U.S. Senator Cynthia Lummis, arguably the cryptocurrency industry’s closest friend in Congress, said in a statement on Friday that she will not seek re-election.
The first-term lawmaker will quit when her six-year term ends in January 2027, leaving an open Republican seat in deeply red Wyoming but also eliminating a key ally in the digital asset industry. Lummis is the inaugural chair of the U.S. Banking Commission’s first subcommittee dedicated to cryptocurrency matters, and she has made pushing for crypto-friendly legislation a top priority.
Even now, she is one of the key negotiators on the Cryptocurrency Market Structure Bill, which will lure members back to the negotiating table after the holidays. She will remain involved in the final push for the industry’s top legislative targets for 2026.
“The decision not to run for re-election did represent a change of heart on my part, but during those difficult, exhausting weeks of the session this fall, I came to accept that my six years were numbered,” Loomis said in the statement, which was issued as the House abandoned Washington for recess. She compares herself to a sprinter who has run a marathon. “There’s a mismatch in energy required,” she said.
Lummis has introduced bill after bill aimed at paving the way for regulatory acceptance and government embrace of cryptocurrencies. These include broad market structure efforts, cryptocurrency tax proposals, and legislation to establish a government Bitcoin stockpile.
Although the 2026 congressional midterm elections will be a high-stakes political battleground with partisan majorities in both the House and Senate at stake, the last time Democrats gained a Senate seat in Wyoming was in the 1970s. In Lummis’ 2020 campaign, she received nearly 73% of the vote.
“I am honored to have President Trump’s endorsement and the opportunity to work alongside him to fight for the people of Wyoming,” Loomis said in a statement. She said she would “dedicate all of her energy to delivering important legislation to him in 2026 and maintaining common-sense Republican control of the U.S. Senate.”
Cryptocurrency advocates have expressed condolences over her departure. Ji Kim, CEO of the Cryptocurrency Innovation Council, called her “a leading advocate for digital assets in Washington.”
“Her deep understanding and conviction help advance digital asset policy and strengthen American innovation and leadership,” Kim said in a statement on Friday.
Read more: U.S. Senator Lummis Key to Cryptocurrency Bill, Risk Points in Negotiations with White House
Update (December 19, 2025 22:04 UTC): Added comments from CCI CEO.