Why Liz Cheney Can’t Rely On Democrats To Save Her In Wyoming’s Republican Primary

Despite being a reliable Republican vote for most of two-plus terms in the U.S. House, Rep. Liz Cheney hasn’t been afraid to buck her party when it comes to former President Donald Trump. The Wyoming representative was one of just 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump in January 2021. She has called Trump a “clear and present danger” to American democracy. She supported the investigation into the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol that Trump incited. Cheney has even earned praise from Democrats, a remarkable turn of events for the daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, whom Democrats loathed.

But Cheney’s anti-Trump stance could doom her career in the Republican Party — where Trump remains popular — by sparking intense opposition to her both at home and in Washington. On Capitol Hill, House Republicans ousted Cheney from party leadership and the Republican National Committee voted to condemn her for serving on the House committee investigating the events of Jan. 6. In Wyoming, the state GOP has excommunicated her, while party committees all around the state have formally censured her. And now she faces a stern challenge in Wyoming’s 2022 GOP primary — the state has only one congressional district — from Harriett Hageman, an attorney and former RNC member who has endorsements from both Trump and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy.