Harriet Hageman

Harriet Hageman
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Wyoming's at-large district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 2023
Preceded by	Liz Cheney
Personal details
Born	Harriet Maxine Hageman (1962-10-18) October 18, 1962 (age 62) Fort Laramie, Wyoming, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse	John Sundahl
Relatives	James Hageman (father)
Education	University of Wyoming (BS, JD)
Website	House website

Harriet Maxine Hageman (born October 18, 1962) is an American politician and attorney serving as the U.S. representative for Wyoming's at-large congressional district since 2023. She is a member of the Republican Party.

A Wyoming native, Hageman holds degrees from the University of Wyoming and has spent her career as a trial attorney. She unsuccessfully ran for the Republican nomination for governor of Wyoming in 2018 and later served as a member of the Republican National Committee. With the endorsement of former president Donald Trump, Hageman later defeated incumbent representative Liz Cheney, a Trump critic and vice chair of the House January 6 Committee, by a landslide in the 2022 Republican primary election, garnering over twice as many votes as Cheney while spending less than a quarter of Cheney's campaign expenditures. In a prior, less-politicized campaign for Governor, she received only one fifth of the vote.

Hageman was sworn into Congress on January 3, 2023. She won re-election in 2024.^[1]

Early life and education

Harriet Maxine Hageman was born on a ranch outside of Fort Laramie, Wyoming, near the Nebraska border, on October 18, 1962.^[2][3] Her father, James Hageman, served as a longtime member of the Wyoming House of Representatives until his death in 2006.^[4] She is a fourth-generation Wyomingite; her great-grandfather, James Clay Shaw,^[5] moved to the then-Wyoming Territory from Texas in 1878.^[6]

After graduating from Lingle/Fort Laramie High School, Hageman earned a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration from the University of Wyoming and a Juris Doctor from the University of Wyoming College of Law.^[7][8]

Legal career

Hageman served as a law clerk for Judge James E. Barrett of the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. She has since worked as a trial attorney. In 1997, Hageman represented Wyoming in Nebraska v. Wyoming, a dispute over management of the North Platte River.^[9][10] In the case, she advocated against the United States Forest Service's roadless rule and lost.^[11][12][13] In the 2016 Republican Party presidential primaries, Hageman supported U.S. senator Ted Cruz and criticized Donald Trump.^[14]

Hageman was a candidate in the 2018 Wyoming gubernatorial election, placing third after investment manager Foster Friess and the eventual winner, state treasurer Mark Gordon. Hageman was the Republican National committeewoman for Wyoming in 2020 and 2021.^[15]

U.S. House of Representatives

Hageman at AmericaFest in 2022.

Elections

2022

Main article: 2022 United States House of Representatives election in Wyoming

On September 9, 2021, Hageman announced her candidacy for Wyoming's at-large congressional district, challenging three-term incumbent Liz Cheney for the Republican nomination in the 2022 election. In her campaign announcement, Hageman claimed that Cheney no longer represented the people of Wyoming due to her opposition to Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election and her vote to impeach him during Trump's second impeachment. Noting that Trump had carried Wyoming by landslide majorities in both of his campaigns, Hageman said that by opposing Trump, Cheney "betrayed Wyoming, she betrayed this country, and she betrayed me".^[16][17] She formally launched her campaign at a Cheyenne hotel later that day, saying that Wyoming needed someone in Congress "who represents Wyoming's conservative values" and had "Wyoming's best interests at heart". She also claimed that Cheney's drive to "destroy President Trump" made her ineffective in Washington. Two other primary challengers dropped out and endorsed Hageman.^[18] She was quickly endorsed by Trump, who had personally interviewed several prospective primary challengers to Cheney.^[19]

Hageman and Cheney had been close political allies for several years. Hageman was an adviser to Cheney's brief 2014 Senate campaign,^[20] and introduced Cheney at a rally during Cheney's first congressional bid in 2016.^[14] According to Hageman, the relationship cooled when Cheney criticized Trump for not acting on claims that Russia put bounties on American troops in Afghanistan and chilled even further when Cheney called for Trump to acknowledge that he had lost the 2020 election.^[21][18] Hageman claimed that when Cheney called her to say that any claims about irregularities in the 2020 election were untrue, "that was probably the end of our relationship". She added that had she known that Cheney would have voted to impeach Trump, she "never would have answered [Cheney's] first phone call" in 2016.^[18] Hageman later claimed that Cheney and others had deceived her into opposing Trump but dismissed her previous opposition to Trump as "ancient history".^[22] In a statement to The New York Times, she called Trump "the greatest president of my lifetime."^[10]

Besides Trump, Hageman was endorsed by many other prominent Republicans, including House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy.^[23][24][25] She also received campaign support from several Trump administration staffers, including Bill Stepien, Justin R. Clark, and Tim Murtaugh.^[26] In January 2022, it was reported that Hageman's campaign had raised $1 million, to Cheney's $4.5 million.^[27]

Hageman raced out to a large lead in opinion polling. A University of Wyoming poll taken a week before the election showed Hageman with a 29-point lead over Cheney.^[28] She defeated Cheney in the Republican primary in a landslide, winning 66.3% of the vote to Cheney's 28.9%. Hageman carried all but two counties in the state, Cheney's home county of Teton County, and Albany County, home to the University of Wyoming.^[29]

In the general election, Hageman faced Democratic nominee and Native American activist Lynnette Grey Bull, who was Cheney's opponent in 2020. Hageman was overwhelmingly favored.^[20] Republicans had a nearly 7-to-1 advantage in registration over Democrats,^[30] and Trump won the state in 2020 with almost 70% of the vote, his strongest state-level performance in the nation.^{[citation needed]}

Hageman won the 2022 election handily, defeating Grey Bull, 67% to 24%. Upon taking office in 2023, she became the fourth consecutive Republican woman to represent Wyoming in the House, after Barbara Cubin, Cynthia Lummis, and Cheney.^{[citation needed]}

Tenure

In the contested 2023 Speaker of the United States House of Representatives election, though many of Hageman's colleagues in the Freedom Caucus refused to support Kevin McCarthy, Hageman backed him on every ballot.^[31]

Committee assignments

• Committee on the Judiciary
  • Subcommittee on the Administrative State, Regulatory Reform, and Antitrust
  • Subcommittee on the Constitution and Limited Government
  • Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government
• Committee on Natural Resources
  • Subcommittee on Indian and Insular Affairs (Chair)
  • Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries

Source:^[32]

Caucus memberships

• Congressional Western Caucus
• Republican Study Committee

Political positions

Hageman calls herself an "unyielding conservative". During her gubernatorial campaign, she claimed that government was too pervasive in American lives, to the point that it was replacing "community, the organizations you belong to, and family support."^[6] Along similar lines, during her congressional campaign, she highlighted her past work in "defending our great state against the excess of government".^[17] She argued that as part of her plan to "protect Wyoming", her priorities would be "energy independence, regulatory reform, restor[ing] power to the states, protection of our southern border and enforcement of our immigration laws." She added that while in Congress, she would "focus on what is in the best interest of the United States, and, specifically, what is in the best interest of Wyoming."^[18] She believes the framers of the Constitution intended for "the Legislative Branch—and only the Legislative Branch" to make law.^[33]

Hageman is a vocal supporter of the fossil fuel industry, saying at an August 2022 campaign event that coal is an "affordable, clean, acceptable resource that we all should be using".^[34]

Speaking about presumptive Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris in July 2024, Hageman called Harris "a DEI hire" (a reference to diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives) who is "intellectually, just really kind of the bottom of the barrel".^[35]

Syria

In 2023, Hageman was among 47 Republicans to vote in favor of H. Congressional Resolution 21, which directed President Joe Biden to remove U.S. troops from Syria within 180 days.^[36][37]

Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023

Hageman was among the 71 Republicans who voted against final passage of the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 in the House.^[38]

Personal life

Hageman is married to Cheyenne-based medical malpractice defense attorney John Sundahl.^[39] She is Protestant.^[40]

Electoral history

2018 Wyoming gubernatorial election - Republican primary^[41]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Mark Gordon	38,951	33.0
	Republican	Foster Friess	29,842	25.3
	Republican	Harriet Hageman	25,052	21.2
	Republican	Sam Galeotos	14,554	12.3
	Republican	Taylor Haynes	6,511	5.5
	Republican	Bill Dahlin	1,763	1.5
	n/a	Under votes	1,269	1.1
	Republican	Write-ins	113	0.0
	n/a	Over votes	46	0.0
Total votes			118,101	100.0

2022 United States House of Representatives election in Wyoming - Republican primary^[42]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Harriet Hageman	113,025	66.3
	Republican	Liz Cheney (incumbent)	49,316	28.9
	Republican	Anthony Bouchard	4,505	2.6
	Republican	Denton Knapp	2,258	1.3
	Republican	Robyn Belinskey	1,305	0.8
Total votes			170,409	100.0

2022 Wyoming's at-large congressional district election^[43]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Harriet Hageman	132,206	68.18%	−0.37
	Democratic	Lynnette Grey Bull	47,250	24.37%	−0.22
	Libertarian	Richard Brubaker	5,420	2.80%	−0.95
	Write-in		4,521	2.33%	+1.14
	Constitution	Marissa Selvig	4,505	2.32%	−0.60
Total votes			193,902	100.00%	N/A
	Republican hold

References

1. Woodward, Chris (January 6, 2024). "Representative Harriet Hageman running for second term in Congress". The Washington Examiner. Retrieved January 6, 2024.
2. "Home | Harriet Hageman for Wyoming". Harriet Hageman. Retrieved August 17, 2022.
3. Seddiq, Omar (July 10, 2022). "This Trump-Backed Candidate Is Vying to Defeat Liz Cheney in a Heated Republican Primary for Wyoming's Sole Congressional Seat". Business Insider. Retrieved July 10, 2022.
4. Hansen, Sandra (March 10, 2019). "Hageman family preserving ranch life". Star-Herald. Retrieved September 15, 2021.
5. Shaw, James Clay (1996). North from Texas: Incidents in the Early Life of a Range Cowman in Texas, Dakota, and Wyoming, 1852-1883. Texas A&M University Press. ISBN 978-0-89096-730-0.
6. "An Introduction to Harriet Hageman". Hageman for Wyoming. March 25, 2018.
7. Hansen, Sandra (January 23, 2018). "Hageman looking to serve Wyoming people". Platte County Record-Times. Retrieved September 15, 2021.
8. "Harriet Hageman -". Archives of Women's Political Communication. Retrieved September 14, 2021.
9. Ring, Ray (November 6, 2009). "The Wicked Witch of the West". www.hcn.org. Retrieved February 23, 2022.
10. Epstein, Reid J. (September 27, 2021). "How an Anti-Trump Plotter in 2016 Became His Champion Against Liz Cheney". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 23, 2022.
11. Turner, Tom (April 14, 2010). Roadless Rules: The Struggle for the Last Wild Forests. Island Press. ISBN 978-1-59726-797-7.
12. Cama, Timothy (January 19, 2022). "Meet the anti-conservation Republican vying to unseat Cheney". E&E News. Retrieved February 23, 2022.
13. Gabriel, Trip (August 16, 2022). "Lawyer Who Defeated Cheney Spent Career Fighting Environmental Rules". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 17, 2022.
14. Andrew Kaczynski; Em Steck. "Harriet Hageman once rebuked Trump and endorsed Liz Cheney. She's now challenging her with his support". CNN. Retrieved February 24, 2022.
15. "Potential Cheney challenger steps down from RNC post". POLITICO. September 7, 2021. Retrieved September 15, 2021.
16. Archie, Ayana (August 17, 2022). "Who is Harriet Hageman, the woman who beat Liz Cheney in the Wyoming House race?". NPR. Retrieved August 17, 2022.
17. "Conservative Republican Harriet Hageman to announce challenge to Rep. Liz Cheney". Hageman for Wyoming. September 9, 2021.
18. Hannah Black (September 9, 2021). "Trump endorses Hageman as she announces run against Cheney". Wyoming Tribune-Eagle.
19. Beck, Bob (September 9, 2021). "Harriet Hageman Is Trump's Pick To Face Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney". Wyoming Public Radio.
20. John, Arit (August 16, 2022). "Rep. Liz Cheney loses Wyoming GOP primary to Trump-backed challenger". Los Angeles Times.
21. Schmitt, Eric; Goldman, Adam; Fandos, Nicholas (July 29, 2020). "Spies and Commandos Warned Months Ago of Russian Bounties on U.S. Troops". The New York Times. Retrieved September 29, 2022.
22. "Hageman Says She Was Fooled Into Opposing Trump In 2016". Cowboy State Daily. September 27, 2021. Retrieved February 24, 2022.
23. Goldmacher, Shane (September 9, 2021). "Trump endorses a Cheney challenger, aiming to unseat a chief detractor". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved September 14, 2021.
24. "Trump endorses Wyoming lawyer to unseat Liz Cheney in biggest test of his ability to purge his critics from the party". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved September 14, 2021.
25. Beavers, Olivia (February 17, 2022). "McCarthy picks his path on Cheney: Try to boot her from Congress". Politico. Retrieved February 23, 2022.
26. Isenstadt, Alex (September 10, 2021). "Trump aides flock to Cheney challenger's campaign". Politico. Retrieved September 14, 2021.
27. Steinhauser, Paul (January 30, 2022). "Trump-backed Cheney primary challenger Hageman hauls in $1 million since launching congressional bid". Fox News. Retrieved February 24, 2022.
28. Eavis, Victoria (August 11, 2022). "Hageman leads Cheney by 29 points days before primary, UW poll finds". Casper Star-Tribune.
29. Seddiq, Oma (August 16, 2022). "Liz Cheney's loss in Wyoming is Trump's biggest primary victory as he tries to purge the Republican Party of his critics". Business Insider. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
30. Secretary of State of Wyoming (December 1, 2021). "December 2021 Statewide Summary of Wyoming Voter Registration" (PDF). Retrieved August 17, 2022.
31. Leo Wolfson (January 3, 2023). "Hageman Backs McCarthy In High Drama House Speaker Stalemate; 4th Vote Wednesday". Cowboy StateDaily.
32. "Hageman received her House Committee Assignments today - WyoToday.com". January 18, 2023.
33. Congresswoman Harriet Hageman (January 6, 2023). "About". United States House of Representatives.
34. Luscombe, Richard (August 17, 2022). "Harriet Hageman: who is the Republican who beat Liz Cheney?". The Guardian. Retrieved August 30, 2022.
35. Mascaro, Lisa; Colvin, Jill (July 24, 2024). "Republican leaders urge colleagues to steer clear of racist and sexist attacks on Harris". Associated Press News.
36. "H.Con.Res. 21: Directing the President, pursuant to section 5(c) of … -- House Vote #136 -- Mar 8, 2023".
37. "House Votes Down Bill Directing Removal of Troops From Syria". Associated Press. March 8, 2023.
38. Gans, Jared (May 31, 2023). "Republicans and Democrats who bucked party leaders by voting no". The Hill. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
39. Murray, Isabella (August 16, 2022). "Who is Harriet Hageman, the Trump-backed candidate running against Liz Cheney?". ABC News. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
40. "Faith on the Hill: The religious composition of the 118th Congress". Pew Research Center. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
41. "Statewide Election Results" (PDF).
42. "Primary Election Candidate Roster". Wyoming Secretary of State. Archived from the original on May 31, 2022. Retrieved May 27, 2022.
43. "Statewide Candidates Unofficial Summary Wyoming General Election - November 8, 2022" (PDF).

External links

• Congresswoman Harriet Hageman official U.S. House website
• Harriet Hageman for Congress campaign website
• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
• Legislation sponsored at the Library of Congress
• Profile at Vote Smart
• Appearances on C-SPAN

U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Liz Cheney	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Wyoming's at-large congressional district 2023–present	Incumbent
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded by Dan Goldman	United States representatives by seniority 375th	Succeeded by Erin Houchin