Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., Appears at an Election Day gathering in Jackson, Wyo., to concede defeat in the GOP primaries to Harriet Hageman, who was nominated by former President Trump backing. Cheney vowed that she would continue her work to ensure Trump did not return to the presidency.
Jae C. Hong / AP
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Jae C. Hong / AP
Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., Appears at an Election Day gathering in Jackson, Wyo., to concede defeat in the GOP primaries to Harriet Hageman, who was nominated by former President Trump backing. Cheney vowed that she would continue her work to ensure Trump did not return to the presidency.
Jae C. Hong / AP
Republican Representative Wyoming Liz Cheney conceded defeat in the primaries for her House seat on Tuesday after months of her scathing criticism of former President Donald Trump and former President Donald Trump. his attempt to overthrow the 2020 election.
“This primaries are over, but now the real work begins,” Cheney said, nodding to future political plans to take on Trump. Cheney noted that she called rival Harriet Hageman to congratulate her.
Hageman, a Trump-confirmed attorney who was a supporter of Cheney, overtook the incumbent by a large margin in early returns. In a state that has given Donald Trump his biggest win of 2020, Hageman is on a fast track to win the seat outright over Democratic rival Lynnette GreyBull in November.
It was an expected outcome for someone who went from partisan star and heir to a conservative dynasty to become a political outcast – marked by the moment Cheney chose to break with the former president. after his role in inciting a mob to attack the US Capitol in January. 6.
Cheney spoke to supporters in Jackson Hole, near her home, reiterating her vow to do whatever she could to prevent Trump from returning to the White House.
“Our nation is facing crisis, lawlessness and violence once again,” Cheney said. “No American should support those who refuse to vote.”
When Liz Cheney chose to run for re-election to her House seat in 2020 instead of bidding for an open Senate seat, some Republicans speculated she was charting a path to becoming the first female Republican speaker. of the House of Representatives.
Cheney’s allies insist she could easily win re-election if she does what the vast majority of her GOP colleagues in Congress have done – stand up to Trump. Instead, Cheney made the race purely on her decision to stand up to the former president.
Trump Base is king in GOP primaries
About 70% of Wyoming voted for Trump and Cheney’s rejection of him became a red line for many of the GOP voters who enthusiastically supported her not long ago.
Her last campaign ad focused on her argument that Trump’s lie about the stolen 2020 election was “insidious” and damaging to democracy.
Mary Martin, chair of the Teton County Republican Party in Wyoming, previously supported Cheney, but said Cheney’s interactions with voters changed after she parted ways with the president.
“I personally have heard from people who have really supported Liz Cheney and contributed a lot of money to her in the past, that she offended them,” Martin said, adding that her rhetoric She labels her ingredients, “It’s just that her personal approach to this has alienated and disliked people. She’s not the only person in Wyoming to support the Constitution. ”
Republican strategist Alice Stewart says Trump’s influence is the ultimate factor in this race.
“Without a doubt, again, when we’re talking about a primaries, the base is king, and right now, the Republican base supports Donald Trump,” she said.
Martin says the race has become personal for many: “In Wyoming, trust and loyalty are very high traits. And she betrayed trust and betrayed loyalty. And she did. has taken a stance that is considered arrogant and unacceptable by some. “
Hageman proudly welcomes Trump’s endorsement. He went to Casper in May to organize a rally for her and labeled Cheney as “RINO” – Republican Party Only in the Name.
While Hageman crosses the state, Cheney primarily hosts small private campaign events, and her aides say security concerns force a more limited public schedule. Cheney had the details of the US Capitol Police for over a year due to a steady stream of threats.
Cheney is one of the 10 Republicans in the House of Representatives who voted to impeach Trump after the attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021. With her loss, only two of that group – David Valadao of California and Dan Newhouse of Washington state – will left in the November vote. Three others lost the primaries and four chose to retire.
Cheney’s Future: Inquiry January 6 and 2024
Cheney’s public statements hint at a time when she’s focused on the long game. In June, she offered a candid stance to House GOP members who remained loyal to Trump at the golden hour that began the public hearings of the House panel exploratory January-June.
“Tonight, I say this to my Republican colleagues who are defending the invincible: There will come a day when Donald Trump is gone, but your humiliation will remain,” Cheney said. speak.
The panel is still interviewing witnesses and planning more public hearings this fall. It plans to release a report later this year, and Cheney’s position as vice president will give her a national background in a few months.
Even before the primaries, Cheney showed some signs of positioning for a 2024 presidential campaign. It’s unclear whether she will continue as a Republican or consider a showdown. independent contractor.
In June, she went to the Ronald Reagan Library – a stopover for GOP presidential hopefuls – and delivered a speech that was widely seen as the blueprint for a national campaign. It’s a mix of her frequent denunciations of Trump, mixed with her political biography. It outlined conservative principles similar to those espoused by her father, former Vice President Dick Cheney: limited government, lower taxes, and a strong defense.
Cheney also sees gender as part of her critique of current leaders in power. She stressed that many of the key witnesses in the Jan. 6 investigation were young women like Cassidy Hutchinson, a former aide to White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, whose dramatic testimony marks an important moment. important in the investigation. She told an audience at the library, “These days, for the most part, men are running the world, and it’s really not going so well.”
For her 2022 House race, Cheney raised $14 million, a record for any primary race in Wyoming’s history, and she spent about half of that. The majority of donations come from the states, and she’s built a network she can reach in the future.
Stewart believes that, even after she loses her seat in Congress, there is still a place for Cheney in the GOP. She thinks she could be part of an effort to expand the message beyond the Trump base.
“If she continues to get out there and participate in GOP circles and functions, while also continuing to remind people of her voting record as a Republican, and about her support for freedom and policies that unite the Republican Party in contrast to the grievances that divide us, Stewart said.
Martin agrees that Cheney’s main role in Wyoming, and her role in the party going forward, will be something people will talk about for a while: “I knew she was going to go down in history, but I think we’ll have to wait a while to see what the story is about what’s been said about Liz Cheney historically.”
