Degenfelder commits to fighting for Wyoming coal, oil and natural gas industries

With just six people in attendance, Wyoming Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder’s town hall meeting in Lovell on Tuesday felt less like a campaign rally and more like a conversation around the table, offering a chance to hear her thoughts on a wide range of issues.

Held in a board-room-style setting, the event gave those present a rare opportunity to ask direct questions and hear unfiltered answers from the gubernatorial candidate. 

Degenfelder, who is seeking to become only the second female governor in Wyoming history and the first in 100 years, spoke at length about energy, education, property taxes, public lands and the future of small-town Wyoming.

Degenfelder briefly outlined a background that spans education, energy and public service. A University of Wyoming graduate, she studied economics in Beijing with a focus on coal and natural gas, then spent about a decade in the energy industry. She later worked for U.S. Sen. Cynthia Lummis and in Cheyenne under former Superintendent Jillian Balow. Elected superintendent in 2022, she became one of the youngest statewide officials in Wyoming history.

If elected, Degenfelder would become the youngest governor in Wyoming’s history, taking office at 38 years old. The current record is held by Nellie Tayloe Ross, who was 48 when she assumed office in 1925. That would make Degenfelder more than a decade younger than any previous elected governor in the state, underscoring both her rapid rise in Wyoming politics and the generational shift her candidacy represents.

“I try to not be in Cheyenne as much as possible,” Degenfelder said. She said the “bubble around Cheyenne is real” and argued that state leaders need to spend more time in local communities. “If we don’t get out into the communities,” she said, “we don’t understand them.”

When asked if she aligned with the Freedom Caucus or other political factions, Degenfelder kept her answer simple. “I’m not Freedom Caucus, I’m not Wyoming Caucus, I’m Wyoming,” she said. “That’s what I care about,” adding that she is “less interested in labels and more interested in getting things done for Wyoming.”

Degenfelder said she is running “to conserve our values in the state of Wyoming” and “hold the line to protect the way of life that we love.” She described Wyoming as “one of those last beacons of hope in this country” and said she wants leadership that will “fight for Wyoming.”

Degenfelder also addressed higher education, including recent discussion of cuts to the University of Wyoming and community colleges.

“It got everyone’s attention,” she said, adding that the state needs a clearer vision. “We can’t be everything to everyone,” she said, emphasizing a focus on programs tied to Wyoming’s workforce while maintaining the role of community colleges.

Water policy, particularly the Colorado River, also drew concern. Degenfelder said Wyoming must take a stronger stance in interstate negotiations.

“We need to negotiate better,” she said, warning that the state cannot afford to give ground. Asked whether Wyoming should be willing to spend millions to fight states like California in court, she did not hesitate: “I think we need to be.”

The discussion also turned to data centers. When asked about Microsoft recently buying roughly five square miles of land outside of Cheyenne, Degenfelder said the projects present both opportunity and risk. “There is opportunity there, but we need to tread lightly,” she said, adding that the state must ensure “electric rates don’t go up” while also carefully managing impacts on water use and the local workforce.  

Lowering property taxes and their impact on local services were also discussed. Degenfelder said relief was necessary, noting, “We had people on fixed incomes that weren’t able to stay in their homes.” At the same time, she urged caution moving forward. “We need to see what the impacts of this are,” she said, adding that the state must “find the sweet spot” to ensure essential services such as libraries and county operations can be maintained.

A major theme of the afternoon was energy. Degenfelder said, “We need to double down on our mineral industry,” calling it “the bread and butter of our state.” She said Wyoming must “play to our strengths” and stop chasing projects that do not produce a clear return. “Everyone likes a sexy ribbon cutting,” she said, “but I need numbers.”

She also spoke bluntly about wind energy.

“I have always disliked wind energy,” Degenfelder said. “I’m not a proponent of wind.”

She argued the industry has benefited from an uneven playing field, saying it has thrived in part because of subsidies. She pointed to recent federal action, adding that President Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” begins to limit some of those advantages, though she said more work remains. Still, she acknowledged the complexity of the issue, adding, “Property rights are real, too.”

Education was another central topic, and one area where Degenfelder spoke with particular confidence.

“The pendulum has swung, and maybe we pushed too many kids to college for too long,” she said. “Career tech ed isn’t the backup plan. It is the plan.” She said many students are “tired of the textbooks and the tests” and want “more hands-on learning.”

She also addressed the state’s recent school funding recalibration, acknowledging it was not perfect but necessary. “I think at the end of the day, recalibration was a compromise,” she said. “Is it perfect? No. It’s not perfect for any group of people, but that’s kind of how the sausage is made in Cheyenne.” She added that, without compromise, “we don’t get anything through,” emphasizing that passing the bill was important to secure increased funding and teacher salaries.

Asked about state government, Degenfelder said, “It is a beast,” arguing that Wyoming needs to make the state government “run more like the private sector.” She pledged to look for waste and inefficiency across agencies.

Asked whether an endorsement from Donald Trump meant she would be beholden to his policies, Degenfelder said, “I answer to one thing and one thing only, and that’s the people of Wyoming,” adding, “I care more about what’s happening in the state of Wyoming than in Washington, D.C.” While calling Trump’s endorsement “an honor,” she emphasized, “I’m the one running for governor of Wyoming.”

On proposals by Utah Sen. Mike Lee to sell public lands, Degenfelder pushed back. “We can’t let that go,” she said. “The minute you start selling to the highest bidder, all of what we know and love goes away.” Instead, she said, “That’s what we need to fix rather than selling them off,” adding, “We need to fix how we manage them and how we work with the feds.”

She also stressed the importance of Wyoming’s smallest communities. “You lose small-town Wyoming, you lose Wyoming,” Degenfelder said, adding that current systems can end up “picking winners and losers” when smaller towns lack resources.

Throughout the meeting, Degenfelder returned often to the idea that Wyoming should lead rather than follow.

The small group setting allowed for a steady back-and-forth, with questions ranging from energy and education to taxes, public lands and the future of rural Wyoming. In that setting, Degenfelder often responded in short, direct statements that gave a clear sense of her priorities and approach.

On why she is running, she said, “I’m running to conserve our values in the state of Wyoming,” adding, “I care too much about the state to sit on the sidelines.”

On the mineral industry, she said, “We need to double down on our mineral industry,” calling it “the bread and butter of our state,” and adding, “We need to play to our strengths.”

On young people leaving the state, she said, “I am tired of young people leaving the state of Wyoming,” adding, “If we want a future in Wyoming, it’s got to have young people.”

And on her leadership style, Degenfelder said, “I’m frustrated with status quo,” adding, “I want leaders that are willing to take risks.”

At the end, she made a commitment to work on the unique problems facing Big Horn County and to return again before the August 18 Republican primary, where she is expected to face candidates including Eric Barlow and Brent Bien.