Former House Republican Conference Chair Liz Cheney gave the political world a jolt this week when the former Wyoming congresswoman announced, “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.”
Two days later, as NBC News reported, she made clear that she’s not the only former member of Congress named Cheney who’s backing the Democratic presidential ticket this year.
Former Vice President Dick Cheney will cast his ballot for Vice President Kamala Harris, his daughter, former Rep. Liz Cheney, said during an interview on Friday. Both Cheneys are Republicans, and the elder served under President George W. Bush. The younger Cheney has become one of former President Donald Trump’s most prominent conservative critics.
Asked at the Texas Tribune Festival whether she knew who her father would vote for, the former GOP leader replied, “Dick Cheney will be voting for Kamala Harris.”
She added, “If you think about the moment that we’re in, and you think about how serious this moment is, my dad believes and he’s said publicly that there’s never been an individual in our country who is as grave a threat to our democracy as Donald Trump is — and that’s the moment that we’re facing.”
.@Liz_Cheney: "Dick Cheney will be voting for Kamala Harris." #TribFest24 pic.twitter.com/YtI5BaV3Pz
— Texas Tribune (@TexasTribune) September 6, 2024
Soon after, Dick Cheney issued a written statement confirming that he is, in fact, supporting the Democratic nominee.
When the “Republicans for Harris” rollout began in earnest a month ago, the effort featured some fairly prominent names, including former GOP governors, members of Congress and even Republicans who served on Trump’s White House team. In the days and weeks that followed, the list of Republicans backing the Democratic vice president continued to grow.
The idea, however, that Harris would receive the backing of a former GOP vice president is another matter entirely.
I can’t help but imagine a scenario in which I had access to a time machine, and I went back 20 years. I’d try to convince the 2004 version of myself that Dick Cheney — a hawkish, lifelong conservative Republican, known for his unrelenting partisanship and proudly telling a Senate Democratic leader, “Go f— yourself” — was backing the Democratic presidential ticket in 2024.
I wouldn’t believe it for a second. And yet, here we are.
These latest developments come two years after the former vice president issued a minute-long, direct-to-camera commercial in which he was unexpectedly unreserved in his condemnation of the former president. “In our nation’s 246-year history, there has never been an individual who is a greater threat to our republic than Donald Trump,” the Wyoming Republican said in the ad. He added, “[Trump] tried to steal the last election using lies and violence to keep himself in power after the voters had rejected him. He is a coward. A real man wouldn’t lie to his supporters. He lost his election and he lost big. I know it, he knows it, and deep down I think most Republicans know it.” Two years later, he’s apparently taking the next step — and voting for Trump’s opponent. Will other Republicans be inspired to follow the Cheney family’s lead? Watch this space. This post updates our related earlier coverage.
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."
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