Politics

Liz Cheney dropping Senate bid

Jamie Weinstein Senior Writer
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Liz Cheney will not be heading to the Senate.

The former State Department official and daughter of Vice President Dick Cheney is dropping her primary challenge to Republican Sen. Mike Enzi.

“Serious health issues have recently arisen in our family, and under the circumstances, I have decided to discontinue my campaign,” Cheney said in a statement. “My children and their futures were the motivation for our campaign and their health and well being will always be my overriding priority.”

Cheney jumped into the race last July, saying in a YouTube video that it was time for “a new generation of leaders to step up to the plate” and change the “business as usual” culture of Washington. But the 69-year-old Enzi is a popular figure among Republicans in the state and, despite campaigning vigorously, Cheney continued to face an uphill battle.

A July poll showed Cheney losing to Enzi by 34-percentage points and a November poll commissioned by a super PAC supporting Enzi showed the incumbent up over 50-percentage points.

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Jamie Weinstein