Longtime Wyoming politician Cynthia Lummis will not seek reelection to the U.S. Senate in 2026, she announced Friday.  The prominent Laramie County Republican has worked in Wyoming politics for more than four decades. She will finish her first term in the U.S. Senate in 2026 and isn’t up for another go-around, she said in the announcement. “In the difficult, exhausting session weeks this fall I’ve come to accept that I do not have six more years in me,” Lummis, 71, said. “I am a devout legislator, but I feel like a sprinter in a marathon. The energy required doesn’t match up.” The move opens a coveted slot in Wyoming politics and could impact which Republicans run for downballot races. Another seat without an incumbent in 2026 is governor, as Mark Gordon has already served two terms.  State Sen. Eric Barlow, R-Gillette, announced his bid for governor in August. Several other notable Wyoming politicians have either expressed an interest in running for governor or are rumored to be mulling the possibility. They include U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman, who sought the job in 2018, Secretary of State Chuck Gray, Senate President Bo Biteman and Speaker of the House Chip Neiman. Brent Bien and Joseph Kibler are also candidates. All are Republicans.  With the Senate seat newly open, it’s not clear if any of them will now consider a congressional bid.  Pioneering pol When Lummis won a seat in the Wyoming House of Representatives in 1979, she became the youngest woman to be elected to the Legislature. She served 14 years in the body as both representative and senator.  Along with managing gubernatorial campaigns, Lummis also worked in executive branch roles, including director of State Lands and Investments and state treasurer.  She moved to the U.S. Congress in 2009 when she was elected as Wyoming’s lone representative, succeeding Republican Barbara Cubin. In that role, she co-founded the House Freedom Caucus. When she was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2020, she became the first woman to represent Wyoming in the body. U.S. Rep. Cynthia Lummis (R) takes a phone call in this 2009 photo from the House Republican Conference. (Flickr Creative Commons/House Republican Conference) As a lawmaker, Lummis championed cryptocurrency, limited government and American energy dominance, strongly advocating for Wyoming’s extraction industries. She has consistently sided with President Donald Trump on policy matters.  Lummis has “served Wyoming with integrity, independence and unwavering dedication,” Rep. Hageman posted Friday on X. “From the ranch to the halls of Congress, she built one of the most distinguished careers in our state’s history, strengthening both Wyoming and [the] nation through her service.” Wyoming’s other U.S. Sen., John Barrasso, also praised Lummis as a “straight shooter and a trailblazer. “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 in a statement.  In a Facebook post, Gov. Mark Gordon thanked Lummis, whom he said would remain “forever Wyoming.” “Cynthia Lummis embodies all that defines Wyoming and the West. Hard work, perseverance, loyalty, and a strong sense of duty,” the governor said. “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. Notable names in the cryptocurrency universe also lauded the senator, including David Sacks, a prominent venture capitalist who now serves as a Trump technology adviser. “Senator Lummis has been a great ally on crypto — very sorry to see her go!” he wrote Friday afternoon on X. Change of heart In March, Trump endorsed Lummis for reelection, which suggested she would run again.  Wyoming Sens. Cynthia Lummis and John Barrasso, and Rep. Harriet Hageman pose with President Donald Trump at the White House on Dec. 12, 2025 for the signing of the Congressional Review Act resolution nullifying the Buffalo Resource Management Plan Amendment. (courtesy Wyoming Congressional Delegation) In her Friday statement, Lummis confirmed that deciding to retire represents a change of heart. She thanked colleagues like Hageman along with Wyoming and Trump. “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,” Lummis said. “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. The post Sen. Cynthia Lummis won’t seek reelection in 2026 appeared first on WyoFile . ...read more read less