04/21/2026
Mike Gierau runs for third term in Senate
By Jasmine H all STATE GOVERNMENT REPORTER
After serving Teton County constituents for nearly a decade in the Wyoming Legislature, Mike Gierau said he isn’t done yet.
In a video announcement Saturday, he told the Teton County Democratic Party that he is running for a third term in the Senate. He asked for their support again this upcoming election season.
“We’ve built a great team in Teton County and I think we’re doing good work,” he said. “In the past few years, we’ve been able to work on teacher pay. We’ve been able to work on lowering taxes and keeping affordable housing decisions at the local level where they need to be.”
Gierau championed his victories, but said there is still more work to be done in areas like health care, tax reform and housing. He’s also keeping his eye on preserving the budget.
Gierau is the Senate Minority Floor Leader and one of two Democrats in the upper chamber. He was first elected in 2016 to the House District 16 seat. In 2018, he ran for the Senate.
He’s sponsored 17 pieces of legislation since he was first elected, spanning topics like lottery tickets, cruelty to animals, the Hathaway Scholarship and state finances.
Three of his bills were passed by the Legislature and signed into law by the governor — two of which dealt with liquor licenses in the state and one established a local government investment equities pool.
But Gierau said on Monday that individual bills weren’t where he put all of his time and resources. He’s served on Senate Appropriations Committee since 2020.
“Everything I’ve done that I’m most proud of and where I’ve spoken for the people of Wyoming and Teton County – Senate File 1, House Bill 1,” he said. “The budget.”
By working the budget, he helped facilitate the sale of the Kelly Parcel and the $100 million will go directly toward public schools. He secured hundreds of thousands of dollars in matching funds for the Central Wyoming College campus in Jackson that will open this fall. Gierau partnered up with Teton County School District officials and advocated for funding from the state for the Bronc Achievement Center and the expansion at Jackson Hole High School. He also secured support in the Senate to restore nearly all the governor’s budget requests this year, preventing significant cuts.
