Former GOP Rep. Liz Cheney endorses Kamala Harris

Former Republican Rep. Liz Cheney announced Wednesday that she will support Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election.
Cheney, the former chair of the House Republican Caucus, became a staunch critic of former President Donald Trump after his refusal to concede the 2020 election and the subsequent U.S. Capitol attack on Jan. 6, 2021.
“I don’t believe that we have the luxury of writing in candidates’ names, particularly in swing states,” Cheney said during an event at Duke University on Wednesday. “As a conservative, as someone who believes in and cares about the Constitution, I have thought deeply about this. Because of the danger that Donald Trump poses, not only am I not voting for Donald Trump, but I will be voting for Kamala Harris.”
Cheney had said she would not support Trump in the 2024 election, and she considered running for president herself. But she had not gone as far as endorsing the Democratic nominee.
In May 2023, Cheney finished third among Utah Republican voters in a hypothetical poll of Republican presidential candidates, behind Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Cheney, the daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, represented Wyoming in the U.S House of Representatives for three terms, from 2017 to 2023. During that span, she garnered a reputation as one of the most conservative members of Congress, voting with Trump over 90% of the time. In 2019, The New York Times reported she privately debated with her colleagues about “who is Trumpier.”
Cheney voted to acquit Trump in his 2020 impeachment trial. She split publicly with Trump after the 2020 election, though, and voted to impeach him in 2021 over his “incitement of insurrection” on Jan. 6.
“No matter what your policy views are — no matter if you are a conservative Republican or not — Donald Trump cannot be trusted with power,” Cheney said Wednesday. “The power of the presidency is the most awesome power of any office anywhere in the world, and the character of the people we elect really matters. … Donald Trump, if he is reelected, will be far more dangerous than we have ever seen before.”
Cheney called on her fellow conservatives to “think about the stakes” of the 2024 election and to “put our country and our Constitution above partisanship.”
Cheney’s criticism of Trump following the 2020 election provoked ire from many in the Republican conference, leading to her ouster as conference chair in 2021. Later that year, she was named vice chair of the House January 6th Committee, which oversaw an investigation of the insurrection.
The Harris campaign has made a play for Republican votes and endorsements. Harris promised to appoint a Republican to her Cabinet if she is elected. Several Republicans spoke at the Democratic National Convention, including former Illinois Rep. Adam Kinzinger, who participated on the Jan. 6 Committee with Cheney.
“The vice president is proud to have earned Congresswoman Cheney’s vote,” Jen O’Malley Dillon, chair of the Harris-Walz campaign, said in a statement. “She is a patriot who loves this country and puts our democracy and our Constitution first.”