As expected, U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney went down hard in the Wyoming Republican primary Tuesday evening, losing to Harriet Hageman, who was backed by former President Donald Trump.
(Video: CNN)
Having received just 28.9 percent of the vote compared to Hageman’s 66.3 percent, Cheney’s arrogance and hatred for Trump that made her a useful tool for Democrats and contributed heavily to her defeat was paramount in her concession speech as she claimed that “democracy” faced an existential threat and “our survival is not guaranteed.”
Cheney invoked Abraham Lincoln and how he saved the union during the Civil War, noting that he had lost elections before “he won the most important election of all.” The lawmaker also vowed that the fight against Donald Trump will continue.
The speech prompted CNN’s Chris Wallace to declare that Cheney “declared war on Donald Trump and Donald Trump’s Republican Party.”
Co-host Don Lemon remarked that the “Pelosi Republican,” as Cheney is sometimes referred to, “really went in on Donald Trump,” prompting Wallace to offer his take.
“What struck me was the reference to Lincoln, and the reference to Grant, and the comparison to the Civil War,” Wallace said. “And I think she was very explicitly saying that just as our union was in jeopardy – life or death jeopardy – back in the 1860s, that the union is in jeopardy today.”
“The other thing I would say, is in this civil war, she declared war on Donald Trump and Donald Trump’s Republican Party,” he continued. “And she specifically called on Americans not to vote for the dozens of election deniers who have won Republican nominations for the governorship, or the secretary of state roles in various states, which would have a dramatic role in 2024 in whether or not elections are certified are not.”
“Tonight, Harriet Hageman has received the most votes in this primary. She won. I called her to concede the race. This primary election is over. But now, the real work begins,” Cheney threatened in her speech.
“Two years ago, I won this primary with 73 percent of the vote. I could easily have done the same again. The path was clear,” she said. “But it would’ve required that I go along with President Trump’s lie about the 2020 election. It would’ve required that I enable his ongoing efforts to unravel our democractic system and attack the foundations of our republic. That was a path I could not — and would not — take.”
“We must be very clear-eyed about the threat we face and about what is required to defeat it. I have said since January 6th that I will do whatever it takes to ensure Donald Trump is never again anywhere near the Oval Office,” Cheney added.
.@Liz_Cheney (R-WY): "Tonight, Harriet Hageman has received the most votes in this primary. She won. I called her to concede the race. This primary election is over, but now the real work begins." pic.twitter.com/3PoHKC4mwy
— CSPAN (@cspan) August 17, 2022
Trump reveled in Cheney’s loss, posting about the “wonderful result” on Truth Social while denouncing her “uninspiring concession speech, in front of a ‘tiny’ crowd in the Great State of Wyoming.” He also called Cheney “a fool who played right into the hands of those who want to destroy our Country!”
“Congratulations to Harriet Hageman on her great and very decisive WIN in Wyoming,” he wrote. “This is a wonderful result for America, and a complete rebuke of the Unselect Committee of political Hacks and Thugs.”
“Liz Cheney should be ashamed of herself, the way she acted, and her spiteful, sanctimonious words and actions towards others. Now she can finally disappear into the depths of political oblivion where, I am sure, she will be much happier than she is right now. Thank you WYOMING!” Trump added.
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Tom Tillison grew up in Maryland before moving to Central Florida as a young teen. It is in the Sunshine State that he honed both his passion for politics and his writing skills. Tillison also contributes to BizPac Review.
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