2024-09-05 13:25:02
Former Rep. Liz Cheney, a Wyoming Republican whose fierce criticism of former President Donald Trump cost her her congressional seat, said she will be voting for Vice President Kamala Harris in November.
“I don’t believe that we have the luxury of writing in candidates’ names, particularly in swing states,” Cheney said Wednesday during an event at Duke University. “And because of the danger that Donald Trump poses, not only am I not voting for Donald Trump, but I will be voting for Kamala Harris.”
Cheney’s remarks, which were shared by an attendee on social media, and retweeted by Harris spokesman Ian Sams, come as the Harris campaign is taking steps to court disenchanted Republican voters. The campaign launched “Republicans for Harris” last month, and several Republicans were featured at the Democratic National Convention.
Cheney, who was first elected to Congress in 2016, voted for Trump in 2016 and 2020, but she became one of his most vocal opponents after the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
She was one of 10 Republicans to vote to impeach Trump in 2021 and was one of two Republican members who served on the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack. She referred to Trump’s actions that day as the “greatest betrayal” of a U.S. president.
Her vocal opposition to Trump ultimately cost her a leadership role in the GOP conference. In 2022, she was ousted during her primary election by a Trump-backed opponent.
Cheney is the latest high-profile Republican to publicly say she will vote for Harris. Last month’s Democratic National Convention in Chicago featured a host of Republicans, including Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois who served alongside Cheney on the Jan. 6 committee, and Olivia Troye, a Trump administration official who broke with the former president over Jan. 6.
Copyright 2024 NPR
