Hageman-Cheney Costliest Congressional Race in Wyoming History, but Money May Not Matter

CASPER, Wyo.—More than $20 million has been collectively raised by the five candidates in Wyoming’s Aug. 16 Republican congressional primary, making it the most expensive U.S. House race in state history.

More than $15 million has been raised by just one of the hopefuls, embattled incumbent Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) Much of the money came from out-of-state sources, including $1.2 million from Californians and Democratic organizations.

But ultimately, those dollars may have little influence on changing Wyoming voters’ minds.

Despite the massive fundraising advantage, by all indications, Cheney is projected to lose her bid for a fourth term as Wyoming’s lone congressional representative to Harriet Hageman, a land-use and water-rights attorney from Fort Laramie who is backed by former President Donald Trump.

A June 15 survey found Hageman leading by more than 22 points over Cheney, who has incurred the wrath of Wyoming GOP officials, who censored and ousted from the state party. She was one of the 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump and serves as co-chair of the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol breach.

Hageman has a hefty war chest herself, reporting more than $4.3 million in donations on July 27 campaign financial statements filed with the Federal Elections Commission (FEC).

In that filing, Hageman’s campaign documents that it had $1.4 million in cash in mid-July. 

That is a fraction of the $7.4 million cash on hand that Cheney’s campaign reported on July 27.

Hageman has raised most of her funding from individual Wyoming residents and state-based organizations and has reiterated that statistic with gusto. The campaign cited an OpenSecrets.org analysis that found 96 percent of the $7.2 million Cheney had raised by then was from out-of-state donors. That pattern continues, Hageman’s campaign says.

Hageman’s July 27 FEC filing shows she received a combined $188,850 from 150