Washington lost another long-timer this week, and this one came with less drama and more honesty than the usual grandstanding farewell tour. The announcement landed Friday, when Sen. Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming made it official that she will not seek reelection in 2026, citing a simple reality most politicians refuse to admit, the job takes more out of you than it gives back after a while.
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
Lummis said “the energy required doesn’t match up,” which is about as refreshingly blunt as it gets in modern politics. In a statement posted to X, she explained, “It’s an incredible honor to represent Wyoming in the U.S. Senate, and throughout my time here, Wyoming has been my one-and-only priority.” That is the kind of line voters actually believe when it comes from someone who has spent decades grinding through state and federal office instead of auditioning for cable news hits.
She followed it up with an even more human admission. “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 left in me.” In a town filled with people clinging to power well into their 80s, that level of self-awareness almost feels rebellious. Lummis summed it up perfectly by adding, “I am a devout legislator, but I feel like a sprinter in a marathon.”
Sworn in on Jan. 3, 2021, Lummis made history as the first woman to represent the Equality State in the Senate. She also made plenty of enemies and fans along the way, especially in the world of cryptocurrency. Fox News noted her role as a champion for crypto legislation, including penning the GENIUS Act, and her unapologetic support for American energy, coal, oil, and gas included. In an era where too many Republicans get squeamish about defending energy workers, she never pretended Wyoming was something it is not.
Senate Majority Whip Sen. John Barrasso praised her record, saying, “Cynthia Lummis is a perfect senator for Wyoming,” and called her a “straight shooter and a trailblazer,” adding that her “infectious energy and iconic laugh” will be missed. That is not boilerplate praise, it is the kind of comment that comes from actually working alongside someone who shows up prepared.
According to The Hill, her departure makes her the fifth Senate Republican heading for the exits, joining Sens. Joni Ernst, Mitch McConnell, Thom Tillis, and Tommy Tuberville. It also opens the door to another Republican primary in one of the reddest states in the country. Rep. Harriet Hageman is already being floated as a top-tier contender, and with the primary set for mid-August, the jockeying will start early.
No Democrat has held a Senate seat in Wyoming since 1977, and that is not changing anytime soon. Lummis may have been a notorious Bitcoin Maxi shill, and while Bitcoin is great, so are other coins like XRP. Maybe she sees the writing on the blockchain wall and knows XRP takes the crown next year. Or maybe, more realistically, she just decided it was time to pass the torch instead of becoming another exhausted career politician who forgot why they showed up in the first place.
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