John Barrasso

John Anthony Barrasso III (/bəˈrɑːsoʊ/ bə-RAH-soh; born July 21, 1952) is an American physician and politician serving as the senior United States senator from Wyoming, a seat he has held since 2007. A member of the Republican Party, he served in the Wyoming State Senate from 2003 to 2007. In 2025, he became Senate majority whip, the second-ranking Senate Republican.

Born and raised in Reading, Pennsylvania, Barrasso graduated from Georgetown University, where he received his B.S. and M.D. He conducted his medical residency at Yale University before moving to Wyoming and beginning a private orthopedics practice in Casper. Barrasso was active in various medical societies and associations.

Barrasso first ran for U.S. Senate in 1996, narrowly losing the Republican primary to Mike Enzi. In 2002, he was elected to the State Senate, where he stayed until his appointment to the U.S. Senate after the 2007 death of Craig L. Thomas. He was elected to finish Thomas's term in 2008 and won his first full term in 2012. In 2018, Barrasso was selected as chair of the Senate Republican Conference. He has been the dean of Wyoming's congressional delegation since 2021, when Enzi retired from the Senate.

Barrasso was born in Reading, Pennsylvania, on July 21, 1952, the son of Louise M. (née DeCisco) and John Anthony Barrasso Jr. Barrasso's father was a cement finisher who had a ninth-grade education. Barrasso is a third-generation Italian-American with paternal grandparents from Carife, Campania and maternal grandparents from Vasto, Abruzzo.

Barrasso is a graduate of the former Central Catholic High School, which later merged with Holy Name High School to form Berks Catholic High School. He attended Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute for two years and joined the Phi Kappa Tau fraternity. Barrasso graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Georgetown in 1974 with a Bachelor of Science degree in biology. He received his M.D. degree from the Georgetown University School of Medicine in 1978 and conducted his residency at Yale Medical School in New Haven, Connecticut.

In 1983, after completing his residency at Yale, Barrasso moved to Wyoming with his then-wife, Linda Nix. He joined a private orthopedic practice in Casper and for a time was the Wyoming Medical Center's chief of staff. Barrasso was a board-certified orthopedic surgeon in private practice in Casper from 1983 to 2007.^{[better source needed]} He has served as president of the Wyoming Medical Society. Barrasso was also a rodeo physician for the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (and a member of the "Cowboy Joe Club") and volunteered as a team physician for Casper College and several local high schools.^{[better source needed]}

Barrasso ran for the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate in 1996 for the seat being vacated by Republican Alan K. Simpson, losing narrowly to State Senator Mike Enzi, 32% to 30%, in a nine-candidate election. Enzi garnered support due to his pro-life stance, while Barrasso—who had been expected to win the primary—identified as pro-choice at the time.

Barrasso was elected to the Wyoming Senate unopposed in 2002 and reelected unopposed in 2006. He represented Wyoming's 27th Senate District, including part of Casper. During his State Senate tenure, he chaired the Transportation and Highways Committee.