Ex-state education official launches bid for Wyoming's lone US House seat

Politics

Ex-state education official launches bid for Wyoming's lone US House seat

'I believe Wyoming leads best when we stand firm on conservative principles and deliver real results,' Jillian Balow noted

Alex Nitzberg Fox News

Published

January 13, 2026 8:50am EST

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Jillian Balow, a former Wyoming state superintendent of public instruction, is jumping into the congressional race to succeed Rep. Harriet Hageman in the Cowboy State's at-large U.S. House district.

"Wyoming deserves a representative who understands our way of life and fights for it every day in Washington," Balow said, according to a press release obtained by Fox News Digital "I am running to defend Wyoming’s energy economy, protect our constitutional freedoms, support parents and students, and make sure the voices of rural communities are never ignored."

The race is an open contest as Hageman announced a U.S. Senate bid last month after GOP Sen. Cynthia Lummis announced that she would not seek re-election.

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Then Virginia Superintendent of Public Education Jillian Balow in 2022

Virginia Superintendent of Public Instruction Jillian Balow gestures during a news conference in 2022 in Richmond, Va. (AP Photo/Steve Helber, File)

"I am proud of the legacy Senator Cynthia Lummis and Congresswoman Harriet Hageman have built by standing up for Wyoming values and refusing to back down in Washington," Balow noted, according to the press release. "They are trailblazers for our state, and I am running to carry that same strong, independent Wyoming voice forward, to follow in their footsteps, and to fight for our state with the same conviction and resolve."

Balow will face competition in the GOP primary for the U.S. House seat from Wyoming Secretary of State Chuck Gray and Reid Rasner, who lost a 2024 Republican U.S. Senate primary in the state to incumbent Sen. John Barasso.

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In 2022, Balow resigned from her role as Wyoming state superintendent of public instruction to become the Virginia superintendent of public instruction.

She resigned from Virginia role in 2023.

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Rep. Harriet Hageman, R-Wy., speaks at the annual CPAC D.C. conference at the Gaylord National Resort in Oxon Hill, Md., on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025. (DOMINIC GWINN/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)

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"I believe Wyoming leads best when we stand firm on conservative principles and deliver real results," Balow noted, according to the press release. "This campaign is about protecting what makes Wyoming strong and ensuring our state has a confident, independent voice in Congress."

Alex Nitzberg is a writer for Fox News Digital.

Ex-state education official launches bid for Wyoming's lone US House seat