Liz Cheney says she’s voting for Kamala Harris

Washington — Former Rep. Liz Cheney, a Republican who has been a staunch critic of former President Donald Trump, said she will vote for Vice President Kamala Harris for president. 

“I don’t believe that we have the luxury of writing in candidates’ names, particularly in swing states,” Cheney, who represented Wyoming, said Wednesday at Duke University. “As a conservative, as someone who believes in and cares about the Constitution, I have thought deeply about this. 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, who served on the congressional committee that investigated the Capitol riot, said in January that Trump should be disqualified from the ballot for his actions related to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack. 

At the time, the Colorado Supreme Court, in a divided ruling, had said Trump was disqualified from serving as president because of his actions related to the Capitol riot and thus could not appear on the state’s primary ballot. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in March that states cannot remove the former president from the ballot for his role in the riot. 

“We have to be prepared to ensure that we can defeat him at the ballot box, which ultimately I believe we’ll be able to do,” Cheney told “Face the Nation” in January. 

Harris’ campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon said in a statement that Harris was “proud to have earned Congresswoman Cheney’s vote.”

“For any American who is looking to reject the chaos and division of Donald Trump, turn the page, and pursue a new way forward that protects our freedoms and defends the American values we all believe in, there is a place for you in the Harris-Walz coalition, and we will continue working to earn your support,” she said.

Harris’ campaign has been reaching out to independents and moderate Republicans who may be turned off by Trump to persuade them to back the Democratic ticket. 

When asked by The Associated Press for comment, Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung responded: “Who is Liz Cheney and what does she do?”

Trump’s running mate, Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, said Wednesday that the former president would “make sure that people like Liz Cheney are laughed out of the Oval Office, instead of rewarded.” 

Cheney is the latest in a long line of Republicans who recently announced their support of Harris. 

More than 200 Republicans who worked for former President George H.W. Bush, former President George W. Bush, Sen. John McCain and Sen. Mitt Romney endorsed Harris in a letter that said democracy would be “irreparably jeopardized” by another Trump administration. They urged moderate Republicans and independents in battleground states who helped elect President Biden “to take a brave stand once more.” 

Their announcement followed speeches from several Republicans at last month’s Democratic National Convention in which they excoriated Trump’s leadership and personality. Olivia Troye, who served as an adviser to former Vice President Mike Pence, Stephanie Grisham — one of Trump’s press secretaries and a top aide to Melania Trump — and former Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois were among the Republicans who spoke out against the GOP presidential nominee. 

Taurean Small

contributed to this report.