Harriet Hageman Bio
Harriet Maxine Hageman, born on October 18, 1962, in Douglas, Wyoming, is an American politician and attorney who has served as the U.S. representative for Wyoming’s at-large congressional district since 2023. A fourth-generation Wyomingite and lifelong member of the Republican Party, she earned a Bachelor of Science and a Juris Doctor from the University of Wyoming before building a career as a trial attorney. She first reached a statewide audience in 2018 with her run for governor and later served as Wyoming’s Republican National committeewoman. With the endorsement of President Donald Trump, she defeated incumbent Liz Cheney in the 2022 Republican primary and was sworn into Congress on January 3, 2023.
Now in her second term, Hageman has positioned herself as an unyielding conservative focused on energy independence, regulatory reform, and the protection of state authority. In December 2025 she announced a campaign for the U.S. Senate, seeking to succeed retiring Senator Cynthia Lummis in 2026.
Early Life and Background
Harriet Maxine Hageman was born in Douglas, Wyoming, on October 18, 1962, and raised on a ranch outside Fort Laramie, near the Nebraska border. She is a fourth-generation Wyomingite whose great-grandfather, James Clay Shaw, moved to the Wyoming Territory from Texas in 1878. Her father, James Hageman, served as a longtime member of the Wyoming House of Representatives until his death in 2006, giving his daughter an early, practical introduction to the responsibilities and rhythms of public life.
Hageman graduated from Lingle/Fort Laramie High School and went on to attend the University of Wyoming, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in business administration. She continued at the University of Wyoming College of Law and received her Juris Doctor, setting the foundation for a career rooted in both state heritage and legal training.
Path to US Politics
After law school, Hageman clerked for Judge James E. Barrett of the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit and went on to practice as a trial attorney. In 1997 she represented Wyoming in Nebraska v. Wyoming, a dispute over management of the North Platte River, and she also advocated against the United States Forest Service’s roadless rule. These early legal engagements sharpened her focus on Western land use, water rights, and the balance between federal authority and state interests.
During the 2016 Republican presidential primaries, Hageman supported U.S. Senator Ted Cruz and was publicly critical of Donald Trump. Her views shifted in the years that followed, and by 2018 she was running for governor of Wyoming. She placed third in a six-candidate Republican primary, behind Foster Friess and the eventual winner, state treasurer Mark Gordon. Hageman later served as Wyoming’s Republican National committeewoman in 2020 and 2021, deepening her standing within the state party before she set her sights on Congress.
Harriet Hageman Career
Early Career (1990s–2018)
Hageman’s professional life began in the courtroom, where she built a reputation as a tenacious trial attorney representing Wyoming interests in significant cases. Her work in Nebraska v. Wyoming and her opposition to the federal roadless rule established her as a defender of state-led resource management and rural communities.
Her 2018 gubernatorial campaign, although unsuccessful, introduced her to voters across the state and laid the groundwork for a higher-profile run. Her third-place finish demonstrated early support, and her subsequent selection as Wyoming’s Republican National committeewoman cemented her role as a key voice in the state party.
Congressional Breakthrough (2021–2022)
On September 9, 2021, Harriet Hageman announced her candidacy for Wyoming’s at-large congressional district, challenging three-term incumbent Liz Cheney for the Republican nomination. She argued that Cheney had broken with Wyoming voters by opposing President Trump’s efforts to challenge the 2020 election and by voting to impeach him during his second impeachment. Two other primary challengers quickly exited and endorsed her, and Trump himself endorsed Hageman shortly after her announcement.
A University of Wyoming poll taken a week before the 2022 primary showed Hageman leading Cheney by 29 points. She won the primary in a landslide, taking 66.3 percent of the vote to Cheney’s 28.9 percent, and carried all but two counties in the state. In the general election, Hageman defeated Democratic nominee Lynnette Grey Bull, 67 percent to 24 percent, and was sworn into the House of Representatives on January 3, 2023. She became the fourth consecutive Republican woman to represent Wyoming in the House.
Congressional Tenure (2023–Present)
In Congress, Hageman has identified as an unyielding conservative, supporting fossil fuel development, energy independence, regulatory reform, the restoration of power to the states, and stronger border enforcement. In the contested 2023 Speaker of the House election, she backed Kevin McCarthy on every ballot, even as many members of the Freedom Caucus withheld their support. In 2023 she was among 47 Republicans to vote in favor of House Concurrent Resolution 21, which directed President Joe Biden to remove U.S. troops from Syria within 180 days.
Hageman won re-election in 2024 and continues to focus on issues tied to Wyoming’s land, energy, and rural economy. In March 2025 she attended a town hall in Albany County, Wyoming, where she faced a negative response from the audience on topics including the downsizing of the federal government. In 2025 she also supported a Senate proposal to mandate the sale of a small percentage of Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service lands in 11 Western states, a measure that drew bipartisan opposition in Wyoming before Senator Mike Lee withdrew it in June 2025.
Notable Events and Milestones
Hageman’s signature political moment remains her 2022 primary defeat of Liz Cheney, in which she outpaced the three-term incumbent by more than a two-to-one margin despite Cheney’s significant fundraising advantage. Her victory reshaped Wyoming’s congressional representation and underscored the strength of Trump-backed candidates in the state. Her subsequent re-election in 2024 and her December 2025 announcement of a 2026 U.S. Senate campaign mark the next chapter in her political rise.
Harriet Hageman Family
Family Background and Political Lineage
Hageman is a fourth-generation Wyomingite whose great-grandfather, James Clay Shaw, settled in the Wyoming Territory in 1878. Her father, James Hageman, served in the Wyoming House of Representatives for many years until his death in 2006, giving the Hageman family a long-standing connection to state government and rural Wyoming life.
Personal Life
Harriet Hageman is married to John Sundahl, a Cheyenne-based medical malpractice defense attorney. She is a Protestant. Her roots in ranching country, her legal career, and her family ties to Wyoming politics have all shaped her approach to public service.