Cheney Campaign Telling Democrats How to Vote for Her

It may not be enough in next month's GOP primary in Wyoming
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 10, 2022 9:20 AM CDT
Liz Cheney's New Fan Base: Democratic Donors
Sen. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., listens as President Biden speaks during a ceremony to award the nation's highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, in the East Room of the White House last week.   (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Can Democrats save Liz Cheney's job? The New York Times reports that the Wyoming Republican is drawing donations from prominent Democratic donors ahead of next month's GOP primary against a tough challenger. Cheney, of course, is one of the highest-profile politicians in the US at the moment thanks to her role as vice chair of the Jan. 6 House panel. But that national profile is working against her in her native red state, where challenger Harriet Hageman is backed by former President Trump. All year, polls have shown Hageman well ahead, including two that came out in June, reports the Casper Star-Tribune.

Cheney's campaign, however, has been handily outraising Hageman's, and the Times details how Democratic donors such as film producer Jeffrey Katzenberg have contributed. “We agree on little, if anything,” Katzenberg tells the newspaper. “But she has done something that very, very few people in history have done, which is she’s put her country over party and politics to stand in defense of our Constitution.” The sentiment is echoed in comments from others in the story.

While Democrats view Cheney as a hero, however, many Republicans in Wyoming see her as a traitor. (She's also a "pariah" in the eyes of GOP leaders in Congress, notes Axios.) In a sign of the steep challenge she faces in the August primary, Cheney's campaign has begun instructing Democrats how they can change parties to vote for her in the contest. Whether that will be enough is very much in doubt. Newsweek, meanwhile, points out that Cheney is not ruling out a 2024 presidential run. (More Liz Cheney stories.)

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