Rep. Liz Cheney considers next steps after losing Wyoming GOP primary to Trump-backed opponent

Wyoming Representative Liz Cheney lost her congressional primary race on Tuesday to Trump-endorsed opponent Harriet Hageman, and has said she is weighing her options for the future.

Cheney delivered a concession speech in Jackson, Wyoming, on Tuesday evening after she called Hageman to concede the race. Polls have shown Cheney losing the race for several months, as her popularity with Republicans nosedived due to her public opposition to former president Donald Trump and her position as Vice Chair of the House Select Committee to Investigate January 6th. 

“Two years ago, I won this primary with 73 percent of the vote,” Cheney told her supporters. “I could easily have done the same again. The path was clear. But that would have meant following Donald Trump’s lies about the election, and that is a path I would not take.” The highest ranking House Republican then went on to discuss her plans for the future. “This primary election is over,” she said, “But now the real work begins.”

Cheney committed to continue her fight to “do whatever it takes” to keep Donald Trump from returning to the Oval Office. The congresswoman did not make clear how she plans to do so, but in an interview on NBC’s Today, hinted at a possible presidential run in 2024, saying, “I’m not going to make any announcements here this morning, but it is something that I am thinking about and I’ll make a decision in the coming months.” 

Hageman delivered her victory speech on Tuesday night, telling the crowd, “Wyoming has spoken on behalf of everyone who is concerned that the game is becoming more and more rigged against them. And what Wyoming has shown today is that while it may not be easy, we can dislodge entrenched politicians who believe they have risen above the people they are supposed to represent and serve.”