GOP Sen. Cynthia Lummis Announces Retirement

Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.) announced Friday she will not seek reelection to the upper chamber next year, setting up an open seat primary in the ruby red state.

Lummis made the announcement after the Senate adjourned for the holiday break, a move that will end her stay after a single term in office.

She said in a statement that after an intense session, especially the past several weeks, she did not have it in her to serve out another six-year term.

“Deciding not to run for re-election does represent a change of heart for me, but in the difficult, exhausting session weeks this fall I’ve come to accept that I do not have six more years in me,” she said. “I am a devout legislator, but I feel like a sprinter in a marathon. The energy required doesn’t match up.”

“I am honored to have earned the support of President Trump and to have the opportunity to work side by side with him to fight for the people of Wyoming,” she continued. “I look forward to continuing this partnership and throwing all my energy into bringing important legislation to his desk in 2026 and into retaining commonsense Republican control of the U.S. Senate.”

Lummis previously served four terms in the House, and then took a hiatus before running for the seat occupied by the late Sen. Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.).

Her decision will reverberate in Washington circles, especially in the crypto universe, where she has been among the leading voices for years. She serves as the chair of the Senate Banking Subcommittee on Digital Assets.

Trump made note of that when he endorsed her in March, saying that she is “working closely with me to make America the [cryptocurrency] Capital of the World.”

The move makes her the fifth Senate Republican to head for the exits next year, joining Sens. Joni Ernst (Iowa), Mitch McConnell (Ky.), Thom Tillis (N.C.) and Tommy Tuberville (Ala.).

It also means another primary could be on tap. Rep. Harriet Hageman (R-Wyo.) is considered a top-tier option to run in her place next year in what is among the reddest states on the map.

The primary is set for mid-August.

No Democrat has held a Senate seat in Wyoming since 1977.