Rep. Liz Cheney would have to abdicate her House Republican leadership role if she contests Wyoming’s open Senate race, setting up a potentially excruciating choice avoided by a House Democratic leadership counterpart who gets to keep his post while running for Senate.
According to internal House GOP rules, Cheney — Wyoming’s lone House member — would have to resign from her position, House Republican Conference chair, if she vies for the Senate in 2020. Republican Sen. Mike Enzi of Wyoming is set to retire after 24 years in the Senate. Across the aisle, Rep. Ben Ray Lujan, D-N.M., is permitted to remain in his Democratic leadership role, assistant House speaker, while pursuing the Senate seat being vacated after 2020 by Democratic Sen. Tom Udall.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., suggested Wednesday it was too early to say whether Cheney would have to step down from leadership should she announce she was running for the Senate.
“No decision has been made yet. We love having Liz,” McCarthy told reporters on Capitol Hill. “She’s doing a tremendous job here. I think the senator has done an amazing job. He announced very early, he’s got a lot of work left to do. This is a race that you don’t even file until next May.”
Liz Cheney, 52, was only elected to the House in 2016. The daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney had earlier told journalists during the same press conference that she was still weighing her options regarding her political future.
“I don’t have any announcements to make about that other than to say how privileged I am to call Mike Enzi a friend, what a tremendous mentor he has been. He’s going to be in the Senate for another 18 months. I look forward to continue doing work on behalf of the people of Wyoming,” Cheney said.
