JACKSON, WY — Supporters of Rep. Liz Cheney have mixed feelings about her brutal expected loss in Tuesday's Republican primary: her fate. resignation, pride in her standing up to former President Donald Trump wants her to pay a personal price and return to a more visible place in national politics. In the background, there are few signs that Cheney is even trying to win a re-nomination .
According to locals, she has made public appearances in recent weeks, for example, to meet with members of the Jewish community, but she has not made public appearances on weekends or Mondays. There were no significant events. On Saturday, about a dozen of her supporters waved signs for Cheney as cars passed through the town square at a rally more fitting for a town council election than the most high-profile parliamentary election in recent political history. There was no trace of the candidate.
Cheney's adverts on television focus on her battle with Trump. This apostasy alienated her from most Republican voters here and across the country. Cheney, who was the No. 3 Republican at the start of this Congress, voted to impeach Trump and played a leading role in a House investigation into his role in the Jan. 6 Capitol riots. , was effectively expelled from the party.
She has a considerable underage, reflecting both the ease with which she was able to raise money from anti-Trump supporters across the country and the futility of throwing millions of dollars at a lost cause. Likely to finish the race with a war chest of use. Three weeks ago, in a state where TV advertising is cheap, she still had $7.4 million in the bank.
If Cheney loses to Hargeman on Tuesday, she will be the last Republican to lose to a major Trump-backed challenger after voting for his impeachment. , three of whom have already lost primaries and two who survived the primary (one of which Trump did not endorse the challenger).
Cheney has given up most of the elected Republicans to draw a line in his efforts to overthrow Trump and her 2020 election. means he is available.
But because she now has a national fundraising platform, cash in the bank, and a bipartisan following, many Republicans and Democrats believe her campaign is a no-brainer. I believe there is
"Without another plan, no one would anger the entire state of Wyoming," said Republican Casey Mateoskey, who is running for a seat on the Teton County Commission. ``She needs an endgame.''
Some of Cheney's supporters hope Tuesday's election will be a point of transformation.
"I think this will open the doors for her. She will stay in politics." Thomas Grisel, 75, said. A lifelong Democrat, he switched parties to vote for Cheney. He believes she responded to his call for help with the restorative justice program and wants her to cause chaos on Tuesday night, but wants her to run for president. 25}
"She wants to stand up to Trump," he said.
Voters like Grisel were part of Cheney's Hail Mary strategy to defeat Trump's army in Wyoming, which won Wyoming in 2020 43 percentage pointsIn a state where it's fairly easy for voters to switch party affiliations to vote in primaries, she sought to create a coalition of anti-Trump Republicans, independents, and Democrats.
Her top two opponents are Trump and Mathematics. Better to curse the name.
Unless Republican supporters' perception of Cheney changes drastically at the last minute, it looks like there aren't enough newly registered Republican voters to carry her to victory.
36} In January, 280,741 people were registered. Wyoming voters: 196,179 Republicans, 45,822 Democrats, 35,344 independents, a relative handful of Constitutional and Liberal Party voters. By the beginning of August, Republican voter numbers had increased by about 11,495, while Democrats and independents combined voter numbers had fallen by 7,644.Still, Cheney's fight against Trump has made some Republicans look up to her more, both here and across the country. Alexandra Alessandro, who voted for Trump twice in the presidential election, is proud of her work as a representative on the committee. was," she said. "Like I said, 'I'm a Republican and I have Republican beliefs that were instilled in me by my parents,' it changed for me, but January 6th really, really changed for me."
Hageman's main line of attack is that Cheney, the daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney who grew up in Virginia, doesn't really have "Wyoming values." . The super-her PAC of that name, formed by Trump's allies, is the main outside spender in this race, pouring in over $1 million to boost Hageman and hurt Cheney.
This message has permeated some Republican voters.
"I vote for Hageman because I think she stands for Wyoming values more than Liz Cheney," said Afton, but reveals his name. "I had a lot of respect for Liz Cheney. Some of the things she did recently were in Wyoming. I didn't think it represented the voice of the people."
Cheney's campaign refused to give her a pre-primary interview.
Brian Tarantola, a former architect and urban planner who usually votes Democratic, said "one of the joys" of Wyoming's primary system is switching to prevent anyone from winning the nomination. He said it was about giving voters a choice.
Tarantula, 75, said, "This technology has been in use here for a long time," he said, speaking his thoughts in response to a message he received from his group pro-Hagemann Robo. He said he enjoyed the opportunity.
"I am sorry to hear that Wyoming has renounced truth, honesty, and integrity in favor of a great lie, treason, riot, and a fascist dictator." is the sender who replied to the message. "We don't need drump minions. We need people who are not afraid to defend democracy and the Constitution. You are part of a dangerous, nihilistic cult, and Liz Cheney Far from liberal."
But the temporary enthusiasm of Democratic voters will spare Cheney in the short term.
"All seems to be built in unless the biggest mistake in the history of the primary occurs."There weren't enough Democrats in the state for her." 69}
More specifically, said an operative who declined to be named for fear of exposing his premature victory lap. Attacking Trump, including an ad in which his father called Trump a "coward," did not align with his strategy of wooing Republican supporters.
"I'm not advertising that you're running to get Republican primary voters," he said.