U.S. Senator Cynthia Lummis announced Friday she will retire from politics, ending her five-decade career in Wyoming politics as a one-term U.S. senator.
Lummis, 71, Wyoming’s first female U.S. senator, announced that she would not seek a second term in a statement.
“Deciding not to run for reelection 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. I am a devout legislator, but I feel like a sprinter in a marathon. The energy required doesn’t match up,” Lummis said.
Thank you, Wyoming! Serving our state has been the honor of my life. – Cynthia Lummis pic.twitter.com/FoRTlHaHxI
— Cynthia Lummis 🦬 (@CynthiaMLummis) December 19, 2025
The Republican senator was elected to the Senate in 2020 after representing Wyoming in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2009 to 2017.
Before her time in Congress, Lummis served in the Wyoming House of Representatives starting in 1979 at age 24, later moving to the Wyoming Senate, and then serving as state treasurer from 1997 to 2009.
Lummis received an endorsement from President Donald Trump in March for a second Senate term. In her statement, she referenced her continued support for the president.
“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. 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 said.
Lummis spent much of her Senate term working on shaping U.S. cryptocurrency policy.
Trump endorsed her earlier this year, saying she is “working closely with me to make America the [cryptocurrency] Capital of the World.” Various media outlets dubbed her the “Crypto Queen” for her advocacy on digital currency. She serves as chair of the Senate Banking Subcommittee on Digital Assets.
Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon praised Lummis in a statement following her surprising retirement announcement.
“Cynthia Lummis embodies all that defines Wyoming and the West. Hard work, perseverance, loyalty, and a strong sense of duty. From her early years in the Wyoming Legislature, to the hallowed halls of Congress, Cynthia has worked to make Wyoming a better place for everyone,” Gordon said.
Rep. Harriet Hageman, Wyoming’s sole U.S. House member, honored Lummis’ nearly 50 years of public service.
“For forty-six years in jobs with the public trust, Cynthia Lummis has embodied the clear-eyed common sense that Wyoming is known for. Her retirement marks the close of an extraordinary era in our state’s political history,” Hageman said. “Senator Lummis has been a trailblazer for Wyoming and has been key in educating other members of Congress, including other Republicans, about what life is like in our Western states. She knew that to do what’s right for our people, she had to first make sure folks in D.C. knew how their actions would affect us out west. There can be no question that the people of Wyoming are better off for having had Cynthia Lummis on their side.”
Republican Sen. John Barrasso, Wyoming’s senior senator, called Lummis “a straight shooter and a trailblazer” and “a perfect senator for Wyoming.”
“From Miss Frontier Days to the Wyoming Legislature to the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate — Cynthia has never stopped fighting for the people of Wyoming,” Barrasso said.
Lummis’ term expires in January 2027. The Republican nominee that wins the primary to replace her would be heavily favored in the general election. Trump won Wyoming by more than 45 points in 2024, and Lummis won her 2020 race by more than 46 points.
Lummis is the fifth Senate Republican to announce retirement plans for 2026, joining outgoing Sens. Joni Ernst of Iowa, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, Thom Tillis of North Carolina, and Tommy Tuberville of Alabama.