Bextel announces plan for first 100 days, Barlow responds

wyomingnews.com · September 9, 2026

# Bextel announces plan for first 100 days, Barlow responds

Published: 2026-09-09T01:19:38+00:00 Source: wyomingnews.com (wyomingnews.com) Language: en

## Story

CHEYENNE – As the general election races gear up, candidates continue to release their plans to hit the ground running if they are successful in their campaign for Wyoming’s top executive office.

Constitution Party candidate for governor Rebecca Bextel laid out her “First 100 Days” plan on Aug. 28, outlining her goals and priorities, if elected. The plan includes reducing the size of government, lowering costs for families and defending traditional energy sources.

Much of what is proposed in the plan would require support from the Legislature, as well as cooperation from the state agencies that would be responsible for implementing the policies.

Bextel, a Teton County conservative, was at the center of the “Checkgate” scandal that occurred the first day of the 2026 budget session, when she handed out campaign donation checks on the House floor after the session adjourned for the day.

No law barred this action, but it did lead to new legislative rules, an executive order by the governor, a House Special Investigative Committee and an ongoing Laramie County Sheriff’s Office criminal investigation.

Bextel has made it clear she is running to offer voters a more conservative alternative to state Sen. Eric Barlow, R-Gillette, the Republican nominee, as she pledged to drop out of the race if Brent Bien or State Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder won the Republican primary.

In a campaign video released Monday morning, she continued to emphasize the belief that Barlow is not conservative enough.

“Having an R by your name doesn’t mean you stand for Republican values,” she said.

Barlow responded to Bextel’s plan by touting the groundwork he has done to meet Wyoming voters where they are throughout the campaign.

"I’ve been focused on our own race, but what I will say is there are plans, and then there are actions. We’ve been showing up and doing the work for more than a year,” he said.

He also touched on his own Healthcare Strike Team, which he announced the day after winning the Aug. 18 Republican primary, to provide his potential administration with actionable insights regarding healthcare.

According to Bextel’s plan, after 100 days, every major executive agency will be under review, commercial driver and immigration standards will be strengthened, a measurable five-year education improvement plan will be underway, and a legislative proposal to permanently reform property tax will be moving forward.

Ryan Williamson, an associate professor of political science at the University of Wyoming, noted that most of the time these plans focus more on sharing the candidate’s message and priorities than providing feasible legislation.

“These are opportunities to try to make the candidate's platform known and take ownership of particular issues that the candidate thinks are winning issues with the electorate,” he said.

The first priority of the plan is to make Wyoming’s government smaller, leaner and more accountable. That will reportedly be accomplished by consolidating positions and auditing programs that distribute taxpayer dollars, culminating in a reform report detailing what would be eliminated, consolidated or submitted to the Legislature.

Bextel also hopes to address rising property taxes that have made it difficult for older Wyomingites to stay in their homes. The plan notes the importance of finding a balance between keeping property taxes down and ensuring local services such as police and firefighters are not jeopardized.

She also wants to target relief toward seniors, veterans, families on fixed incomes and homeowners facing large price increases.

The plan pledges to put a stop to “government welfare,” proposing an audit of all programs that use taxpayer funds to ensure there is a measurable value for taxpayers being provided.

Williamson noted the difficulty of identifying programs that could be cut.

“The things that are already being invested in are either being invested in because they're very popular and people want them to be invested in, or they're being invested in at or near the minimum amount,” he said.

The plan also emphasizes prioritizing traditional energy sources such as coal and gas by removing state policies and regulations that discourage production. According to the plan, renewable energy sources such as wind and solar would lose their “artificial advantage” provided through subsidies, grants and tax preferences.

The final priority would be to launch the Wyoming Top Five Education Initiative, whose goal would be to move Wyoming into the nation’s top five states for student achievement within five years. This would be accomplished by first implementing measurable literacy and mathematics targets for schools and then creating incentives for districts that meet those targets consistently, while requiring intervention plans for schools that consistently underperform.

Bextel would have to work with the Legislature and the State Superintendent of Public Instruction to enact this plan, and would also require support from the Wyoming Department of Education.

Williamson explained that these plans are often overambitious, but can draw attention to the candidate and what differentiates them from others. He also stressed the importance of defining oneself when running as a third-party candidate.

“Many candidates don't necessarily espouse a particularly feasible agenda for the first 100 days,” he said.

Bextel did not respond to an email request from the Wyoming Tribune Eagle for comment before publication. She has no telephone number listed on her campaign website.

The general election is Nov. 3, with early/absentee voting starting Oct. 6.

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