Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) previewed her path forward after her primary loss for Wyoming’s at-large House seat, vowing to remain a leading voice in the fight against election disinformation and push to stop former President Donald Trump from being elected again in the wake of her defeat on Tuesday evening.
“I said since Jan. 6 that I will do whatever it takes to ensure Donald Trump is never again anywhere near the Oval Office, and I mean this is a fight for all of us together. I’m a conservative Republican — I believe deeply in the principles and the ideals on which my party was founded. I love its history. And I love what our party has stood for. But I love my country more,” she said in her concession speech.
“So I ask you tonight to join me as we leave here, let us resolve that we will stand together, Republicans, Democrats, and independents, against those who would destroy our republic,” she said. “They are angry, and they are determined, but they have not seen anything like the power of Americans united in defense of our Constitution and committed to the cause of freedom.”
Allies of Cheney, who saw a rapid rise in the House before her criticisms of Trump led to her ouster from leadership and fellow GOP colleagues backing her Trump-endorsed primary opponent, have speculated that she will launch a 2024 presidential bid, teeing up a challenge against the man who made her his top target, or take a TV contract to keep her voice at the forefront of the conversation surrounding the direction the party heads next.
Cheney’s first step following her primary defeat Tuesday was to reorganize her $7 million war chest to form a new political action committee called “the Great Task.”
“In coming weeks, Liz will be launching an organization to educate the American people about the ongoing threat to our Republic, and to mobilize a unified effort to oppose any Donald Trump campaign for president,” a Cheney spokesman told Politico Playbook.
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But while talk of her life after Congress has begun heating up, several sources told the Washington Examiner that she’ll continue to be a thorn in the side of Trump and his congressional allies during her remaining months in the House.
With Cheney continuing to serve as the vice chairwoman of the Jan. 6 select committee, which is expected to have more public hearings in the coming months and reveal its findings in a report this fall, the Wyoming Republican is likely to continue to hammer her GOP colleagues for their 2020 election remarks and continue to warn of Trump’s alleged dangers to democracy as the former president teases a 2024 comeback bid.
While an election defeat often leads to a loss in visibility and a struggle to stay relevant, two sources argued that the loss of Cheney, who has become arguably the most prominent face of the anti-Trump movement, to opponent Harriet Hageman will have the opposite effect, elevating her already-high profile on the national scale.
“Her name alone carries enough weight. We’re already in August of ’22. She’s going to be relevant as far as the J6 committee is concerned for the next three to four months through the end of 2022 to the beginning of 2023. She’s still in Congress until January. She’s going to be on every show and outlet — once the Republicans take back the House,” former Rep. Denver Riggleman (R-VA), who served as an adviser on the select committee, told the Washington Examiner.
“Every news organization will want her opinion on what’s happening within Congress from 2023 on through 2024 and the election cycle for president,” he added. “I think she’s going to stay relevant based on her name, her standing on the committee, and how she lost. Liz will have an opportunity to stake her claim as a fact-teller, as a truth-teller, as a person who refused to bend the knee to a cult of personality, and as someone who ultimately respects and protects the Constitution.”
Ahead of Tuesday’s election, a sizable number of GOP lawmakers railed against Cheney, calling on voters to back Hageman, and predicted she would lose influence following the primary defeat.
“First Liz told her House colleagues they were dumb and she was smarter and moral than everybody else. Then she told the whole state of Wyoming the same thing,” one senior Republican member told the Washington Examiner. “Turns out that’s not a good political strategy. Her relevance will fade quickly.”
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) held an event on her home turf in Jackson, Wyoming, on the evening of the election.
Some took to social media in an attempt to troll her ahead of the race being called.
“Good Morning to everyone except for Liz Cheney, who gets thrown into the trash heap of irrelevance today!” Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO), who spoke at a rally alongside Trump in Wyoming this summer in an effort to push the base to vote against her.
“Defeat Liz Cheney, and Wyoming will bring Washington to its knees!” tweeted Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), another Trump ally.
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But those backing the congresswoman are cheering her efforts, arguing her mission is more important than her House seat.
“Everyone dreams of having a chance to stand alone against evil. Few get the chance, even fewer do it. I’m team @Liz_Cheney!” Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) tweeted.
