Gray wins open Wyoming House seat

Wyoming Secretary of State Chuck Gray (R) is projected to win the race to represent the state’s at-large congressional district, according to Decision Desk HQ .

The state election official defeated Democrat Lisa Kinney, the former state Senate minority leader, in a seat considered safe for Republicans. He will succeed Republican Rep. Harriet Hageman, who is running for Senate.

Gray led Kinney by more than 31 percentage points — 59 to nearly 28 percent — with 37 percent of the vote reported by DDHQ as of 11:40 p.m. Tuesday.

Gray was elected as Wyoming’s secretary of state in 2022. He previously represented District 57 in the state House from 2017 to 2023.

The Republican secretary of state is known for his staunch support of conservative values. His campaign website highlights efforts to enact anti-abortion legislation at the state level, as well as advocacy to protect fossil fuel industry jobs.

Voter ID legislation and restrictions have also been a top priority for Gray as secretary of state. However, some of his proposals were rejected by Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon (R), who said the measures exceeded the legal authority granted to his office.

Gray has supported President Trump’s false claim that widespread fraud occurred in the 2020 election. In 2021, he made a trip to Arizona to view a partisan audit of the presidential election.

Gray previously ran in the Republican primary in 2022 to oust former Rep. Liz Cheney (R). He dropped out of the race after Trump backed Hageman.