Republicans have escalated their vendetta against one of their own, Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming, as they try to remove her from Congress.
On Thursday, the GOP’s top ranking House member, Kevin McCarthy, endorsed Cheney’s primary opponent, Harriet Hageman.
The New York Times adds key context:
Congressional leaders rarely involve themselves in primary races against sitting members, but Mr. McCarthy’s move was the latest escalation of the Republican Party effort to exile Ms. Cheney for speaking out forcefully against Mr. Trump and participating in a House investigation of the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. After initially defending her, Mr. McCarthy last year led a push to strip Ms. Cheney of her No. 3 position in House Republican leadership.
In a statement, Jeremy Adler, a spokesman for Ms. Cheney, provided the verbal equivalent of an eyeroll, suggesting that Mr. McCarthy’s statement of support for Ms. Hageman was a reflection of her weakness.
“Wow, she must be really desperate,” Mr. Adler said.
Rep. Elise Stefanik, who replaced Cheney in the GOP’s leadership, followed McCarthy’s lead on Friday, also announcing her support for Hageman, who has parroted pro-Trump talking points, including lies about the 2020 presidential election.
Meanwhile, Trump has been pressuring Wyoming Republican governor, Mark Gordon, to support a bill that change the state’s election laws. Currently, Wyoming voters can switch their party registration at the polls, allowing partisans to crossover and cast a ballot for a candidate representing a party they don’t truly support. This unusual – but longstanding -arrangement is widely considered Cheney’s only hope of holding onto her seat.
“The Governor has had many conversations about this issue, including with President Trump and David McIntosh, however characterizing that as ‘pressure’ would be incorrect. Governor Gordon is going to do what’s best for Wyoming and he respects the legislative process,” said Michael Perlman, the communications director for Gordon, to POLITICO.
One major advantage Cheney has over Hageman is fundraising. She had nearly $5 million in her campaign coffers entering 2022, compared to her opponent’s $380,000.
Trump held a fundraiser for Hageman at Mar-a-Lago last week, but she’s still been unable to close the funding gap.