Meanwhile, former Gov. Sarah Palin is attempting a political comeback in a special election for the state's only House seat. .
Trump seeks to purge rivals within the party Conclusion
Trump and his allies have spent the spring and summer turning the Republican primary into a bitter battle in which loyalty to the former president is a central element. rice field.
He lost several high-profile battles, including in Georgia, where Governor Brian Kemp and Secretary of State Brad Ravensperger held off a pro-Trump challenger.
Cheney chose to fight Trump
But her strategy was to try to persuade Republican voters to betray him in states the former president won by 43 percentage points in 2020. , suggesting that she made another choice. downswing.
Chaney, who was surrounded by Capitol police during the campaign, chose a smaller, closed-door event rather than a rally. She denounced Trump in a TV interview.
Her election night event took place on the Jackson Hole ranch with the sun setting over the Grand Tetons in the background, while a television set was available for supporters to see the tallied results of the race. there was no screen. lose.
She may have reminded her supporters that Trump did what she did in her primary election two years ago, winning her with 73% of the vote. said.
"That was the path I couldn't and wouldn't take," Cheney said. and I was well aware of the potential political consequences of following my duties.”
Taking advantage of the high-profile House primary spotlight Mr. Cheney's decision to beat Mr. Trump by force has never been triumphant in Wyoming. But it endeared her to some of her anti-Trump donors and positioned her as the Republican Party's toughest critic of Trump.
What's next for Cheney?
But she used her speech to foretell that the fight against Trump would continue, but did not explain exactly what that meant.
"I have been saying since January 6th that I will do whatever it takes to keep Donald Trump out of the Oval Office again. to fight against," she said.
"I'm a conservative Republican...but I love my country more. I'm begging you to join me tonight. When I leave here, Republicans, Democrats, let us resolve to stand together against those who seek to destroy our republic, and against the independents."
As she left the stage, the speaker of the event Tom Petty's "I Won't Back Down" rang out from