During a recent interview with Tucker Carlson, Rebecca Bextel, a third-party gubernatorial candidate in Wyoming, expressed her belief that the Republican Party has “imploded” in the state.
Bextel, formerly a Republican committeewoman, is seeking the governorship under the Constitution Party banner. She referred to a warning by the late Charlie Kirk from June 2020, which suggested that the state could turn “blue” as Democrats infiltrate the GOP. Bextel specifically pointed to the Republican gubernatorial nominee, Eric Barlow, as a representation of this shift.
Both Bextel and Barlow did not respond to requests for comments from the Daily Caller News Foundation.
“The situation is that the Democrats don’t have much influence in Wyoming politics, so they often switch to the Republican Party. This leads to conservatives splitting the vote in the primary, and we end up with a Democrat candidate,” Bextel explained. “That’s precisely what’s going on right now.”
Barlow secured the Republican nomination by defeating President Donald Trump’s endorsed candidate, Megan Degenfelder, on August 18.
Bextel added, “Our Republican candidate won’t even commit to the party platform, saying he wouldn’t support it 80% of the time. He’s quite radical, having once testified in Congress about needing to shift away from fossil fuels to renewable energy. Imagine a person like that leading Wyoming, where our economy heavily relies on minerals and energy.”
Wyoming produces more coal than any other state and has significant oil and gas leases on federal lands. In fact, in 2026, the state’s top revenue sources included $12.4 billion from oil and gas, $4.1 billion from petroleum refining, $3.8 billion from gasoline and petroleum bulk stations, and $3.4 billion from coal mining.
Bextel questioned how a candidate like Barlow could have gained the Republican nomination, suggesting he is backed by “dark, George Soros-funded money” that has penetrated Wyoming politics. “We’re an easy state to influence politically. When you have someone like Vivek Ramaswamy spending $100 million on his gubernatorial campaign, I’d be fortunate to raise a million for mine,” she remarked.
She continued, “He doesn’t embody Republican values. I’m running to prevent us from turning into Colorado. If I lose, we will face that transformation in four years.”
In the 2024 presidential election, Trump won Wyoming decisively, receiving 72.3% of the vote compared to 26.1% for former Vice President Kamala Harris.
Carlson noted that many voters tend to support the Republican candidate simply because that’s the expectation without fully understanding the implications. Bextel replied that this is why she implores people: “Please don’t vote for the R.”
“The Republican Party has indeed imploded,” she said. “This isn’t just a national issue; it’s happening right here in Wyoming as well. We lack strong leadership. While many adhere to Republican values, there’s no real standard in just labeling oneself as ‘R’.”
Carlson agreed with her assessment.
In May 2026, Bextel resigned from her position as Teton County Republican Party’s state committeewoman, after previously running for chair of the Wyoming Republican Party in 2025.
“In Teton County, for instance, we see candidates who run as Democrats for county commissioner, lose, and then decide to run as Republicans only to lose again, yet they still manage to end up on the Teton County Republican Party board. It’s puzzling. We really need to prioritize individuals over party affiliations, and that’s my message to the people of Wyoming,” Bextel concluded.
