Lummis not running again changes 2026 political strategies

If I had known I’d be interviewing a future U.S. senator, I would have probably worn something a bit more formal for the occasion on that hot July afternoon in 1976.

Then again, I couldn’t. Cowboy hat, boots, Western shirt and jeans were the required uniform for anyone who wanted a press pass to Cheyenne Frontier Days. I looked like a drugstore cowboy but didn’t mind. The beer in the press box was cold and free, which is how I, and all the others covering the biggest rodeo in the country, liked it.

Sen. Cynthia Lummis, a former Miss Frontier, dropped a bombshell last Friday that she’s not running for re-election to one of the nation’s safest Senate seats. My mind turned to our first professional encounter nearly a half-century ago. I had only been a reporter for the Wyoming State Tribune for three months.

Lummis was already on the roof above the stands, watching bulls and riders coming out of the chutes. Wearing a white buckskin outfit and braided pigtails, she definitely looked like rodeo royalty. 

Our conversation didn’t include a drop of politics, by my recollection.

We talked about her cowgirl life growing up on a large Laramie County ranch. Her father, Doran Lummis, was chairman of the Laramie County Republican Party and a county commissioner in the 1960s. While she was obviously proud of her dad, I don’t recall her expressing any aspiration to follow in his footsteps into public service. 

She did, though, beginning in 1979. Lummis, then 24, is still the youngest female legislator ever elected to the Wyoming House. In 2020, she became the first woman U.S. senator to represent the Equality State.

I don’t know if serving as Miss Frontier played much of a role in her early success, but publicity certainly didn’t hurt. Once she was in the Legislature, Lummis’ political career took off. 

Lummis received her law degree at the University of Wyoming in 1985, spent 14 years in the Legislature, clerked for the Wyoming Supreme Court, was elected state treasurer in 1998 and served two terms.

Then she was elected to the U.S. House and re-elected twice before taking a break from politics in 2016. But four years later, when Wyoming’s U.S. Sen. Mike Enzi retired, she was back campaigning for his open seat. Lummis raised $3 million for the GOP primary and general elections, an impressive sum for Wyoming politics, and defeated her Democratic opponent by 46%.

One of the reasons Lummis decided to leave after her term expires is that she’s tired.

“Deciding not to run for re-election 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 in me,” the 71-year-old senator said in a news release. 

I can relate. I haven’t had the stress of campaigning; I’ve just covered them. While Lummis kept climbing the ladder, my career literally flatlined. I’ve done the same thing for 49 years: talk to interesting people and write it up.

But I did hang up my cowboy reporter costume in the early 1980s, and after various stints as a photographer, sportswriter, legislative reporter, film critic, entertainment editor and managing editor, I decided my true passion was reporting and commenting on Wyoming politics. 

Lummis and I live in two vastly different political worlds. Trump is one of her heroes, and I can’t wait until he’s out of office. Things were much simpler when we were younger and could enjoy watching the rodeo while she told me what life was like on her family’s ranch.

Lummis’ decision leaves many Republican candidates scurrying to see if there’s a place for them on the 2026 ballot. That only happens when a veteran politician unexpectedly retires and injects some life into what seemed like a pretty dull campaign season, except for electing a new governor to replace term-limited Gov. Mark Gordon.

For political columnists like me, this is an early Christmas present I didn’t dream of happening.

With the holiday just two days away, I’d like to say please, please, please! to Santa: Give us a U.S. House race between Gordon and Secretary of State Chuck Gray, two men who really don’t like each other.

You might be wondering why I’m talking about the House, when Lummis is in the Senate. I’m guessing Hageman will run for the upper chamber, leaving the lower chamber for the taking.  

Gordon has no state office to return to, so relocating to Washington, D.C., would be the perfect next step. He’s always had a high approval rating as a moderate governor, and he’s vetoed some of the far-right Freedom Caucus’ worst ideas.

Gray desperately wants to run for another office, as evidenced by the “Elect Gray” advertisements that ran during the Chicago Bears game Saturday. The spots didn’t say for what office, just elect him!

One thing is certain: Gray has no appetite for taking on U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman, the early favorite to replace Lummis.

We’ll have to see how well the Hageman juggernaut, which began when she trounced Liz Cheney in 2022, holds up, and who will challenge her. Hageman will likely win, but Cheney’s downfall proved that no Wyoming pol is invincible.

The governor’s race could be a lightning rod for every House Freedom Caucus lawmaker and Senate ally. Non-officeholders already campaigning are Brent Bien and Joseph Kibler. Reportedly showing interest are Rep. Chip Neiman, R-Hulett, and Senate President Bo Biteman, R-Ranchester.

The more ultra-conservatives who dilute the gubernatorial candidate pool, the easier it will be for moderate Sen. Eric Barlow, R-Gillette, to win. 

The Freedom Caucus has the opportunity to see if it can retain power and grow an agenda aligned with Lummis that she no longer feels the need to lead. Lummis and I are hoping for different outcomes, but after 50 years of this, maybe we can both sit back and enjoy the show.