Cynthia Marie Lummis Wiederspahn (/ˈlʌmɪs/ LUH-miss;[1] born September 10, 1954) is an American attorney and politician serving as the junior United States senator from Wyoming since 2021.

A member of the Republican Party, Lummis served as the U.S. representative for Wyoming's at-large congressional district from 2009 to 2017.

After her tenure in the House, Lummis sought a position in President Donald Trump's cabinet as Secretary of the Interior, but was not appointed.

[11] In 1978, Lummis was elected to the Wyoming House of Representatives at age 24, the youngest woman to serve in the state legislature.

[33] After leaving the state legislature, she was appointed to Jim Geringer's gubernatorial transition team, and served as his general counsel until 1997.

[34][35][36] Geringer appointed Lummis to serve as interim director of the Office of State Lands and Investments in 1997, after he fired Jim Magagna.

[45][46] During the campaign, the Attorney General ruled that public funds could not be used to send state treasurer candidates to an investment seminar.

[62] She also planned a 1% increase on the interest yield of Wyoming's $2.6 billion permanent fund, which would raise $26 million per year.

[63] She served on the Wyoming Board of Land Commissioners alongside Governor Geringer, Secretary of State Meyer, Auditor Max Maxfield, and superintendent of public instruction Judy Catchpole.

[66] In April 2001, Lummis announced a conflict of interest involving her role as treasurer of the Arp and Hammond Hardware Company, which she claimed had existed since December 2000.

[67] She and other Republican statewide officials were accused of trying to expand their powers at the expense of Governor Dave Freudenthal, but denied the claims.

Lummis initially supported a recount, but changed her mind after Mary Ann Collins, the Natrona County Clerk, told her that all of the ballots had been counted.

[74][75] On January 2, 2008, Lummis announced that she would run for Cubin's seat, winning the Republican nomination against Mark Gordon, Bill Winney, and Michael Holland, having challenged them to debates held in all 23 Wyoming counties during the primaries.

During the campaign Rachael Seidenschnur, her press secretary, resigned after using a fake name to ask Lummis's opponent a question.

[97][98] Lummis's daughter, Annaliese Wiederspahn, served as Leland Christensen's campaign manager during the Republican primary.

[100][101] She sought a position in President Donald Trump's cabinet by attempting to replace Ryan Zinke as United States Secretary of the Interior, but David Bernhardt was appointed instead.

[118] She praised the election of Paul Ryan as Speaker, saying, "we have ushered in thoughtful, conservative leadership, restored member-driven policy-making to the legislative process and returned regular order that will bring sunshine to back rooms making government work better".

[119] Lummis served on the Republican whip team until she was removed from the position in 2015, for voting against giving President Barack Obama the authority to propose a trade agreement with Pacific countries.

[126] She placed third in the final vote, making her one of the nominees submitted to the governor as a candidate for appointment, alongside John Barrasso and Tom Sansonetti.

[136][137] During her tenure in the Senate, Lummis has served on the Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, Environment and Public Works, and Commerce, Science, and Transportation committees.

[138] Hans Hunt, a member of the Wyoming state House, resigned so that he could work as Lummis's agriculture and trade policy adviser.

[150] In October 2021, CNBC reported that she had violated the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge (STOCK) Act of 2012, a federal transparency and conflict-of-interest law, by failing to disclose within 45 days a purchase of Bitcoin she made in August 2021 worth between $50,001 and $100,000.

[151] Lummis supported the federal takeover of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, but said the government should avoid bailing out private companies.

[159] Lummis has campaigned for a regulatory framework for digital assets, a stance she reiterated after the FTX exchange collapsed.

[165] She and Senator Chris Van Hollen attempted to have a federal building in Cheyenne named after Louisa Swain, the first woman to vote in the United States.

[177][178][179] Explaining her decision, reversing her prior opposition to federal same-sex marriage recognition, she said she was "guided by two things—the Wyoming Constitution and ensuring religious liberties for all citizens and faith-based organizations were protected.

"[180][181] Lummis supported continuing the United States' occupation of Iraq, holding that soldiers should not be withdrawn until General David Petraeus said it was time to leave.

[186][187] In 2009, the House voted 279 to 147, with Lummis in favor, to allow people to bring loaded guns into national parks and wildlife refuges.

[191] Lummis and 182 other Republican members of Congress filed an amicus brief asking the Supreme Court to halt a COVID-19 vaccination mandate for companies with 100 or more employees.

[198] The National Right to Life Committee endorsed her in the 2020 election and gave her a 100% anti-abortion rating during her tenure in the U.S. House of Representatives.