Republican Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney told CNN on Thursday that she will remain “very involved” in the political sphere even if she loses her primary bid to Trump-backed candidate Harriet Hageman.
The representative told CNN anchor Kasie Hunt that she does not expect to lose the primary race on August 16, due to the people of Wyoming believing “fidelity to the Constitution” is essential to the country. Cheney also said she is willing to sacrifice losing her House seat in order to defend the Constitution.
“I think that it’s the same thing you see for tens of millions of people across the country. It’s just consistent lying about what happened, about the election, playing on people’s patriotism and he’s so dangerous that my view is that at the end of day if defending the Constitution against the threat that he poses means losing a House seat, then that’s a sacrifice that I’m willing to make. I don’t intend to lose, but some things are more important than any individual political office or political campaign.”
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Hunt questioned what she plans to do if Trump becomes the Republican nominee in the 2024 presidential election, to which she said she is focused on her primary election. (RELATED: ‘Endless, Nonsensical, Bloody, Horrible Wars’: Trump Targets Liz Cheney At Wyoming Rally)
“My work on the January 6 committee, the work that we’ve been able to do to help make sure people understand the truth about what happened, that’s work that certainly will continue and I intend to continue to be very involved and engaged no matter what happens in these issues that I believe are very fundamental to the survival of our Republic,” Cheney said.
Cheney risked her seat in the House by serving on the January 6 Select Committee to investigate the events that occurred at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. Her vote to impeach Trump after the riot led to her censure by the Wyoming Republican Party in February 2021. She was later ousted from her role as the House GOP conference chair in May 2021, but vowed to do everything in her power to “ensure that the former president never again gets anywhere near the Oval Office.”
Several Wyoming voters recently told CNN that Cheney has been “an embarrassment” and criticized her work on the committee. Only two interviewees in the segment expressed their support for the Wyoming incumbent.
“She’s done us dirty,” Wyoming voter Sharon Tuggle said. “Look how she’s done [former President Donald] Trump, I’m a Trump fan … She’s supposed to be supporting him [Trump], she’s a Republican for crying out loud.”
Her father, former Vice President Dick Cheney, lambasted Trump in a campaign video for his daughter. He called the former president “a coward” who lied to his supporters.
In her closing statement at a June debate, Cheney promised to hold the country above her political party and will fight for what she believes is right over earning votes.
“I will never put party above my duty to the country,” Cheney said. “I will never put party above my duty to the Constitution. I swore an oath under God and I will abide by that oath. I won’t say something I know is wrong simply to earn the votes of people to earn political support.”
A Star-Tribune poll released in July found Hageman leading Cheney 52%-30%. The poll surveyed 1,100 registered Wyoming voters between July 7 to July 11 with a 3% margin of error.