By Jasmine Hall
Jackson Hole News&Guide
Via- Wyoming News Exchange
JACKSON — For the first time in more than a decade, Gov. Mark Gordon will not run for a political office in Wyoming.
Gordon had not filed to run for any elected position by the 5 p.m. deadline Friday.
Republicans Brent Bien, Curt Blake, Eric Barlow and Megan Degenfelder and Democrat Kenneth Casner are the Wyomingites vying to take Gordon’s place as the next governor of the Equality State.
The governor’s office didn’t respond to requests for comment before press time.
In mid-April, Gordon ruled out seeking a third term as governor but had not announced any other political plans. Amy Edmonds, a spokesperson for the governor, told the Jackson Hole Daily at the time that he was “still exploring his options” and that “no decision had been made.”
He said in a press release about his decision that he would continue working with the Wyoming Legislature, communities and citizens across the state to “ensure Wyoming remains strong, resilient and built for the future” through the end of his administration. He also plans to embark on a series of community visits starting in June and ending in the fall.
One of the nation’s most popular governors as of 2022, according to polls, Gordon has held the seat since 2018. He won the Republican primary and defeated Democratic Rep. Mary Thorne the first time round.
In 2022, he was reelected to a second term. Over the last four years, he’s sparred with the far-right factions of Wyoming’s Republican party, defending state budgets and vetoing some legislation focused on “culture war” issues.
Before becoming the state’s top executive, he served as the treasurer of Wyoming from 2012 to 2019. He was first appointed to the position in 2012 and then elected to a full term in 2014.
Gordon also sought out Wyoming’s sole seat in the U.S. House of Representatives before turning to executive offices. In 2008, he ran a competitive race against now-Sen. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., in the Republican primary.
Political spectators and longtime elected officials were curious what Gordon’s next move would be. Some who are close to him — and even critics — said they believed he was gearing up for another campaign season.
There were those who wondered whether he would challenge the state’s term limits for governor and run for a third time. Voters passed a ballot initiative imposing term limits in 1992, restricting governors and other state officials from serving more than eight years in any 16-year period. Lawmakers and state executives have successfully challenged those limits.
Others thought he might seek out a federal office.
If he ran for U.S. Senate, he’d race off with a familiar opponent: Rep. Harriet Hageman. Hageman ran against him for governor in 2018 and lost in the Republican primary. There are five candidates in this year’s Republican primary for the U.S. Senate, as well as two Democrats facing off for a spot in the general election.
He’d have also faced 10 Republicans in the U.S. House Republican primary.
