Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., announced Wednesday morning that she will run for GOP conference chairman, the party’s No. 3 leadership position in the upcoming House minority after Democrats won control of the House.
In a letter to her House GOP colleagues, Cheney announced the move, prompting a likely fight with Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., the current conference chair of the caucus.
“Last night did not turn out as we had hoped. Many of our colleagues, good men and women fighting for the future of our nation, lost close races. A number of races have yet to be decided. We need to do all we can for those colleagues,” Cheney wrote. “Today, the next battle begins.”
Cheney had been angling for this position, with news of her likely run emerging last week. The position is considered key for the conference’s communications and public relations.
“We need to be able to drive our message across all platforms. We need to own the daily news cycles. We need to lead and win the messaging wars,” she wrote. “Too often we have found ourselves playing catch up without access to useful information, and we have not been on offense. Constantly playing defense in the battle of communications is a recipe for failure. We need to work as a team to use all our messaging tools to drive our agenda.”
The Wyoming Republican won her second term to the House Tuesday night. She had also been out raising money and campaigning for House GOP members and candidates ahead of Tuesday, including a swing with House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., last week.
As for McMorris Rodgers, she fought off a challenge for her seat back home, winning by a nearly 12-point margin. She has not announced her intentions yet.
Cheney’s run for the post follows in the footsteps of her father, former Vice President Dick Cheney, who held the conference chair post in 1987 while representing the same at-large Wyoming House seat, before ultimately becoming minority whip a year-and-a-half later.
