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Cynthia Lummis

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Cynthia Lummis
United States Senator
from Wyoming
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 3, 2021
Serving with John Barrasso
Preceded byMike Enzi
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Wyoming's at-large district
In office
January 3, 2009 – January 3, 2017
Preceded byBarbara Cubin
Succeeded byLiz Cheney
27th Treasurer of Wyoming
In office
January 4, 1999 – January 9, 2007
GovernorJim Geringer
Dave Freudenthal
Preceded byStan Smith
Succeeded byJoe Meyer
Member of the Wyoming Senate
from the 5th district
In office
January 14, 1993 – January 10, 1995
Preceded byGary Yordy
Succeeded byDonald Lawler
Member of the Wyoming House of Representatives
from the Laramie County district
In office
January 7, 1985 – January 14, 1993
In office
January 8, 1979 – January 3, 1983
Personal details
Born
Cynthia Marie Lummis

(1954-09-10) September 10, 1954 (age 70)
Cheyenne, Wyoming, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1983; died 2014)​
Children1
EducationUniversity of Wyoming (BS, BS, JD)
WebsiteSenate Website

Cynthia Marie Lummis Wiederspahn (/ˈlʌmɪs/ LUMM-iss;[1] born September 10, 1954) is an American politician and attorney serving as the junior United States Senator from Wyoming. She is the first woman to represent Wyoming in the Senate.[2] A member of the Republican Party, she served as the U.S. Representative for Wyoming's at-large congressional district from 2009 to 2017. Before joining Congress, she served as a State Representative (1979–83, 1985–93), State Senator (1993–95), and State Treasurer (1999–2007). She did not seek reelection to the House of Representatives in 2016,[3] and defeated Democratic nominee Merav Ben-David for the U.S. Senate in 2020.[4]

Early life and education

Lummis is one of four children born in Cheyenne, Wyoming, to Doran Lummis and the former Enid Bennett (1928–2013).[5] After high school, she enrolled in the University of Wyoming in Laramie, obtaining two Bachelor of Science degrees, one in animal science in 1976 and one in biology in 1978.[6] She received her Juris Doctor from the University of Wyoming in 1985 and clerked for the Wyoming Supreme Court.[6]

Early career

Lummis began her political career as the acting director of the Wyoming Office of State Lands and Investments.[7][8]

Wyoming state legislature

Lummis was a member of the Wyoming House of Representatives from 1979 to 1983 and from 1985 to 1993. She was a member of the Wyoming Senate from 1993 to 1995.

Governor's cabinet

From 1995 to 1997 she served as general counsel to Wyoming Governor Jim Geringer.[9]

U.S. House of Representatives

Elections

2008

See also: 2008 United States House of Representatives election in Wyoming

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.[10] 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.[11]

2010

See also: 2010 United States House of Representatives election in Wyoming

Lummis was reelected with 71% of the vote against Democratic nominee David Wendt.[12]

2012

See also: 2012 United States House of Representatives election in Wyoming

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

2014

See also: 2014 United States House of Representatives election in Wyoming

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."[13]

Tenure

Lummis during the 111th United States Congress

Lummis signed Americans for Tax Reform's Taxpayer Protection Pledge.[14]

Timothy P. Carney of the Washington Examiner called Lummis one of Arizona Congressman Jeff Flake's "posse of anti-appropriators" on the Appropriations Committee.[15] According to Carney, Lummis "is the league leader in bucking the committee leadership".[15]

Legislation supported

Congresswoman Cynthia Lummis with colleagues Eric Cantor and Mary Fallin

Committee assignments

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

Caucus memberships

United States Senate

Elections

Main article: 2020 United States Senate election in Wyoming

After she retired from Congress in 2016, it was speculated that Lummis was considering a run for governor of Wyoming in 2018.[25] 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.[26] The Trump administration actively considered her for Secretary of the Interior after Ryan Zinke resigned,[27] but David Bernhardt was eventually appointed to the position.[28] 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.[29] On July 11, 2019, she announced her candidacy.[30][31] She won the election.[32]

Tenure

Lummis was sworn in as senator on January 3, 2021.

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 but against the objection to Arizona's. Both objections were rejected by the Senate, 92–7 and 93–6 respectively.[33][34] Lummis voted to confirm President Joe Biden's Cabinet nominees Avril Haines, Lloyd Austin, Janet Yellen, Pete Buttigieg, Denis McDonough, Tom Vilsack, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, Cecilia Rouse, Katherine Tai, and against the rest. She did not vote on Deb Haaland's nomination as United States Secretary of Interior and Isabel Guzman's nomination as Administrator of the Small Business Administration because of a blizzard in Wyoming.[35]

Committees

Subcommittee on Space and Science (Ranking Member)

Electoral history

State Treasurer

Wyoming State Treasurer election, 1998[36][37]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Cynthia Lummis 105,322 62.69
Democratic Charyl "Butch" Loveridge 52,655 31.34
Libertarian James Blomquist 10,024 5.97
Total votes 168,001 100.00
Wyoming State Treasurer election, 2002[38][39]
Primary election
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Cynthia Lummis (incumbent) 79,557 100.00
Total votes 79,557 100.00
General election
Republican Cynthia Lummis (incumbent) 152,583 100.00
Total votes 152,583 100.00

U.S. Representative

Wyoming's at-large congressional district election, 2008[40][41]
Primary election
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Cynthia Lummis 33,149 46.18
Republican Mark Gordon 26,827 37.37
Republican Bill Winney 8,537 11.89
Republican Michael S. Holland 3,171 4.56
Total votes 71,684 100.00
General election
Republican Cynthia Lummis 131,244 52.62
Democratic Gary Trauner 106,758 42.81
Libertarian W. David Herbert 11,030 4.42
Write-in 363 0.15
Total votes 118,151 100.00
Republican hold
Wyoming's at-large congressional district election, 2010[42][43]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Cynthia Lummis (incumbent) 84,063 82.82
Republican Evan Liam Slafter 17,148 16.89
Write-in 289 0.28
Total votes 101,500 100.00
General election
Republican Cynthia Lummis (incumbent) 131,661 70.42
Democratic David Wendt 45,768 24.48
Libertarian John V. Love 9,253 4.95
Write-in 287 0.15
Total votes 186,969 100.00
Republican hold
Wyoming's at-large congressional district election, 2012[44][45]
Primary election
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Cynthia Lummis (incumbent) 73,153 98.13
Write-in 1,393 1.87
Total votes 74,546 100.00
General election
Republican Cynthia Lummis (incumbent) 166,452 68.89
Democratic Chris Henrichsen 57,573 23.83
Libertarian Richard P. Brubaker 8,442 3.49
Constitution Daniel Clyde Cummings 4,963 2.05
Wyoming Country Party Don Wills 3,775 1.56
Write-in 416 0.17
Total votes 241,621 100.00
Republican hold
Wyoming's at-large congressional district election, 2014[46][47]
Primary election
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Cynthia Lummis (incumbent) 70,918 75.89
Republican Jason Adam Senteney 22,251 23.81
Write-in 274 0.29
Total votes 93,443 100.00
General election
Republican Cynthia Lummis (incumbent) 113,038 68.47
Democratic Richard Grayson 37,803 22.90
Libertarian Richard P. Brubaker 7,112 4.31
Constitution Daniel Clyde Cummings 6,749 4.09
Write-in 398 0.24
Total votes 165,100 100.00
Republican hold

U.S. Senate

Wyoming U.S. Senate Republican primary results, 2020[48]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Cynthia Lummis 63,511 59.67
Republican Robert Short 13,473 12.66
Republican Bryan Miller 10,946 10.28
Republican Donna Rice 5,881 5.53
Republican R. Mark Armstrong 3,904 3.67
Republican Joshua Wheeler 3,763 3.53
Republican John Holtz 1,820 1.71
Republican Devon Cade 1,027 0.96
Republican Michael Kemler 985 0.93
Republican Star Roselli 627 0.59
Write-in 501 0.47
Total votes 106,438 100.00
United States Senate election in Wyoming, 2020[49]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Cynthia Lummis 198,100 72.85 +0.66
Democratic Merav Ben-David 72,766 26.76 +9.31
Write-in 1,071 0.39 +0.11
Total votes 271,937 100.00
Republican hold

Personal life

In 2010, Roll Call ranked her as the 50th-wealthiest member of Congress, with a minimum net worth of $5.44 million.[50] Most of Lummis's wealth comes from her family-owned Arp and Hammond Company, Lummis Livestock Company, and Old Horse Pasture, Inc.[51] In 2016 she was inducted into the Cheyenne Frontier Days Hall of Fame.[52] Upon taking office in the Senate in 2021, she is the first senator to own cryptocurrency; she bought Bitcoin in 2013 after her son-in-law advised her to.[53]

Lummis is a Lutheran. She is a Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LCMS) adherent.[54]

See also

References

  1. ^ @SenLummis (January 4, 2021). ""Loomis" is a common mispronunciation of my name. My staff decided to have a little fun with it and start the "Hummus with Lummis" campaign here at our office. Stop by and grab a snack and remember, Lummis, it rhymes with Hummus!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  2. ^ Connley, Courtney (November 4, 2020). "Kamala Harris, Cori Bush and others who made history in the 2020 election". CNBC. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
  3. ^ dougrandall (January 28, 2016). "Stubson Touts Wyoming Experience In Run For Congress". KGAB 650AM.
  4. ^ "Republican Cynthia Lummis wins election to U.S. Senate from Wyoming". WSIL. Associated Press. November 4, 2020. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
  5. ^ "Rep. Lummis' Statement on the Passing of Her Mother, October 10, 2013". lummis.house.gov. Archived from the original on October 20, 2013. Retrieved October 18, 2013.
  6. ^ a b "Biography – Congressman Cynthia Lummis". Archived from the original on May 2, 2014. Retrieved May 1, 2014.
  7. ^ LUMMIS, Cynthia M.
  8. ^ LUMMIS, Cynthia M.. 1954 –
  9. ^ 2009–2010 Official Congressional Directory: 111th Congress
  10. ^ "Zwonitzer withdraws from House race". Wyoming Tribune Eagle. May 8, 2008.
  11. ^ Joyce, Matt (October 10, 2008). "Trauner, Lummis camps debate Social Security". Casper Star-Tribune.
  12. ^ "State Results – Election Center 2010 – Elections & Politics from CNN.com". CNN.
  13. ^ "Trevor Brown, Yoder man challenging Lummis in 2014 primary: Jason Senteney says Congress isn't working to solve budget issues, October 24, 2013". Wyoming Tribune-Eagle. Retrieved October 25, 2013.
  14. ^ "The Taxpayer Protection Pledge Signers 112th Congressional List" (PDF). Americans for Tax Reform. Retrieved November 30, 2011.
  15. ^ a b Carney, Timothy (April 3, 2011) GOP anti-appropriators break up the spending party Archived April 5, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, Washington Examiner
  16. ^ a b c Hancock, Laura (August 5, 2013). "Lummis-supported bills move forward". Casper Star-Tribune. Retrieved January 27, 2014.
  17. ^ "H.R. 1684 – Summary". United States Congress. Retrieved January 27, 2014.
  18. ^ Kasperowicz, Pete (November 19, 2013). "House advances drilling, fracking bills". The Hill. Retrieved November 21, 2013.
  19. ^ "H.R. 1526 – Summary". United States Congress. Retrieved September 17, 2013.
  20. ^ "CBO – H.R. 2919". Congressional Budget Office. Retrieved May 5, 2014.
  21. ^ D'Amico, Christine (August 1, 2013). "Lummis, Cohen Draft Bill to Track Equal Access to Justice Act Payments Bipartisan legislation restarts agency tracking obligations; modernizes record-keeping with online database". House Office of Cynthia Lummis. Archived from the original on May 5, 2014. Retrieved May 5, 2014.
  22. ^ Hancock, Laura (February 9, 2014). "House committee endorses bill targeting environmental group lawsuits". Casper Star-Tribune. Retrieved May 5, 2014.
  23. ^ Bialik, Carl; Bycoffe, Aaron (September 25, 2015). "The Hard-Line Republicans Who Pushed John Boehner Out". FiveThirtyEight. Retrieved September 28, 2015.
  24. ^ "Members". Congressional Constitution Caucus. Archived from the original on June 14, 2018. Retrieved May 8, 2018.
  25. ^ Hancock, Laura (June 27, 2016). "Lummis not ruling out run for governor". Casper Star-Tribune. Retrieved October 26, 2017.
  26. ^ "Lummis says she won't run for governor, upending the field and opening 'the floodgates'". Casper Star-Tribune. September 20, 2017.
  27. ^ "White House Considering Lummis for Interior Secretary, Sources Say". January 31, 2019 – via www.bloomberg.com.
  28. ^ Cohn, Alicia (April 11, 2019). "David Bernhardt confirmed as new Interior chief". The Hill.
  29. ^ Reynolds, Nick (May 10, 2019). "Former Wyoming Rep. Cynthia Lummis considering 2020 Senate bid to replace Enzi". Casper Star-Tribune. Retrieved June 25, 2019.
  30. ^ "Lummis Announces Run for U.S. Senate, Pledges to Stand 'Shoulder to Shoulder' with President Trump to Fight for WY". Sheridan Media. July 11, 2019. Retrieved July 11, 2019.
  31. ^ Alex Rogers (July 11, 2019). "Former Rep. Cynthia Lummis running for US Senate seat in Wyoming". CNN. Retrieved September 23, 2019.
  32. ^ Bendix, Madison Hall, Aria. "Republican Cynthia Lummis nabs Wyoming's open Senate seat from Democratic challenger Merav Ben-David". Business Insider. Retrieved November 6, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  33. ^ "Roll Call Vote 117th Congress – 1st Session". U.S. Senate. January 7, 2021. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
  34. ^ "U.S. Senate: U.S. Senate Roll Call Votes 117th Congress – 1st Session". www.senate.gov. Retrieved January 10, 2021.
  35. ^ https://justfacts.votesmart.org/candidate/key-votes/15546/cynthia-lummis
  36. ^ "Statewide Issues Abstract" (Portable Document Format). Wyoming Elections Division. p. 5. Retrieved May 25, 2012.
  37. ^ Foster, Deidre (November 4, 1998). "Lummis trumps Loveridge". Wyoming Tribune-Eagle. Archived from the original on April 9, 2016. Retrieved May 25, 2012.
  38. ^ "Statewide Candidates' Abstract – Official Primary Election Results – August 20, 2002" (PDF). Wyoming Elections Division. Retrieved May 25, 2012.
  39. ^ "Statewide Candidates' Abstract – Official General Election Results – November 5, 2002" (PDF). Wyoming Elections Division. p. 2. Retrieved May 25, 2012.
  40. ^ "Republican Statewide Candidates Official Summary: Wyoming Primary Election – August 19, 2008" (PDF). Wyoming Elections Division. Retrieved May 25, 2012.
  41. ^ Miller, Lorraine C. (July 10, 2009). "Statistics of the presidential and congressional election of November 4, 2008" (PDF). Clerk of the United States House of Representatives. p. 68. Retrieved May 25, 2012.
  42. ^ "Statewide Candidates Official Summary: Wyoming Primary Election – August 17, 2010" (PDF). Wyoming Elections Division. p. 1. Retrieved May 25, 2012.
  43. ^ Haas, Karen L. (June 3, 2011). "Statistics of the congressional election of November 2, 2010" (PDF). Clerk of the United States House of Representatives. p. 56. Retrieved May 25, 2012.
  44. ^ "Statewide Candidates Official Summary Wyoming Primary Election – August 21, 2012" (PDF). Wyoming Secretary of State. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
  45. ^ "Office of the Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives – Election Information" (PDF). Karen Haas, Clerk of the United States House of Representatives.
  46. ^ "Statewide Candidates Official Summary Wyoming Primary Election – August 19, 2014" (PDF). Wyoming Secretary of State. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
  47. ^ "Statewide Candidates Official Summary Wyoming General Election – November 4, 2014" (PDF). Wyoming Secretary of State. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
  48. ^ "Statewide Candidates Official Summary Wyoming Primary Electionmary.xlsx" (PDF). Wyoming Secretary of State. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
  49. ^ "Statewide Candidates Official Summary Wyoming General Election – November 3, 2020" (PDF). Wyoming Secretary of State. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
  50. ^ "The 50 Richest Members of Congress". Roll Call. September 16, 2010. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
  51. ^ "Rep. Cynthia Lummis among Richest Members of Congress". wyofile.com. Archived from the original on January 9, 2012. Retrieved January 3, 2012.
  52. ^ "Cheyenne Frontier Days Hall of Fame Inductees". Cheyenne Frontier Days Old West Museum. Retrieved October 29, 2018.
  53. ^ Roberts, Jeff John (November 4, 2020). "Wyoming elects first Bitcoin owner to U.S. Senate". Fortune. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
  54. ^ "Lutherans in Congress". Living Lutheran. January 5, 2015. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
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U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Wyoming's at-large congressional district
2009–2017 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Chair of the Congressional Women's Caucus
2011–2013 		Succeeded by
Party political offices
Preceded by Republican nominee for U.S. Senator from Wyoming
(Class 2)
2020 		Most recent
U.S. Senate
Preceded by U.S. Senator (Class 2) from Wyoming
2021–present
Served alongside: John Barrasso 		Incumbent
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded by United States senators by seniority
93rd 		Succeeded by
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