GOP Senator Says She Lacks Energy for Another Term

Sen. Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming has announced that she's leaving the Senate after one term, opening a rare GOP primary fight in one of the nation's most reliably Republican states. Lummis, 69, said Friday that she will not run in 2026, timing the decision with the Senate's adjournment for the holiday recess, the Hill reports. In a statement, the senator said that "in the difficult, exhausting session weeks this fall I've come to accept that I do not have six more years in me." She added that the energy required for another term "doesn't match up."

There's evidence to support Lummis' view of the workload beyond the energy drink she was often seen carrying in the Capitol. The year included the government's longest government shutdown ever and many all-night sessions, per the New York Times. There were also more roll call votes in the Senate than ever, more than 600, a Republican aide said. Several other GOP senators are looking to move on: Tommy Tuberville and Marsha Blackburn have entered governor's races, and Joni Ernst and Thom Tillis aren't running for reelection. Lummis said she'll continue to back President Trump in her final year in office.

The chair of a Senate Banking subcommittee overseeing digital assets, Luumis is a leading advocate of cryptocurrency, a stance Trump has praised. "Cynthia is a straight shooter and a trailblazer," Wyoming's other senator, John Barrasso, said. "We're going to miss her infectious energy and iconic laugh in the halls of the US Senate." No Democrat has won a Senate seat in Wyoming since 1976.