U.S. Rep. Cynthia Lummis (R) takes a phone call in this 2009 photo from the House Republican Conference. (Flickr Creative Commons/House Republican Conference)

On Nov. 12 U.S. Rep. Cynthia Lummis (R) announced she would not seek reelection in 2016. As one of Wyoming’s most experienced politicians, 2016 will mark her 30th year in elected office. She spent 12 years in the State House, two years in the State Senate, and eight years as Wyoming State Treasurer before winning four terms in U.S. Congress.

Lummis began her political career in 1979. At age 24, she was the youngest woman member of the Wyoming House of Representatives in state history. She married fellow legislator Rep. Alvin Wiederspahn (D) in 1983, and earned a law degree at the University of Wyoming in 1985.

During her two terms as state treasurer from 1999 to 2007, Lummis led the conversion of state investments from mostly fixed income funds to a diversified portfolio.

In 2014 Lummis’ husband Wiederspahn died of a heart attack. The two raised one daughter, Anneliese Wiederspahn.

During her current term, Lummis joined the Freedom Caucus, a group that used leverage to oust House Speaker John Boehner from his chair. She lost her position as a “deputy whip” in June after opposing Boehner on a rules vote related to a trade deal.

Following the news of Lummis’ intention not to run in 2016, Wyoming Rep. Tim Stubson (R-Casper) announced he would seek the seat. Stubson joins Jason Senteney of Yoder, a corrections officer as a candidate in the 2016 race for the GOP nomination.

For more on Lummis’ career, read this in-depth WyoFile report.

Read Lummis’ statement on not seeking reelection in 2016.

Join the Conversation

2 Comments

WyoFile's goal is to provide readers with information and ideas that foster constructive conversations about the issues and opportunities our communities face. One small piece of how we do that is by offering a space below each story for readers to share perspectives, experiences and insights. For this to work, we need your help.

What we're looking for: 

  • Your real name — first and last. 
  • Direct responses to the article. Tell us how your experience relates to the story.
  • The truth. Share factual information that adds context to the reporting.
  • Thoughtful answers to questions raised by the reporting or other commenters.
  • Tips that could advance our reporting on the topic.
  • No more than three comments per story, including replies. 

What we block from our comments section, when we see it:

  • Pseudonyms. WyoFile stands behind everything we publish, and we expect commenters to do the same by using their real name.
  • Comments that are not directly relevant to the article. 
  • Demonstrably false claims, what-about-isms, references to debunked lines of rhetoric, professional political talking points or links to sites trafficking in misinformation.
  • Personal attacks, profanity, discriminatory language or threats.
  • Arguments with other commenters.

Other important things to know: 

  • Appearing in WyoFile’s comments section is a privilege, not a right or entitlement. 
  • We’re a small team and our first priority is reporting. Depending on what’s going on, comments may be moderated 24 to 48 hours from when they’re submitted — or even later. If you comment in the evening or on the weekend, please be patient. We’ll get to it when we’re back in the office.
  • We’re not interested in managing squeaky wheels, and even if we wanted to, we don't have time to address every single commenter’s grievance. 
  • Try as we might, we will make mistakes. We’ll fail to catch aliases, mistakenly allow folks to exceed the comment limit and occasionally miss false statements. If that’s going to upset you, it’s probably best to just stick with our journalism and avoid the comments section.
  • We don’t mediate disputes between commenters. If you have concerns about another commenter, please don’t bring them to us.

The bottom line:

If you repeatedly push the boundaries, make unreasonable demands, get caught lying or generally cause trouble, we will stop approving your comments — maybe forever. Such moderation decisions are not negotiable or subject to explanation. If civil and constructive conversation is not your goal, then our comments section is not for you. 

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  1. We have two Senators who represent the National Republican Party and a Representative who is even more extreme. Please tell me there is someone out there, in either party, who will serve the people of Wyoming, not just corporations, billionaires, and a party run by them. Please tell me there is someone who can see something other than fossil fuels that is of value here and worth protecting and representing. There must be someone who values working people, families, women, health, education, and the natural beauty of Wyoming, more than profits and their own political career. Both parties should be taking applications now, no hacks or lackeys allowed. (Note to Democrats: make a serious, not a token, run.)

    Linda Anderson

    Reply

  2. It’s great news for Wyoming. Now we can get some one that will listen. My feeling she will run for Governor!

    Ron Walker

    Reply