Former President Donald Trump will soon endorse a Republican primary challenger to Representative Liz Cheney in the hopes of unseating one of his strongest conservative critics.
Trump is set to publicly back attorney Harriet Hageman to challenge Cheney for Wyoming's at-large congressional seat—the state's only seat in the House of Representatives.
Cheney has been an outspoken critic of the former president and was one of just 10 Republicans members of the House to vote to impeach him following the deadly Capitol riot on January 6. She is also one of two Republican members of Congress appointed to the House Select Committee investigating January 6.
Hageman has previously been close to Cheney, advising her during her ultimately unsuccessful 2014 bid for the U.S. Senate and working on Cheney's 2016 House race, which Cheney won.
She also donated $500 to Cheney's Senate race and $1,500 to her House race, while their families have long been associated.
In 2013, Hageman said that her father, former state lawmaker Jim Hageman, had been a Young Republican with Cheney's father, former Vice President Dick Cheney.
Several sources told Politico and The Associated Press on Wednesday that Trump would endorse Hageman in what may be the deciding factor in a race that has seen eight Republican challengers to Cheney emerge.
Wyoming's Casper Star-Tribune also reported on Wednesday that Hageman had met Trump in mid-August, citing two sources. Hageman reportedly received a call saying she had won his endorsement early last week.
Hageman ran for governor of Wyoming in 2018 and came third in the Republican primary, winning around 22 percent of the vote and beat businessman Sam Galeotos into fourth place despite the fact he outspent her.
Hageman resigned from her role as national committeewoman for Wyoming's state Republican Party on Tuesday, in what was interpreted as a final step before she officially announces her candidacy.
In her resignation letter, Hageman referred directly to Cheney and the state GOP's decision to censure her.
"I am proud of the direction the party has taken, and in particular, that we increased President Trump's vote percentage in Wyoming in 2020 to nearly 70 percent, compared to a little over 68 percent in 2016," Hageman said.
"I also believe that by censuring Rep. Liz Cheney we sent the strong message that we expect our elected officials to respect the views and values of the people who elected them. Accountability is key and I am proud of our party for demanding it," the letter said.
Hageman will have to defeat Cheney in the GOP primary in order to run as the party's candidate for the House in 2022. She will face Cheney along with other Republican challengers, including state Representative Chuck Gray and state Senator Anthony Bouchard.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Darragh Roche is a U.S. News Reporter based in Limerick, Ireland. His focus is reporting on U.S. politics. He has ... Read more
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