WYOMING — Mike Gierau announced to the Teton County Democratic party that he will run for a third term in State Senate in the upcoming election season. He was elected for his first term 2018 and represents District 17.
After nearly a decade of service, Gierau opted to run again because of the support from his family and constituents in Teton County.
During his career, Gierau has centered much of his focus on state budgeting efforts. “Wyoming has one of the largest sovereign wealth funds in the world,” he told Buckrail. “When I started [in the Senate] there was about $18 billion in our investment fund; today, there’s closer to $37 billion dollars in that fund.” According to the Wyoming State Treasurer’s office, the earnings from this sovereign wealth fund provide over 30% of Wyoming’s annual spending budget.
Gierau expressed interest in continuing to grow Wyoming’s investment upon re-election.
Beyond focusing on the budget, Gierau told Buckrail that he has a lot of interest in figuring out health care options for “you and me, regular people.” In the wake of the expiration of the Enhanced Premium Tax Credit at the end of 2025, healthcare costs have skyrocketed.
“Access to healthcare is not good and it needs to be better,” Gierau told Buckrail. “We have some good services, but frankly the cost of that service is too high. … I just want to make healthcare more affordable. Not going to the doctor isn’t the right answer.”
Gierau noted that he prides himself in his service to his constituents and promises to connect people to the kind of help they need. He told Buckrail that sometimes, he’ll still receive calls from East Jackson residents about snow removal.
“Nobody knows what we do,” he said. “We’re government. [People] just know they need help.”
