The Wyoming Survey and Analysis Center at the University of Wyoming (UW) has released the 2026 Wyoming Election Year Survey. The survey is intended to take a snapshot of the state's political and demographic trends about a month ahead of the general election.
The survey shares a common sentiment around the nation leading up to this year’s midterm elections: Economic woes and worries remain top of mind for voters. The survey found Wyomingites’ economic worries are underpinned by concerns around healthcare and political dysfunction within government. About 37% of respondents felt the Wyoming economy would get worse next year, with 60% believing the national economy is heading in a similar direction.
When it comes to state politicians and political institutes, the Wyoming Freedom Caucus scored the highest level of disapproval. More than 250 respondents, about 38.5%, strongly disapproved of the caucus. While this matches the Wyoming primary, where voters booted the Caucus’ majority in the state House, some of the energy spilled over to the Legislature writ large. About 15% disapproved of the Wyoming state Legislature.
When asked to rate state parties on a scale of 0 to 100, 15% rated Wyoming Democrats a 0. This number was second only to the Wyoming Freedom Caucus, with just over 34% of respondents rating them a 0 out of 100. The survey did not ask about third parties, like the Constitution and Libertarian parties, which are each fielding candidates for statewide and federal office this year.
UW political science professor Ryan Williamson said it is hard to tell exactly where the negative feelings about the caucus are coming from.
“There are people who may be disapproving of the Legislature because they didn't go far enough, or they feel like they went too far,” said Williamson. “It’s kind of a bit of a universal truth in 2026, that people are very wary of and have a negative attitude towards politics in general and the institution that those groups represent. The Freedom Caucus is a specific entity that was very high profile for the last year, and then as we saw in the primaries … a lot of people were unhappy with some of the things that the Freedom Caucus did.”
Gov. Mark Gordon received the highest amount of approval among individual Wyoming politicians, with 38.5% approving. U.S. Sen. Cythina Lummis received a mildly neutral scoring, with a slight majority of responses neither approving nor disapproving of her performance. U.S. Sen. John Barrasso received the highest portion of disapproval votes at nearly 19% of respondents. However, it was U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman who appears to remain the most controversial among Wyoming leaders, with both the highest percentage of strongly approve as well as strongly disapprove.
Higher up the federal chain, the higher disapproval rating jumped. Congress clocked in at 36.4% of respondents strongly disapproving of both chambers' jobs. That number is beaten only by Pres. Donald Trump, facing 41.4% of respondents strongly disagreeing with his job.
On the issues, respondents' views shifted somewhat compared to the 2024 survey, though tracking individual issues is tricky because the questions change from year to year
In 2024, 39% of respondents said women should always have access to abortions. That number is up to 43.2% in 2026, but 28.5% said abortion should only be permitted in extreme cases. That’s up from 31% in 2024.
About 48% thought the elimination of gun-free zones was a bad idea, up from 43% in 2024. In 2026, roughly 28% supported removing gun-free zones, down from 36% in 2024.
In 2024, there were no questions relating to data centers. Now, 70% of respondents opposed allowing more large data center projects in Wyoming to support artificial intelligence technology in the U.S.
This year, the Wyoming Survey and Analysis Center at UW reached out to over 5,000 Wyoming residents across the state from Sept. 29 through Oct. 25. Only 660 responded. Williamson noted that those who identify as Democrat are more likely to respond. Regardless, 412 of the 660 total respondents claimed to be a registered Republican.
Williamson said some of these policy positions may seem out of step with a state that voted overwhelmingly for Pres. Donald Trump and the Freedom Caucus in 2024.
“It’s not that the state is moving to the left, it's moving leftward relative to the strong national environment that was in 2024,” said Williamson. “We’re seeing a strong national environment that favors more moderate candidates relative to the Freedom Caucus in 2026.”
The general election is on Tuesday, Nov. 3.
Editor’s Note: Wyoming Public Media (WPM) contributed funds to the Wyoming Election Survey this year. As part of that agreement, WPM submitted questions about feelings regarding the Wyoming Freedom Caucus, trust in state government, alignment with political parties and Pres. Trump’s job in office to be asked as part of the survey.
