Barlow laps Bextel on fundraising in Wyoming governor’s race with $2M

When Rebecca Bextel appeared on The Tucker Carlson Show last Saturday, platforming her candidacy to more than half a million online viewers, she told the conservative political commentator she’d be “lucky” to raise “a million bucks” in the race to be Wyoming’s next governor.

Compared to Vivek Ramaswamy, “running a hundred-million-dollar governor run” in Ohio, Bextel told Carlson, Wyoming is “a very cheap state to buy politically,” reflecting previous allegations she’d made that outside money bought Eric Barlow the Republican nomination in August. 

Ultimately, Bextel, a Constitution Party candidate, reported fundraising well below her aspirational target, bringing in approximately $89,000, according to a campaign finance report filed Tuesday, when candidates were legally required to report their finances ahead of the general election. 

AI-assisted analysis showed that roughly 60% of the reported individual donors who contributed to Bextel live outside of Wyoming, while about 43% of all the money Bextel reported raising came from out-of-state donors. About 38% of all Bextel’s reported donations arrived either on or after Oct. 24, when her interview with Carlson was posted on YouTube. 

Bextel did not respond to WyoFile’s request for comment by publishing time.

Bextel’s reported fundraising fell well short of Barlow, who has reported raising more than $2 million since he announced his campaign in 2025. The bulk of Barlow’s fundraising and spending occurred before the primary election, when he faced two Republican challengers. 

Bextel, who describes herself in campaign materials as a Republican with the Constitution next to her name, pledged to run in the general election against Barlow only if Trump-backed Megan Degenfelder and GOP-backed Brent Bien lost the primary.

In the months since the primary election, Barlow raised about $335,000, according to his report filed Tuesday. Of the 125 reported individuals who donated during that span, about 86% were from Wyoming. 

“Kelly and I started this campaign by showing up, listening and asking people to be part of Wyoming’s future,” Barlow said in a Tuesday press release. “Through the primary and into the general election, people have continued to show up for us. We are grateful for their support and for the trust they have placed in us.”

The two candidates also diverged on donations from political action committees. Bextel did not report any PAC contributions, while Barlow reported receiving $90,500 in PAC money since the primary election. Since beginning his campaign, Barlow has received $334,780 in PAC money.

“Less than 10% of total fundraising came from out-of-state individuals and federal or out-of-state PACs, however, those PACs represent businesses that operate in Wyoming with Wyoming-based employees,” according to Barlow’s press release.

Ken Casner, the Democratic nominee, reported zero contributions or expenditures in his filing. 

The general election is Nov. 3. Early voting is underway.

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