Former Rep. Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming launched a campaign for Senate on Thursday, promising to take on a “new crop of socialist lawmakers” and “radical environmental groups” in Washington.
“I’m ready to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with President Trump to ensure conservative voices are heard loud and clear and to deliver real results for Wyoming people,” Lummis said in her announcement.
After her entry, all eyes now turn to Rep. Liz Cheney, the third-highest-ranking Republican in the chamber and the daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, who also served as Wyoming’s sole member of the House. If either Lummis or Cheney won, she’d be the first woman to serve as senator in the state.
While Cheney, 52, would have a high-profile perch from which to run, Lummis, 64, has been a long-serving public figure with deep personal ties to the state. Lummis became the youngest woman elected to the state legislature when she won a state House seat 40 years ago and later served in the state Senate and as state treasurer. She then was elected to Congress in 2008, serving during the eight years of the Obama administration. On Thursday, Lummis said Wyoming continues to be “devastated” by the former president’s policies “aimed at regulating our natural resources out of existence.”
Since leaving office, Lummis passed on a gubernatorial run even though she was considered the favorite. The Trump administration then reportedly considered Lummis, a rancher who focused on public lands and energy issues as a senior member of the House Natural Resources committee, for Interior Secretary before turning to David Bernhardt.
It’s unclear whether Cheney will run for Senate or seek to rise further in the House. She ran a short-lived primary campaign against the now-retiring Sen. Mike Enzi in 2014.
Other GOP candidates considering running include mega-donor Foster Friess, who ran a failed gubernatorial campaign in 2018, and venture capitalist Robert Grady, who was an economic adviser to former Gov. Matt Mead.