BIG PINEY — The first candidate to throw his name in the ring for Wyoming governor in the 2026 election is Cody Republican Brent Bien.

Bien told Cowboy State Daily on Saturday at the Wyoming Republican Party Central Committee meeting in Big Piney that he’s running for governor in 2026. Bien believes he can bring strong leadership to Wyoming and represent the voice of the people.

“It’s like any corporation, any entity, the climate is all set by whoever’s leading,” he said. “It’s community climate and having a direction where Wyoming is going to be 10 years from now, where is it going to be five years from now, where’s it going to be next year?”

Bien ran for governor in 2022, finishing a distant second to Gov. Mark Gordon in the GOP primary out of four candidates.

Bien was a relative unknown in the Wyoming political scene headed into that election and was outraised by Gordon financially roughly five to one.

Since that time, Bien has gained much larger statewide recognition, staying actively involved in politics and spearheading a ballot initiative campaign over the past 18 months to cut property taxes by 50% in Wyoming, which is nearly guaranteed to go to voters in 2026.

The 2026 Field

Bien is officially announcing his campaign substantially earlier than any candidates did for the past two governor elections, but that could be because there have been at least a handful of Republican names already tossed around as potential hopefuls for Wyoming governor in 2026.

Gordon and Secretary of State Chuck Gray did not immediately respond to Cowboy State Daily’s request for comment.

State Treasurer Curt Meier said he doesn’t want to run for governor, but may be forced to if changes aren’t made to his office and the Secretary of State’s Office that he wants to see take place.

There have also been rumors that Gordon may consider a run for a third term, but the governor has been noncommittal about this and numerous sources have said he would have to take the matter to court to get it approved. 

“Whoever’s going to run, let them jump in,” Bien said. “If he (Gordon) wants to challenge it, let him jump in and let the folks decide when the time comes.”

Bien said he’ll support any candidate in the race who he thinks will advance liberty, but said that’s a high bar to achieve.

“I’m very picky when it comes down to who I’m going to trust my liberty to, and right now I’m not seeing it,” Bien said.

Bien’s Platform

Bien is a hardline conservative who believes Wyoming is headed in a negative direction despite President-elect Donald Trump winning the election and the Wyoming Freedom Caucus taking over a majority in the House.

“On the right side of the equation of politics we have a tendency to sit back on our laurels after we have a good victory,” Bien said. “Now is the time to capitalize.” 

Bien grew up in Laramie and served in the Marines for 28 years. He retired to Wyoming in 2019 after finishing his military career as officer-in-charge of the U.S. Marine Corps base on Guam.

Bien believes there has been a lack of principled, conservative leadership in Wyoming and wants the state to become more self-sufficient to create better individual liberties.

“That’s what makes America so great, it’s that self-governance,” Bien said. 

Bien wants to make enshrining civil liberties and freedom the cornerstones of his campaign agenda to reduce federal government overreach in Wyoming. 

He said he believes the federal government has allowed an anti-American, globalist, elitist agenda to pervade society and undermine constitutional rights, putting the government’s priorities over its people.

Bien asserts that the government should work for and gain the trust of its people, not the other way around.

“I really believe that the strength of every relationship, no matter what it is, revolves around trust,” Bien said. “If the folks trust you, there’s no telling what we can do with this state.”

He also believes Wyoming has become a corporatocracy, with its state lands being sold off to the highest bidder. The State Board of Land Commissioners recently approved a $100 million sale of the iconic Kelly Parcel to Grand Teton National Park after a call to put the land up for public auction was rejected last year.

Taking up the property tax initiative, he believes, was one step in his fight against this. If elected governor, Bien said he will continue to address this issue.

“This all comes down to our liberty because without our liberty we own nothing, we have nothing,” Bien said.

Earlier this year, Bien’s BCR Voter Initiatives started a new campaign to require all Wyoming election ballots be counted by hand, and Bien said he will make election integrity a major priority of his campaign.

He also wants all judges and the attorney general elected by a public vote in Wyoming. These positions are currently selected by the governor.

Bien said he has no concerns about fundraising this go-around and feels confident about his chances because of the network he’s built around the state.

“We do have a lot bigger groundswell right now, a lot bigger network,” he said.

Leo Wolfson can be reached at leo@cowboystatedaily.com.