Liz Cheney’s problems pile up

And at least two members have privately expressed interest in replacing Cheney as Republican No. 3, sources said: Reps Elise Stefanik and Lee Zeldin, two New Yorkers who both rose to popularity in the party after. fiercely defending Trump during his first impeachment.

If Cheney loses his job, it will be the last sign that the Republican Party’s Trumpification isn’t stopping anytime soon, even after the ex-president flew to Mar-a-Lago with a disgraced legacy in Washington. Some say Cheney’s fight has already turned into a proxy battle for the heart and soul of the busted GOP.

“She’s proven she’s out of step with the vast majority of our conference and Republicans across the country,” said Freshman Rep Matt Rosendale (R-Mont.), Who leads the resolution calling on Cheney to step down. . “A lot of people in our conference have a problem with this.”

“There are other people who are absolutely interested in filling this void, I’ll tell you,” he added of Cheney’s potential replacements. “And they would have broad support.”

Long-standing frustrations with Cheney – once a fast rising star in the GOP – have crept inside the GOP, especially on its right flank, according to interviews with more than a dozen lawmakers and aides. MPs are not only angry at his impeachment vote, but also furious that Cheney announced his position a day in advance – giving Democrats enough time to use his statement in all of their talking points, while also providing cover for the other nine Republicans who supported impeachment.

A compilation video of the multiple times Democrats and the media have cited Cheney’s impeachment statement has even circulated in some GOP circles. As conference chairman, Cheney is in charge of the party’s messaging efforts.

But several other top Republicans believe Cheney is finally hanging on to his post, arguing that most Republicans will have little appetite to create more chaos at the conference at a time when the party is desperate to unite.

And behind the scenes, Cheney did a bit of damage control: She called all corners of the conference to hear from lawmakers and make sure the party is unified going forward, according to a source familiar with the discussions.

“Liz’s withdrawal as conference chair when she has done exactly what the leader told us to do – vote her conscience – sends the wrong message,” Republican Michael McCaul (R-Texas) said. , Senior Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee. , said in a statement. “And I spoke with many members of our Conference who expressed their support for Liz and her leadership. I am confident that she will stay in her place and she has my support.

While GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy (Calif.) And Republican Whip Steve Scalise (La.) Both said they wanted Cheney to stay in his job, McCarthy also told reporters Thursday that “questions need to be answered, “like the” style in which things were delivered. Members will have an opportunity to voice those grievances at next week’s closed meeting, McCarthy added.

The GOP is far from unified when it comes to Cheney’s future. She has her share of ardent and high-profile advocates in the House, including several members of the ranking committee and her home state Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Who has said her voice and leadership forts will matter even more over the next four years. than ever. ”

Cheney’s allies argue that removing her from leadership – and thereby aligning the party even more closely with Trump – could backfire before 2022. It could also help Cheney carve a single path if she chooses to launch a bid at the White House in 2024, they say.

“I think it would be a disaster,” Rep. Rodney Davis (R-Ill.) Said of Cheney’s potential ouster. “We have to keep an eye on the ball. We have a very good chance of winning the majority. “

“And if we continue to give the American people a vision of Republican internal fratricide,” he added, “it does us a disservice to convince them that we are better able to lead the House of Representatives, mid-term. of Joe Biden’s presidency. ”

Even if Cheney manages to hang on to her leadership, she still faces serious questions about her long-term future in the House GOP, which is still extremely pro-Trump. Some lawmakers believe she will never be able to run for leadership again.

Meanwhile, his political troubles at home have started to pile up: Senator Anthony Bouchard has already announced a major challenge, although it can be difficult to knock out someone with a national profile like the great Cheney. A Local County Republican Party in Wyoming unanimously agreed to censor Cheney last weekend for his impeachment vote Unanimously agreed to censor Cheney last weekend for his impeachment vote.

It’s a remarkable turning point for Cheney, who landed a seat at the leadership table in his second term in Congress. Cheney, 54, even passed a Senate bid last year to seek her fortune in the House, leaving some wondering if she would take McCarthy or Scalise for the top spot one day.

Yet Cheney – who has clashed with colleagues in the past – has so far pushed back calls to step down. She was also without excuse for her impeachment stance, presenting it as a vote of conscience and privately telling her colleagues that she wanted to be on the right side of history, the political consequences be damned.

“We are going to have these discussions inside the conference. We have differences of opinion on a whole range of issues, including this one, ”Cheney said Thursday on Fox News. “I foresee and I am convinced that we will be united as a conference in the future.”

Critics of Cheney began circulating a petition last week calling for a special conference to debate and vote on the resolution calling on Cheney to step down. Only 20 percent, or 43 members, of the House GOP are required to sign the petition in order to force the meeting.

But the support of two-thirds of the conference is needed to hold an immediate vote on the resolution. Otherwise, it goes to a special group, which includes some members of management. And it is only if that committee makes a favorable recommendation that the resolution will go to the plenary conference for a vote, which will be conducted by secret ballot.

So far, the anti-Cheney crew have yet to submit the petition for a special meeting, although members have expressed confidence they have the numbers on their side.

The group also carried out a temperature check inside the GOP to determine if a majority supports her resignation as conference chair. Rosendale said several members fear retaliation if they publicly call to fire Cheney, which is why they are more willing to vote by secret ballot than sign a petition.

“It’s an extremely sensitive issue anytime you’re going to challenge leadership,” Rosendale said. “Most members are worried about how this vote might impact their duties on the committee.”

Many of the same Republicans who supported the president’s baseless election fraud allegations, such as Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), Are now leading the charge against Cheney.

This is not Cheney’s first dust with the right wing of the GOP. Last summer, members of the ultra-conservative Freedom Caucus tore Cheney apart for criticizing Trump’s handling of the coronavirus, as well as for supporting a main challenger to Representative Thomas Massie (R-Ky.).

At the time, some hard-line supporters even discussed recruiting someone to challenge Cheney for the conference chair – Stefanik and Zeldin were both freed – but no one intervened. Cheney was then selected unanimously in November for another two-year term at the helm.

Some lawmakers doubt Stefanik or Zeldin will mount an offer this time around either. Stefanik, who gave Cheney’s nomination speech in November, has told at least some of her colleagues that she doesn’t want the job. Other GOP sources, however, told POLITICO that it is making early appeals to lawmakers to feel their support.

And then there’s Zeldin, who would face the tough optics of starting the only woman in the GOP leadership, just after a record number of Republican women were elected to Congress. Additionally, big business has frozen donations to lawmakers who challenged election results – which includes Zeldin and Stefanik – giving Cheney an advantage.

A sign of the intensity of the problem, offices that choose to support Cheney are receiving hundreds, if not thousands, of anti-Cheney spam emails, according to lawmakers / aides.

Still, that hasn’t stopped some members from expressing support for Cheney.

“As we determine where Republicans are going from here, we need leadership from Liz,” said Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.), Who serves with Cheney on the Armed Services Committee. “We have to be a big tent party or else condemn ourselves to irrelevance.”

Another House Republican said: “If I wouldn’t vote to remove the dumbest Republican in DC, why would I vote to remove the most serious Republican in DC”

Burgess Everett contributed to this report.