Cynthia Lummis

2008

Lummis, who carried the support of anti-abortion and economically conservative voters, won the November 4 general election to succeed Barbara Cubin. In the August primary election, she defeated businessman and rancher Mark Gordon.

In the general election, Lummis faced Democratic nominee Gary Trauner, a Teton County School Board Trustee who ran against Cubin in 2006 and nearly won.[9] Trauner criticized Lummis for supporting privatization of Social Security and suggesting raising the retirement age for receiving such benefits; he called instead for considering imposing the FICA tax on income over $100,000, which is currently exempt.[10]

2010

Lummis was reelected with 71% of the vote against Democratic nominee David Wendt.[11]

2012

Lummis was reelected with 69% of the vote against Democratic nominee Chris Henrichsen.

2014

In October 2013, corrections officer Jason Adam Senteney announced that he would challenge Lummis in the 2014 Republican primary. Senteney opposed the 2013 government shutdown: "You should never shut down essential programs for people. ... Whether it's a negotiation tactic or not, you shouldn't punish the American people for your own failure to work together in Washington."[12]

Lummis during the 111th United States Congress

Lummis signed Americans for Tax Reform’s Taxpayer Protection Pledge.[13]

Timothy P. Carney of the Washington Examiner called Lummis one of Arizona Congressman Jeff Flake's "posse of anti-appropriators" on the Appropriations Committee.[14] According to Carney, Lummis "is the league leader in bucking the committee leadership".[14]

Congresswoman Cynthia Lummis with colleagues Eric Cantor and Mary Fallin

• Ranch A Consolidation and Management Improvement Act (H.R. 1684; 113th Congress) – a bill that would transfer 10 acres of federal lands to the state of Wyoming for use at the historic Ranch A.[15] Lummis introduced the bill.[16]
• Protecting States’ Rights to Promote American Energy Security Act (H.R. 2728; 113th Congress) – a bill that would require the federal government to defer to states about regulations governing hydraulic fracturing.[17] If a state has laws or regulations about hydraulic fracturing, they would supersede any federal regulations. Lummis supported this bill.[15]
• Restoring Healthy Forests for Healthy Communities Act (H.R. 1526) – a bill that would direct the United States Department of Agriculture to establish at least one Forest Reserve Revenue Area within each unit of the National Forest System designated for sustainable forest management for the production of national forest materials (the sale of trees, portions of trees, or forest products from System lands) and forest reserve revenues (to be derived from the sale of such materials in such an Area).[18] Lummis supported this bill.[15]
• Open Book on Equal Access to Justice Act (H.R. 2919; 113th Congress) – a bill that would require the Administrative Conference of the United States (ACUS) to prepare a report each year on the amount of fees and other expenses federal courts awarded to nonfederal entities when they prevail in a case against the United States.[19] Lummis introduced this bill on August 1, 2013. She said, "requiring agencies to keep track of what they pay attorneys will help Congress determine if EAJA is working well or not."[20] According to Lummis, the EAJA was meant to the help the "little guy" but "was later co-opted by large environmental groups so their litigation shops could get reimbursed for filing expansive litigation on environmental issues."[21]

United States House Committee on Natural Resources (2009–2011; 2013–2017)

• • Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources
  • Subcommittee on Public Lands and Environmental Regulation
  • Subcommittee on Water and Power
• Committee on Oversight and Government Reform (2013–2017)
  • Subcommittee on National Security
  • Subcommittee on Economic Growth, Job Creation and Regulatory Affairs
• Committee on Science, Space and Technology (2013–2017)
  • Subcommittee on Energy (Chairman)
  • Subcommittee on Research
• Committee on Appropriations (2011–2013)

• Congressional Western Caucus (Vice-Chairman)
• International Conservation Caucus
• Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus
• Women's Caucus (Co-Chair)
• Congressional Arts Caucus
• Freedom Caucus[22]
• Veterinary Medicine Caucus
• Congressional Constitution Caucus[23]

After she retired from Congress in 2016, it was speculated that Lummis was considering a run for governor of Wyoming in 2018.[24] In late 2017, she ruled that out, saying that she was enjoying her time outside of public life but would likely run for office again later.[25] The Trump administration actively considered her for Secretary of the Interior after Ryan Zinke resigned,[26] but David Bernhardt was eventually appointed to the position.[27] On May 4, 2019, U.S. Senator Mike Enzi announced his retirement, leading to speculation that Lummis might run for his seat in the 2020 election.[28] On July 11, 2019, she announced her candidacy.[29][30] She won the election.[31] In January 2021, Lummis joined a group of Republican senators led by Cruz and Josh Hawley, in an unsuccessful effort to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. She voted in support of the objection to Pennsylvania's electoral votes[32] and against the objection to Arizona's.[33] The Senate rejected both objections, 92-7 and 93-6 respectively.

Lummis was sworn in as senator on January 3, 2021. She is the only member of Wyoming's congressional delegation who was born in Wyoming.

In January 2021, Lummis joined a group of Republican senators, led by Josh Hawley and Ted Cruz, in an unsuccessful effort to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. She voted in support of the objection to Pennsylvania's electoral votes and against the objection to Arizona's. Both objections were rejected by the Senate, 92-7 and 93-6 respectively.

• Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
• Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
• Committee on Environment and Public Works