Our friend Sophie Mann of Just The News clued us to the fact that alleged Republican Rep. Liz Cheney was routed this past weekend by a Trump-backed primary challenger in straw poll conducted by the Wyoming Republican State Central Committee.
Cheney lost to challenger Harriet Hageman by a margin of 59-6. Trump endorsed Hagemen in September, noted Ms. Mann.
Previously, the Wyoming Republican Central Committee also narrowly voted to no longer recognize Cheney as a member of the party.
Joseph Choi of The Hill reported that out of the 74 state committee members, 71 members reportedly voted, three of whom are Hageman's family members. According to Mr. Choi’s reporting on an article in the Casper Star-Tribune, Cheney won six votes, while state Sen. Anthony Bouchard (R) won two and Denton Knapp won one.
This recent poll is a further indication of how Republicans feel about Cheney after she publicly denounced Trump for his alleged involvement in the Jan. 6 Capitol attack. In February, the Wyoming Republican Party voted to censure Cheney for voting to impeach Trump.
As the Star-Tribune noted, the Republican Party of Wyoming is not permitted to endorse a candidate in the primary election, which is eight months away.
The only 2022 Wyoming House Race Polls that have been carried out were carried out before Trump endorsed Harriet Hageman so they are not in sync with present conditions, but they do give us a glimpse into the amount of disillusionment Wyoming Republicans have with Liz Cheney for her vote to impeach Trump. Cheney does not cross 23% in any poll, which already spells trouble for an incumbent with statewide name recognition.
As per the available 2022 Wyoming House Race Polls:
Soco Strategies Poll (Dec 2021)
Cheney 18%
Hageman 38%
An even earlier McLaughlin and Associates poll showed 53% of Wyoming Republican Primary voters view Liz Cheney as Liberal, only 26% labelled her a Conservative, and Trump has a 79% approval rating in Wyoming.
As Keith Naughton wrote in an Op-Ed for The Hill, In American political life there is always a certain group of people who love the idea of martyrdom — not actual physical death (that might hurt), but electoral death: the “I’d rather be right than win” crowd. Rarely do these wannabe martyrs achieve real martyrdom, i.e., become heroes around whose memory millions rally. Instead, they mostly are forgotten, losers.
Which brings us to Rep. Liz Cheney.
Cheney is despised by an apparent majority of voters in her home state not because she has wrangled with Donald Trump, but because the wrangle with Trump is a metaphor for her choice to support the interests of the DC Uniparty and Deep State over the interests of her rural America First constituents. Maybe she will parlay her defeat into a sinecure as a token Republican on CNN. But, by the time 2024 rolls around, Liz Cheney will be largely forgotten and powerless – a win for both Wyoming and the national Republican Party brand.
Liz Cheney
Wyoming straw poll
January 6 commission
Wyoming GOP primary
Donald Trump
Wyoming Republican State Central Committee
Harriet Hageman
Trump endorsement
Republican establishment