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Former President Donald J. Trump on Thursday endorsed a main challenger to Representative Liz Cheney, in a bid to oust one of his fiercest Republican critics in a race that will test whether his influence over the party base remains sufficiently strong to end his family’s political dynasty in Wyoming.
Mr Trump has lent his support to Harriet Hageman, a former Republican National Committee official and 2018 candidate for governor of Wyoming, in a bid to consolidate his supporters behind a single rival for the incumbent MP.
The former president has for months been particularly interested in defeating Ms. Cheney in the Wyoming race next year. She voted to impeach him for his role in taking the Capitol on January 6 and accused him of undermining democracy with his refusal to accept the 2020 election results.
Ms Cheney’s outspoken criticism of Mr Trump – a rarity in her party – caused a deep rift with her Republican colleagues in the House, and in May they removed her from their third place in the conference . The daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, Ms Cheney was once considered a rising GOP star, but has been replaced by Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York, a former moderate Republican who has become a Trump loyalist in recent years. years, in the management of the house.
This summer, Mr. Trump met with potential challengers of Ms. Cheney at his Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey. Some of her advisers fear that Ms. Cheney’s several viable challengers could fracture the opposition and allow her to survive the 2022 race.
Ms Hageman resigned this week as a member of the Republican National Committee.
In his statement endorsing Ms. Hageman, Mr. Trump said she “loves the great state of Wyoming, is strong on crime and borders, powerfully supports the Second Amendment, loves our military and veterans, and will fight for it. integrity and energy of elections. Independence (which Biden has already given up).
Mr. Trump has made clear his aversion to Ms. Cheney’s criticism of her in the media, saying there is a need to replace “Democrats’ number one sound supplier, Liz Cheney.”
The endorsement sparked complaints even before it was official. Catharine O’Neill, who writes for the conservative Newsmax website and was seen as another potential candidate – and who tweeted a photo of herself with Mr. Trump last month – wrote on Twitter Wednesday: “The Republican establishment is creeping around Trump is really bad. They push him to make bad decisions because they still don’t understand why Trump won in 2016. Sad.
Mr. Trump has announced two upcoming rallies, in Iowa and Georgia, and issued a series of endorsements this month, often targeting fellow Republican who crossed paths with or displeased him.
In Michigan, he backed state lawmaker Steve Carra, who challenges Rep. Fred Upton, another Republican who voted to impeach Mr. Trump. In Washington state, he is backing Joe Kent, a veteran who is running against Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, another Republican supporter of the former president’s impeachment.
Ms Cheney has been optimistic about her chances against a pro-Trump Republican challenger. “Bring it,” she said on the “Today” show in May.
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