US Senator Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyoming), a renowned cryptocurrency advocate, announced on December 19, 2025, that she will not seek reelection in 2026 and will leave the Senate when her term ends in early 2027. Her decision marks the impending departure of a pivotal advocate for digital asset regulation at a time of growing policy activity in Washington.
Lummis Reflects On Senate Career And Crypto Advocacy
In her announcement on X, Lummis explained that the grueling pace of Senate work factored heavily into her choice to exit Capitol Hill next year.
The 71-year old Republican said:
Deciding not to run for reelection does represent a change of heart, but in the difficult, exhausting session weeks this fall I’ve come to accept that I do not have six more years in me. I am a devout legislator, but I feel like a sprinter in a marathon. The energy required doesn’t match up.
Lummis first won her Senate seat in 2020 and quickly distinguished herself as a leading voice on digital asset policy. As chair of the Senate Banking Subcommittee on Digital Assets, she partnered with colleagues across the aisle, most notably Democratic Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, on efforts to craft a comprehensive crypto market structure bill aimed at clarifying how digital assets should be regulated and which federal agencies should have oversight.
Her legislative legacy also includes helping negotiate the GENIUS Act, a landmark legislation that established a federal regulatory framework for stablecoins, giving regulators clearer authority over these widely used digital assets. Although Lummis has not publicly named a preferred successor, her open seat in the deeply Republican state of Wyoming is expected to remain in GOP hands. Potential contenders include Rep. Harriet Hageman (R-Wyoming), and the current governor of Wyoming, Mark Gordon (R-Wyoming).
US Crypto Regulation: Progress And Lummis’ Final Focus
In 2025, the US regulatory landscape for crypto saw meaningful developments. The GENIUS Act successfully passed both chambers of Congress and was signed into law, setting rules for stablecoin issuers and enhancing anti-money-laundering standards.
Meanwhile, the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has just recently issued updated guidance to brokers and other intermediaries to clarify how to determine and handle custody of digital assets under existing securities laws, a move welcomed by many industry participants striving for clarity.
At the same time, broader efforts to enact a comprehensive crypto market structure bill, which would define regulatory boundaries between the SEC and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), remain in motion, with the Senate Banking Committee targeting early 2026 for markup after delays late in the 2025 session.
With her departure, Lummis plans to focus her final months in Congress on advancing the market structure legislation and other digital asset priorities she has long championed, hoping to cement a legacy of sensible regulation that supports innovation while protecting investors.
Featured image from Young America’s Foundation, chart from Tradingview
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