This story is part of our Quick Hits series. This series will bring you breaking news and short updates from throughout the state.
Wyoming’s current secretary of state is running for Congress.
Chuck Gray made the announcement Monday, posting a campaign ad on social media and sharing a press release.
“I’m running for Congress to continue fighting for Wyoming’s way of life,” Gray said in the release. “With Congresswoman Harriet Hageman running for U.S. Senate, Wyoming needs a representative who will build on her strong record, advance our shared Wyoming values, and advance the Trump agenda that has delivered the largest margin of victory in the nation in three straight presidential elections.”
The Wyoming Freedom Caucus applauded the announcement in a Facebook post, writing, “From the grassroots to the legislature and on to the office of Secretary of State, Chuck has delivered REAL results for Wyoming.”
Gray grew up in California, spending summers with his father in Casper. After college at the University of Pennsylvania, he started hosting a conservative talk show on his father’s radio station, 1230 AM KVOC.
Gray’s first political run for office for House District 57 ended in a loss to incumbent Thomas Lockhart in 2014. Gray ran for the seat again in 2016 after Lockhart retired and held it for the next three terms.
During that time, Gray became a founding member of the Wyoming Freedom Caucus and campaigned heavily on the claim that the 2020 election was “stolen” from Donald Trump, though multiple investigations and court cases have failed to prove that claim.
In 2021, Gray tossed his hat into the ring to unseat U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyoming), who had voted to impeach Trump over his role in the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol. He suspended his campaign later that year after Trump endorsed Hageman, who went on to win that contest.
Instead, Gray ran for Wyoming secretary of state, pressing for election reforms he described as necessary to increase integrity, though there’s been no evidence of widespread voter fraud or errors in the state.
In that role, he backed a bevy of bills in the Legislature to ban ballot drop boxes, require proof of citizenship and open doors to hand count election results instead of using the machine tabulators counties in the state currently use.
As a U.S. Congress member, Gray said he’ll “secure the border, unleash Wyoming’s energy, lower costs for families, and protect the Second Amendment.”
Political watchers earlier this year floated Gray as a possible gubernatorial candidate, tossing him into the same ring with other heavyweights like Senate President Bo Biteman (R-Ranchester).
But with Wyoming’s lone Congressional seat left wide open by Hageman’s jump to the U.S. Senate following current Sen. Cynthia Lummis’ retirement announcement, the lineups for 2026 races are starting to fall into place.
