James W. Byrd

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James W. Byrd (born March 14, 1954) is an American politician and former Democratic member of the Wyoming House of Representatives, representing the 44th district from 2009 to 2019. Byrd retired from his House of Representatives seat to run for Wyoming Secretary of State shortly after Republican incumbent Ed Murray resigned, but lost the November 2018 election to Murray's successor Edward Buchanan. In February 2026, he announced his candidacy for the 2026 United States Senate election in Wyoming. He won the Democratic nomination August 18. Byrd's father, also called James (1925–2005), was born in Newark, New Jersey and moved to Wyoming after being posted to Warren Air Force Base after World War II. He joined Cheyenne's police force in 1949 and became its first black chief in 1966. His mother, Harriet Elizabeth Byrd (1926–2015), was a longtime teacher who held the 44th district's seat (the same one which Byrd held) from 1980 to 1988, and was the first African-American to serve in the Wyoming State Legislature. Byrd graduated from Cheyenne Central High School in 1972, and studied at Laramie County Community College and the University of Wyoming. He began his career as a geophysicist technician in the 1980s before transitioning into the cybersecurity sector, where he worked as an analyst. Since 2012, he has served as president of the Southeast Wyoming Economic Development District.