By Marie Horrigan, CQ Staff

Election: Defeated Gary Trauner, D, to succeed Barbara Cubin , R, who retired

Residence: Cheyenne

Born: Sept. 10, 1954; Cheyenne, Wyo.

Religion: Lutheran - Missouri Synod

Family: Husband, Al Wiederspahn; one child

Education: U. of Wyoming, B.S. 1976 (animal science), B.S. 1978 (biology), J.D. 1985

Career: Rancher; lawyer; gubernatorial aide

Political highlights: Wyo. House, 1979-83, 1985-93; Wyo. Senate, 1993-95; Wyo. State Lands and Investment acting director, 1997-98; Wyo. treasurer, 1999-2007

Lummis aspires to slots on two marquee House panels: She says her background as state treasurer gives her a natural interest in tax issues before the Ways and Means Committee, and she has been encouraged to look into the Judiciary Committee by that panel’s ranking Republican, Lamar Smith of Texas.

Another perennial favorite for representatives of such a resource-rich state is the Natural Resources Committee. Wyoming is one of the top producers of energy in the country, including coal and natural gas.

“We have the technology to remove it from the ground in an environmentally sustainable way,” Lummis says. The key is to develop adequate delivery systems, “which means pipelines and transmission lines, and those are all issues that touch the federal role.”

Lummis says she’s a strong proponent of states’ rights, particularly given her state legislative experience. “I see states as the great innovators and the great incubators of ideas. And I believe with these intractable problems that Congress is dealing with, national security, border security, economic security, energy security . . . these are all priorities for the federal government, and the states are enormously capable of addressing other issues or advising Congress on how to implement best practices.”

Lummis says she looks forward to meeting other members of Congress who have served in their state governments and bringing that perspective to bear on federal legislation.