm general election, turnout reached 205,275 total ballots cast out of 279,482 registered voters, or 73.5 percent. In the 2022 midterm general election, 198,198 total ballots were cast out of 297,639 registered voters, yielding a 66.6 percent registered turnout rate. By contrast, the 2024 presidential general election drew 271,123 total ballots cast out of 350,976 registered voters, marking a 77.2 percent registered turnout rate.
Against this backdrop of voter turnout, Constitution Party nominee Rebecca Bextel received 16.8 percent of the statewide total, representing 31,430 votes. Republican nominee Eric Barlow won the contest with 68.6 percent of the vote, while Democratic nominee Kenneth Casner finished in third place with 14.7 percent.
By securing second place ahead of the major-party Democratic nominee, Bextel's outcome represents the highest percentage achieved by a third-party gubernatorial candidate in Wyoming history, surpassing Louis Tidball's 1894 mark while once again crossing the statutory 10 percent threshold required to restore major-party status for the Constitution Party.
Reacting to the outcome, Constitution Party Chairman Josh Shimkus commented directly on the campaign and its results: "I want to publicly congratulate Rebecca Bextel on her historic win. Wyoming was the first state to allow women the right to vote, and this election, Bextel was the first female gubernatorial candidate to make history as a third-party candidate in the general election."
Shimkus also highlighted the wider party context of the result within the state's political climate: "Her achievement is large for the Constitution Party as the smallest third party in the least populated but most conservative red state."
Looking ahead to future election cycles, Shimkus outlined the party's focus following the vote totals: "The next step for the Constitution Party is to convert those 31,000 votes Bextel received into registrants and grow the party before the next election in 2028."
By securing nearly 17 percent of the vote, Bextel’s total stands as the highest vote share for any third-party gubernatorial candidate in Wyoming history, as well as the highest percentage ever recorded by a female third-party candidate in state history. Crossing that historical mark establishes a new benchmark for alternative party campaigns in Wyoming's gubernatorial elections.
*Editor's Note: Rebecca Bextel is the co-owner of The Open Range Record