U.S. Sen. Cynthia Lummis was condemned by the Wyoming Republican State Central Committee on Saturday for her vote in favor of the Respect for Marriage Act last November.
The “Resolution to Condemn” Lummis was a duplicate of a measure passed by the Goshen County Republican Party on Jan. 30.
It states that because the party “adheres to the ideal of marriage being between one man and one woman,” and that Lummis’ vote for the Respect for Marriage Act” is in direct contradiction to the Wyoming Republican Party Platform, which is properly approved by the Republican Party that the Senator was elected to represent.”
Lummis Reaction
Lummis told Cowboy State Daily that she was attending an out-of-state GOP Senate fundraiser with Sen. John Thune, R-South Dakota, on Saturday when party leaders, at its meeting in Thermopolis, passed the resolution.
“[Thune] ironically stated, ‘The Republican Party is the party that believes in and protects individual personal freedom,’” Lummis said.
“Sometimes I think Republicans struggle to figure out who we really are as much as Democrats do,” Lummis said.
‘Stalwart Conservative’
Lummis’ chief of staff Kristin Walker attended the meeting in Thermopolis on Saturday.
She had strong words for the central committee, noting that Lummis has some of the highest conservative ratings by anyone in Congress, including a 94% rating from the American Conservative Union, 100% rating from the National Right to Life Committee and a 93% rating with Freedomworks.
“Over her 40 years in public service, Sen. Lummis has established herself as a stalwart conservative and has the voting record to prove it,” Walker told Cowboy State Daily.
“Wyoming voters recognized this in 2020 when they elected her to the U.S. Senate, garnering more votes in support than anyone else on a ballot in the states history,” she said.
“Countless other scorecards reflect the same commitment to championing and defending the conservative principles of Wyoming Republicans,” Walker said.
Top Conservative
Lummis, who was a founding member of the House Freedom Caucus when she was a U.S. representative, rankled some GOP leaders in Wyoming for her vote on the Respect for Marriage Act, which was crafted as a safety net in case the U.S. Supreme Court overturns its own nationwide protection of same-sex marriage.
Lummis was one of 12 Republican senators who broke ranks in favor of the act, which has since become law.
Walker said Lummis stands by her vote.
“Sen. Lummis stands by her vote for the Respect for Marriage Act due to its expansive protections of religious liberties as well as its adherence to the Wyoming and U.S. Constitution,” Walker said. “She looks forward to continuing her work on behalf of the people of Wyoming.”
Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story wrongly reported that Lummis had been censured. That information came from Lummis staff, who told Cowboy State Daily she had been censured. Lummis’ staff corrected the record Sunday morning.
