Rep. Liz Cheney says she’ll decide soon on 2024 presidential run as Trump taunts her over primary loss
Liz Cheney is down but not done.
Hours after suffering a crushing Republican primary defeat, the #NeverTrump Wyoming congresswoman said Wednesday she will decide in a matter of months whether to mount a 2024 presidential bid.
Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) speaks Tuesday, Aug. 16, 2022, at a primary Election Day gathering at Mead Ranch in Jackson, Wyo. (Jae C. Hong/)
“It’s something I am thinking about and I will make a decision in the coming months,” Cheney told NBC News.
Cheney made it clear that she has no plans to turn down the heat on former President Donald Trump.
“I have said since Jan. 6 that I will do whatever it takes to ensure Donald Trump is never again anywhere near the Oval Office — and I mean it,” she said.
Cheney, the most prominent critic of Trump in the GOP, lost the primary for her Wyoming at-large district to Trump-backed Harriet Hageman by a landslide margin of 66% to 29%.
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Her devastating defeat marks a significant victory for Trump, who has vowed to oust all 10 Republican House lawmakers who voted to impeach him over his incitement of the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.
Trump wasted little time gloating over Cheney’s ouster, which leaves just two of the 10 rebels still in the running to keep their seats in November.
“The Fake News Media is claiming that Liz Cheney has such a ‘wonderful and bright’ political future,” Trump wrote in a post on his new social media site. “Maybe they didn’t notice that she lost by nearly 40 points? She’s too angry and sick to succeed in the future, but who knows!”
Despite her ugly loss, Cheney still could be a significant thorn in Trump’s side.
She will stay in office until the end of the year and will keep her spot as vice chairwoman of the committee investigating Jan. 6.
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The daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney has also filed paperwork to establish a political action committee that could be used to lay the groundwork for a possible White House run or to support other anti-Trump candidates.
Cheney would be a prohibitive long shot if she ran in a Republican presidential primary. As the Wyoming results showed, her appeal is limited to a minority in today’s GOP, which is firmly in Trump’s grip.
Even if Trump were to scrap plans for a comeback White House run, other contenders like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis would be strongly favored.
If on the other hand Cheney were to mount an independent or third-party run in 2024, she could potentially siphon off enough conservative votes to cost Trump wins in closely fought battleground states.
