Liz staggers left: Cheney is campaigning against her OWN party by branding Pelosi a ‘tremendous leader’ and supporting other Democrats as she prepares to step down as Wyoming’s GOP representative
- Cheney told PBS’ Judy Woodruff she would support Tim Ryan in Ohio
- She said she would not vote for GOP Senate nominee JD Vance
- On Tuesday she campaigned with Democrat Elissa Slotkin
- Cheney leaves Congress after losing her Wyoming primary
- She is a potential presidential nomination for 2024
- Cheney sits on the January 6 committee and clashed with Donald Trump. She called Pelosi a figure of “historical consequence.”
Republican Rep. Liz Cheney endorsed Democratic Rep. Tim Ryan in the Ohio Senate race, one of the most competitive races in the country.
Cheney, who lost her own Wyoming House primary to a Trump-backed opponent, made her public endorsement in an interview with PBS host Judy Woodruff.
“I wouldn’t vote for JD Vance,” Cheney said when asked about the Ohio race, which has the potential to give the Democrats a seat.
Asked if she would support Ryan, who has taken steps to distance himself from his national party, Cheney replied, “I would,” in remarks at the City Club in Cleveland.
Vance has gained a 2 percent poll lead in a Republican state on the RealClearPolitics average. Vance overcame some of his earlier comments in which he slammed Trump to win the GOP primary and has since stood behind Trump’s allegations of voter fraud in 2020.
Wyoming GOP Rep. Liz Cheney says she would vote for Democratic Rep. Tim Ryan in his race against JD Vance for a US Senate seat from Ohio
Cheney also offered the lauded Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, her leadership qualities while emphasizing their ideological differences.
“I want to say a word about Speaker Pelosi. Everyone knows she’s a liberal from San Francisco. I’m a Conservative from Wyoming, there are many, many issues, perhaps most issues, that we disagree on. But I think she’s a great leader,” Cheney said.
“I watched her up close. She is a leader of historic importance,” the Republican added.
She called the GOP’s taunt of the hammer attack on Pelosi’s husband Paul “disgraceful.”
“The fact that Paul Pelosi had been brutally assaulted in ICU, had a fractured skull and numerous other injuries, that members of my party mocked him, that there were members of President Trump’s family mocking him, that’s not what we’re in this country,” Cheney said, referring to Donald Trump, Jr.
“It’s a shame,” she said.
Cheney has become a scathing critic of Trump on the January 6 House Committee, which does not rule out criminal referrals to the Justice Department.
Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio) is just behind Vance in the state
Republican JD Vance has the backing of ex-President Donald Trump
Cheney (R) (R-WY) attended a campaign rally in support of U.S. Representative Elissa Slotkin (L) (D-MI)’s reelection bid in Lansing, Michigan on Tuesday
The move comes as Cheney, who has not ruled out running for the White House in 2024, backed Michigan Democratic House Representative Elissa Slotkin in her race against Republican Tom Barrett.
Barrett has berated Cheney for having the “boldness” to support his opponent.
“While Elissa and I have our political disagreements, at a time when our nation faces threats at home and abroad, we need serious, accountable, substantial members like Elissa in Congress,” Cheney said of Slotkin, a former CIA operative. Analysts in Democratic and Republican administrations.
Cheney has called for going beyond partisan politics “to ensure the survival of our republic.”