Buchanan ran for Wyoming Secretary of State in the 2014 elections, narrowly losing the contest in a four-way race. After Secretary of State Ed Murray resigned, GovernorMatt Mead appointed Buchanan to serve the remaining 10 months of Murray's term.[4] He was subsequently elected to a full term in the 2018 election defeating James W. Byrd. In 2021, Buchanan was considered by early polling to be the leading potential candidate to take on Rep. Liz Cheney in 2022. Ultimately, Buchanan chose to remain in his role as Secretary of State. He initially ran for re-election in 2022, but withdrew to become a district court judge.[5][6]
On July 30, GovernorMark Gordon appointed Buchanan to be District Judge of the Eighth Judicial District.[7] Buchanan announced he would resign early from the secretary of state position, and did so on September 17.[8][9] Karl Allred was subsequently appointed acting secretary and sworn in on October 3, 2022.[10][11]
Personal life
Buchanan moved to Wyoming with his family at age 3 and grew up farming and ranching on the Bar KW ranch in Goshen County. Buchanan holds both bachelor's and law degrees from the University of Wyoming at Laramie. He also received a master's degree in public administration from the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, while serving in the United States Air Force. He and his wife Amber have two girls and two boys.