Despite ongoing attacks from the Republican Party’s right flank, Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon remains one of the country’s most popular state leaders, a Morning Consult poll released earlier this month shows.

During a survey conducted between April and June, Wyoming voters gave Gordon a 65% approval rating, placing him as the fourth most popular among his peers. Twenty-four percent disapproved of Gordon’s job performance while 11% responded that they either didn’t know or had no opinion. 

Morning Consult, a political research firm, tracks approval ratings for all 50 state governors and releases the results quarterly. 

The poll results follow a steady drumbeat of criticism from the most hardline elements of Wyoming’s Republican Party, who’ve taken the governor to task for his stances on a number of issues including wind energy and for his vetoes of certain bills.

Throughout his tenure, Gordon’s job performance has remained steady according to the survey findings. His high-water mark — 74% approval — tied Gordon with Vermont Republican Gov. Phil Scott as the most popular governor in July 2022. In January 2020, a 69% approval rating also placed him at the top. 

“These poll results are indicative of the good things going on in Wyoming. They also show that Wyoming citizens recognize that the Governor continues to put this head down and work to move the state forward — including sticking to the issues that are truly important to most Wyoming folks,” Gordon’s spokesman Michael Pearlman wrote in a statement to WyoFile. 

Pearlman said those include the economy, education, addressing mental health and strengthening the state’s core energy industries. 

“Most people in Wyoming want less government in their lives, the opportunity to make a good living, enjoy recreational activities and have their children receive an excellent education. Gov. Gordon wants the same, and that shows in this poll.

“Finally, while polls are nice, ultimately there’s only one poll that matters and that’s the election coming a little more than a year from now,” Pearlman added. 

Gordon has not announced what he plans to do following his second term. When the Wyoming Supreme Court ruled that term limits on the top elected positions in the state were unconstitutional, the high court did not address the qualifications for governor. Given the high court’s ruling against legislative term limits, a court challenge on the gubernatorial term limits would likely be successful, the Casper Star-Tribune reported in 2010, when then-Gov. Dave Freudenthal announced he would not seek a third term.

In 2022, Gordon coasted to a second-term win, first capturing 61.5% of the vote in the Republican primary election before sweeping the November election with a 74% victory. 

His 2018 gubernatorial victory, however, set off a tense relationship with the further right-wing of the party after his opponents insisted he only won due to the support of Democrats registering as Republican in order to support him. Despite being statistically unfounded, the claims endured, and the Legislature passed a crossover-voting ban in 2023 after many failed attempts. Laramie, Platte and Teton County voters are currently challenging the ban in court.

The Wyoming Republican Party voted in 2024 to censure Gordon after he vetoed a property tax bill and legislation to repeal gun-free zones. 

Wyoming GOP Chairman Bryan Miller did not respond to WyoFile’s request for comment by the time this article published. 

Since forming in 2020, the Wyoming Freedom Caucus has also taken aim at Gordon, particularly for his energy policies. And earlier this year, one of the group’s leaders went so far as to accuse Gordon and former members of the Joint Appropriations Committee of violating a state spending law. The accusation caught headlines during the legislative session and not much else. 

More recently, Gordon has clashed with Secretary of State Chuck Gray, who has regularly taken to social media to criticize the governor, particularly when it comes to election security, mining and wind projects. 

Gray as well as U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman are among names being floated as potential gubernatorial candidates in 2026.

WyoFile is an independent nonprofit news organization focused on Wyoming people, places and policy.