Sen.-elect Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.)

Date of birth: Sept. 10, 1954
Residence: Laramie County, Wyo.
Occupation: businesswoman
Education: B.S., University of Wyoming; J.D., University of Wyoming
Family: daughter, Annaliese; grandson, Doran Augustus Cole

Republican Cynthia Lummis, a former U.S. congresswoman who served in the House from 2009 to 2017, is heading back to Washington after winning Wyoming’s open Senate seat.

Lummis, Wyoming’s first female senator, beat out Democratic opponent, climate scientist Merav Ben-David, to win the vastly rural state. She will fill the seat to be vacated by Sen. Mike Enzi (R), who announced his retirement in May 2019.

A staunch conservative, she ran on a platform advocating for a wall at the southern border, defunding sanctuary cities, bringing manufacturing back from China and an opposition to the Green New Deal.

Lummis’s conservative platform was at the forefront of her campaign, as she frequently touted her A+ rating from the National Rifle Association, which advocates for Second Amendment rights, and a “100 percent Right to Life voting record” from the anti-abortion group.

She also aligned herself with President Trump and said during her run that she would help him confirm conservative judges.

Best known for her eight years in Congress, Lummis did not run for reelection to her House seat in 2016. Since then, she has operated her family’s cattle ranches and worked in Sweetgrass Development in Laramie County.

Before Congress, Lummis served as Wyoming’s state treasurer and in the state legislature.

– Ellen Mitchell