The Sheridan County Republican Party in Wyoming reportedly used its Facebook page to tout Constitution Party nominee Rebecca Bextel as an alternative to Republican gubernatorial nominee Eric Barlow before the post was removed.
Cowboy State Daily reported on the unexpected statement last week, writing that it questioned Barlow’s support among Republican voters and treated votes cast for his primary opponents, along with any instances of nonparticipation by other registered Republicans, as evidence of opposition to his gubernatorial candidacy. The post said its purpose was “to ensure Wyoming voters know they still have a choice in the general election on November 3, 2026.”
“Many people have already crowned Mr. Barlow the ‘next governor of the State of Wyoming,’” a screenshot of the post included in the report reads. “But please know, Mr. Barlow only received 44% of the vote of the Republicans who voted for him in the August primary (58,825 of the 132,725 votes cast). 56% of the Republicans who voted in the August primary believe Mr. Barlow will further diminish Wyoming, as has our current governor (Mr. Gordon). As a matter of fact, only 58,825 out of the 213,769 registered Wyoming Republicans voted for Mr. Barlow in the August primary.”
When asked for details, Sheridan County Republican Party Chair Sharon McCright told Cowboy State Daily that she did not know who published or removed the post. She also clarified the county party had not formally endorsed Bextel, though she acknowledged Bextel’s agreement with the Wyoming Republican Party platform.
“We did not endorse her at all. We are not endorsing her,” McCright said. “But she does follow all of the planks of the Republican Party. She signed the contract and she did abide by those.”
Bextel, a former Republican activist and fundraiser, is running against Barlow and Democratic nominee Kenneth Casner as the Constitution Party nominee. Since entering the race, she has positioned her campaign as an alternative to Barlow for conservative voters. The Wyoming Constitution Party has also previously said it is treating her campaign as part of an effort to win enough votes in the race to qualify as a major political party under state law.
The Sheridan County post is not the only recent example of Republican officials interacting with Bextel’s campaign in some form. In the same article, Cowboy State Daily also reported that Albany County Republican Party Chair Roxie Hensley advertised a Bextel campaign event at her brewery and that Bextel attended a recent Albany County party meeting.
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