Wyoming GOP Sen. Cynthia Lummis announces she won’t seek re-election

Sen. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., announced Friday that she will not seek re-election next year, saying “I don’t have six years left in me.”

“Deciding not to run for reelection represents a change of heart for me, but during the difficult and exhausting session weeks this fall, I have come to accept that I do not have six more years. I am an avid legislator, but I feel like a sprinter in a marathon. The energy required is not up to par,” Lummis, 71, said in a statement.

“I am honored to have earned the support of President Trump and to have the opportunity to work alongside him to fight for the people of Wyoming. I look forward to continuing this partnership and devoting all of my energy to bringing important legislation to his desk in 2026 and maintaining common-sense Republican control of the United States Senate,” she added.

Lummis, who was first elected to the Senate in 2020 and will retire after just one term, led efforts to regulate the cryptocurrency and artificial intelligence industries while in Congress.

Earlier this year, she introduced a bill that would protect AI companies from certain liability suits if they comply with certain disclosure requirements.

Lummis was also one of several Republican senators who raised concerns about Trump’s decision to privately meet with investors in his $TRUMP meme token earlier this year.

Alex Latcham, senior director of the Senate Leadership Fund, a super PAC aligned with the GOP leadership in the Senate, said in a statement that Lummis “will be missed.”

“We sincerely thank Senator Cynthia Lummis for her dedicated service to the people of Wyoming and congratulate her on a well-deserved retirement,” Latcham said. “Senator Lummis’ strong conservative record is undisputed, and her list of accomplishments includes ensuring the United States leads the world in digital currencies and energy production.”

The Republican who ultimately takes Lummis’ place as the party’s Senate nominee would be heavily favored in the general election in the deep red state. Trump won Wyoming by more than 45 points in 2024, and Lummis won his 2020 race by more than 46 points.

Rep. Harriet Hageman, R-Wyo., the state’s only representative in Congress, is likely to run for that seat, two sources familiar with her thinking told NBC News. Hageman, 63, ousted former GOP Rep. Liz Cheney in a 2022 primary.

Tim Murtaugh, Hageman’s political adviser, told NBC News that “Rep. Hageman will make an announcement next week.”

In a statement released Friday, Hageman honored Lummis’ term in Congress.

“Senator Lummis was a trailblazer for Wyoming and played a key role in educating other members of Congress, including other Republicans, about life in our Western states,” Hageman said. “She knew that to do what was right for our people, she had to first make sure the people of Washington knew how their actions would affect us in the West. There is no doubt that the people of Wyoming are better off for having had Cynthia Lummis on their side.”