Liz Cheney’s Latest Clash With GOP: Endorsing These Democrats

Topline

Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) endorsed a third Democratic midterm candidate Saturday, sticking to her commitment of working to defeat former President Donald Trump and supporters of his false election fraud claims.

Key Facts

Cheney told the Washington Post on Saturday that she’s backing Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.), in her reelection campaign against Republican Yesli Vega.

Vega has been endorsed by Trump but has largely shied away from embracing Trump’s fraud claims on the campaign trail, unlike Vance and Barrett, though she said she believes the 2020 presidential election was “interfered with.”

Spanberger is widely considered one of the most centrist Democrats in Congress, and her 7th District House race appears to be one of the most competitive of the midterms—the northern Virginia district has a Democratic lean of just two percentage points, according to FiveThirtyEight.

Crucial Quote

“We don’t agree on every policy, but I am absolutely certain that Abigail is dedicated to serving this country and her constituents and defending our Constitution,” Cheney told the Post.

Key Background

Cheney is a lifelong Republican and a staunch conservative but she’s been ostracized by much of the party over her vote to impeach Trump and her choice to serve on the House January 6 committee. Her colleagues ousted her last year as head of the House Republican Conference—the third-highest-ranking GOP House position—and the Republican National Committee voted to censure her in February over the moves. She suffered her biggest consequence so far in August, when Trump-backed Harriet Hageman defeated her in Wyoming’s Republican primary by more than 35 percentage points. Cheney has said she will leave the Republican Party if Trump is its presidential nominee in 2024.

Surprising Fact

Cheney never endorsed a Democrat before this year’s midterms, and said at an event in Ohio on Tuesday that she has never voted for a Democrat.

Further Reading

Liz Cheney endorses Democrat Abigail Spanberger in high-stakes Va. race (Washington Post)

Liz Cheney Endorses Democrat Tim Ryan In Ohio Senate Race—Breaking With GOP Again (Forbes)

Liz Cheney Endorses Democrat Elissa Slotkin — A First As She Plots Post-Congressional Political Career (Forbes)

Rep. Liz Cheney Loses In Landslide To Trump-Backed Hageman (Forbes)

RNC Censures Reps. Liz Cheney And Adam Kinzinger For Serving On Jan. 6 Committee (Forbes)

Liz Cheney Ousted As GOP Conference Chair In Overwhelming Voice Vote (Forbes)