Cheney Supports a Democrat for the First Time

Republican schedules campaign appearance with Michigan Rep. Elissa Slotkin
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Oct 27, 2022 3:45 PM CDT
Updated Oct 27, 2022 4:15 PM CDT
Cheney Supports a Democrat for the First Time
Republican Rep. Liz Cheney speaks as the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the US Capitol, holds a hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington on Oct. 13.   (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

Republican Rep. Liz Cheney on Thursday endorsed and plans to campaign for Rep. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan, the first time that the critic of former President Donald Trump, who lost her GOP primary, has crossed party lines to formally support a Democrat. Cheney, of Wyoming, announced her support for the two-term House member in a statement by the Slotkin campaign that notes she plans to headline a campaign event with Slotkin in the Lansing-area district next Tuesday. Slotkin is competing against Republican state Sen. Tom Barrett in Michigan's 7th Congressional District. Their race is considered a toss-up by both sides and one of the Republicans' chief targets in their campaign to win the House majority on Nov. 8, the AP reports.

Cheney and Slotkin serve on the House Armed Services Committee, but their shared background in the federal government goes back further. Cheney worked in the State Department before launching her political career, as did Slotkin, who worked in the CIA and the Defense Department as well. Both have been vocal critics of House Republicans who have sought to play down the siege of the US Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Cheney is vice chair of the House Jan. 6 committee. "I have come to know Elissa as a good and honorable public servant," Cheney said in a statement released by Slotkin campaign. "While Elissa and I have our policy disagreements, at a time when our nation is facing threats at home and abroad, we need serious, responsible, substantive members like Elissa in Congress."

Slotkin's challenger was among a group of Michigan Republican state lawmakers who met with Trump in Washington after the 2020 election and later signed a letter asking the joint session of Congress to delay certifying the results. Cheney has recently spoken out against Republican candidates who subscribe to Trump's disproven claim that he was denied a second term as the result of widespread voter fraud. For instance, she has said Arizona GOP nominee for governor Kari Lake poses "a huge risk for democracy" in light of the candidate's statement that she would refuse to certify election results she opposes and promised to work against her. Biden's margin of victory over Trump in the district in 2020 was less than 1 percentage point.

(More Liz Cheney stories.)

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