Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney is currently under intense fire as the House Republican Conference hopes to replace her as conference chair this Wednesday. She was elected around three years ago, with the support of Republican leadership. Her story from star to pariah is one that deserves attention, especially as our nation grapples with the “post-Trump” era politics.
Cheney has worked in politics for decades, whether that is serving in GOP positions or hosting on Fox News. She worked at the Department of State and soon assumed the third highest position in the House Republican leadership in 2018. Cheney voted with President Trump 92.9% of the time and has demonstrated serious commitment to the Republican Party. However, she became one of 10 Republicans who voted to impeach Trump after the January 6th Capitol attacks. She has publicly said that “none of this would have happened without the president”.
The House Republican Conference held a secret ballot to determine whether they could remove Cheney as chair; however, the vote failed. Soon thereafter, the Wyoming Republican Party censured Cheney and called for her immediate resignation. They said they would no longer provide future political funding and to return GOP donations from previous elections. In response, Cheney stood by her vote and said her “vote to impeach was compelled by the oath I swore to the Constitution. Wyoming citizens know that this oath does not bend or yield to politics or partisanship”. On May 4th, House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy said Republicans are worried about Cheney’s ability to “carry out the message”.
The Republican House members are now awaiting a vote to replace Cheney with Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York. She has demonstrated a more moderate voting record but has been outwardly and fully supportive of Trump. McCarthy stated that the reason behind this vote is because the Republican Party needs to focus on regaining the majority in 2022, instead of a single member. This vote highlights the issue of the Republican Party grappling with and without Trump in power and is definitely an event to watch.
https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/congress-trump-score/liz-cheney/
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