Liz Cheney Loses Wyoming Primary Race To Challenger Backed By Donald Trump

deadline.com:

Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY), who emerged as a central figure pursuing the facts about January 6th and Donald Trump’s role in fomenting the attack on the Capitol, lost her primary race for Wyoming’s at-large congressional seat.Harriet Hageman, a former Cheney supporter and Trump critic who nevertheless won the former president’s endorsement, was projected to win the race by a wide margin.“No House seat, no office in this land, is more important than the principles we are elected to protect,” Cheney told supporters in Jackson, WY.Her defeat was expected, and the crush of national journalists who descended on the state in recent days reflected the national implications of her race.

More than anything, it reflected the Republican party’s embrace of Trump and rejection of anyone who challenged him, even when that person is the daughter of a former vice president.As Cheney voted for Trump’s impeachment and remained openly critical of him, she was stripped of her position in the House Republican leadership and censured by the party.As vice chair of the January 6th Committee, Cheney has become the chief Republican spokesperson against Trump, arguing that he poses a threat to democracy.

Her highly visible role likely cost her re-election, as Trump rallied against her in the hard-right state and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy actively campaigned against her.

Even an ad featuring her father, former Vice President Dick Cheney, who once held the same congressional seat, failed to save her prospects.Yet even as Cheney maintained conservative positions on issues like abortion and gun rights, as she faced reelection she earned support even from longtime Democrats.