Wyoming has been home my entire life. I was born in Gillette, raised on my family’s ranch in Campbell County, graduated from Campbell County High School, and came home after serving in the Marine Corps and earning my veterinary degree.

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I’m Eric Barlow, married to my wife, Kelly, my 9th-grade sweetheart. She is a special education teacher who worked in public and private education before we chose to spend more time with our two children on the ranch by homeschooling and eliminating a long school bus commute.

I have worked as a large-animal veterinarian, rancher, small business owner, and legislator. On our ranch, we raise livestock and work with oil and gas producers. I know what it means to run a Wyoming business, sign the front of a paycheck, and drive long distances to serve rural communities.

I have served Wyoming through 4-H, Sunday soup kitchen, and the Legislature. The bills I carried came from people who needed a problem solved.

I served five terms in the Wyoming House, including as Majority Leader and Speaker, and now serve in the Senate. Leadership starts by listening, understanding the facts, and doing the work.

Budgets reflect Wyoming’s priorities, and the process should be transparent. That is why I support cash-based budgeting, right-sized government, and responsible stewardship.

Wyoming families don't budget by hoping money shows up, and the state government shouldn’t either. Cash-based budgeting forces us to set priorities with the money we have today, and not fall victim to boom-bust cycles.

Right-sized government doesn’t mean starving core responsibilities, but being honest about what’s working and what’s not. If a program is duplicative, outdated, or not producing results, we should scale it back while ensuring core functions have what they need to serve Wyoming well.

That includes responsible permitting, protecting Wyoming’s water interests, addressing rural and mental healthcare, and saving when we can. Wyoming’s savings and investments help keep taxes lower.

We also need to think long-term. Delaying needed investments often costs more than dealing with them responsibly today.

The governor’s job is to set direction, appoint capable people, put forward a responsible budget, solve problems, and protect us from federal overreach.

Wyoming’s challenges and opportunities are connected. We need strong communities, core industries, healthcare access, workforce preparation, and responsive government.

I will appoint leaders with integrity who understand Wyoming and will execute their job with respect and directness. I will use the budget to focus on infrastructure, healthcare, education, workforce, and long-term stability.

The governor also has a responsibility to make sure Wyoming is heard in Washington, including advancing community federal grant applications and supporting federal appointments of Wyomingites.

One place I will act directly is accessibility. Cheyenne can feel a long way from the people doing the work. This is why I have proposed regional governor offices around the state, recognizing the best solutions come from the people closest to the issue.

I do not support the wholesale, fire sale of Wyoming’s public lands.

This is not a new position for me. I introduced SJ0009, the Public Lands Resolution, to reaffirm Wyoming’s commitment to multiple use, public access, and locally driven land stewardship.

Public lands are part of our heritage, livelihood, and our shared responsibility. They support grazing, energy development, hunting, fishing, wildlife, recreation, tourism, and the Wyoming way of life.

Wyoming does not need sweeping, federal plans or broad land transfers. We need practical community-led solutions grounded in local knowledge.

When the federal government tried to ignore Wyoming during the Rock Springs RMP decision, I went to Washington, D.C. with two other legislators and demanded a seat for Wyoming at the table. We got more time and a voice in the process.

Some things are not for sale. Wyoming’s public lands are one of them.

Data center proposals should be decided locally by the communities that will live with them. The state’s role is to protect water resources from misuse, prevent higher electricity rates, and help communities get truthful information if needed to make decisions.

Wyoming knows how to do hard things. We have spent generations balancing development with land, water, private property, and local concerns. The same industries where we have learned that balance can help power data centers.

For communities where data centers are the right fit, we should work to get to yes. Think where Wyoming would be today if we had put a moratorium on coal.

That doesn’t mean every project should move forward. It means we do the work, ask questions, protect local resources and ratepayers, and ensure a project strengthens the community.

As governor, I will bring the right people to the table to make sure Wyoming is prepared for opportunities.

The state’s role is not to pick winners and losers. It is to create the conditions where businesses can start and grow, workers can succeed, and communities can thrive.

As governor, I will focus on workforce development. Wyoming has opportunities in energy, agriculture, mining, tourism, manufacturing, computing, and other growing industries, but businesses will only invest where they know they can retain the workforce they need.

That means strong Career and Technical Education programs and apprenticeships, and better coordination among employers, schools, community colleges, and the University of Wyoming.

We need to think beyond jobs. We want people to build careers here. Careers support families, help people put down roots, and strengthen communities.

Retaining workers is about more than employment. People stay where they can find housing, childcare, healthcare, good schools, and strong communities. Economic development and community strength go hand in hand.

One of Wyoming’s greatest strengths is our ability to solve problems together.

It is not about getting everything your way. It is about listening, understanding the facts, and then rolling up your sleeves to get the work done. We should be proud of that.

Compromise does not mean abandoning principles. I will not compromise on Wyoming’s freedoms, the Constitution, fiscal responsibility, local control, or treating people with dignity and respect. But most issues are not solved by drawing lines in the sand. They are solved by bringing people together and focusing on what is best for Wyoming.

As governor, I will work with legislators, local officials, tribal leaders, businesses, and citizens from across the state. We will not always agree, but we still have a responsibility to govern.

In Wyoming, we know getting in to see a doctor can take half a tank of gas. Healthcare access and cost affect whether families get care, whether seniors can stay in their homes, and whether small towns remain strong.

Healthcare access and affordability are core issues for me. We cannot keep waiting on someone else to fix this. Wyoming has to figure it out ourselves, and it is past time we do.

That starts with clear policy goals: attract and support more providers; strengthen rural hospitals and clinics; support EMS; expand behavioral health capacity; improve telehealth; maintain price transparency; and invest in training pathways for healthcare professionals.

Beginning the day after the primary, I will use the relationships I have built across Wyoming to assemble a healthcare strike team so we can act on day one to get results. There are many dedicated folks ready to take this on, and I welcome their ideas.