By The Epoch Times | Created at 2026-08-19 04:16:52 | Updated at 2026-08-19 04:36:35
36 minutes ago
CHEYENNE, Wyo.—U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman is saddling up to face Democratic state Rep. James Byrd in the general election after winning the Republican primary for Wyoming’s U.S. Senate seat on Aug. 18.
The congresswoman, who was endorsed by President Donald Trump, won the Republican nomination in a landslide against National Guard veteran Jimmy Skovgard, rancher and whiskey maker Sam Mead, massage therapist Jill Edwards, and John Holtz.
The Associated Press called the Republican primary race at 10:52 p.m. ET.
On the Democratic ticket, Byrd beat salesman Billy Benavidez also in a landslide victory for his party’s nomination.
The Associated Press called the Democratic primary race for the U.S. Senate seat at 10:53 p.m. ET.
“We are going to take on the cost of living [and] we’re going to take on the affordability,” Byrd said during his election night watch party in Cheyenne on Tuesday night. “The price of gas is at the top of my list. We should not have gas that is approaching $5 a gallon.”
James Byrd gave an election night victory speech in Cheyenne, Wyo., on Aug. 18, 2026. Jacki Thrapp/The Epoch Times
The winner of the general election this fall will succeed Republican Sen. Cynthia Lummis, who announced in December 2025 that she was retiring after one term.
“I’ve come to accept that I do not have six more years in me,” Lummis stated at the time.
A Republican is strongly expected to take the seat, according to an analysis by the Cook Political Report.
Trump, who won 72.3 percent of Wyoming’s vote in the 2024 presidential election, endorsed Hageman in December 2025 and again on Aug. 4.
“I know Harriet well, and she is a TOTAL WINNER! Harriet has ALWAYS delivered for Wyoming, and will continue to do so in the United States Senate,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post earlier this month.
Hageman, a fourth-generation Wyomingite, is running on a campaign to cut government spending, promote free and fair elections, “rein in the surveillance state,” protect the unborn, and stop the United States Forest Service from allegedly mismanaging forest lands.
Byrd is a Wyoming-born businessman who seeks to advocate for the state’s energy independence, rural education, and veteran support services.
In an exclusive interview after Byrd’s win, the Democrat told The Epoch Times he is calling for a “full stop” on data center development until the facilities can be managed correctly.
Byrd admitted that it will be an uphill battle to win, but he thinks he’ll be able to bring over moderate Republicans.
“We’ve had enough of the crazies, “ Byrd said. “Bring some moderate people, and if we don’t have moderate people, this is where I come in. I’m the Democrat hoping to fill that void. You want to send a message to the Republican Party, vote in a Democrat, and tell them that you’re the Republicans that voted them in, because for me to win this election, I need Republican votes.”
The Epoch Times spoke to voters in Wyoming on Tuesday afternoon to learn what issues motivated them to go to the polls.
Janet, a Hageman supporter, told The Epoch Times outside a polling site at Laramie County Community College that she liked how the congresswoman contributed to the Trump administration’s policy of reinstating English language proficiency tests for truck drivers.
Janet and two other Republican voters said they appreciated how Hageman demanded accountability from Meta after its Cheyenne Data Center contaminated the city’s water system with Cupriavidus gilardii.
The discovery sparked months of cleanup and made the city take its reuse water system offline.
A sign displayed voter identification requirements for the primary election on Aug. 18 outside the Storey Gymnasium polling location in Cheyenne, Wyo. Jacki Thrapp/The Epoch Times
“We don’t want our water supply tainted or our electricity bills to go up,” Jacob Roth, a Republican voter, told The Epoch Times outside of the Storey Gymnasium polling location in Cheyenne.
Roth added that he suspected the jobs associated with data center expansion would not be long-term.
“We don’t just want to be a boom town,” Roth said.
An independent female voter, who did not want to be named, said: “Artificial intelligence is one of the worst things to happen to the country and the people in it.”
The voter, who was unable to vote in the U.S. Senate primary because it was only for registered Republican and Democratic voters, said she might vote for Byrd this fall but has concerns about his age.
Byrd is 72 years old, and Hageman is 63 years old.
