There is a city in Wyoming. Three weeks before the most significant election of her political career, Liz Cheney was nowhere to be seen as thousands of voters gathered for a massive midsummer rodeo and cowboy festival
Instead, the three-term Republican congresswoman was 1,600 miles away in Washington presiding over a U.S. House committee intent on exposing former President Donald Trump's attack on democracy. Cheney railed against the failures of Trump.
She said that Donald Trump violated his oath of office.
Dean Finnerty was not moved as he competed in the steer wrestling competition.
Finnerty said that he won't vote for Cheney again. I am not sure if she is representing the conservatives that voted her in.
The centerpiece of an unconventional campaign strategy that may well lead to her political demise is Cheney's constant criticism of Trump from a Capitol Hill committee room. If not resigned, many Cheney allies are prepared for a loss in the Wyoming Republican primary.
There is a belief among Cheney's team that her unconventional strategy in 2022 may put her in a better position to win the presidency. Cheney's anti-Trump message as vice chairman of the congressional committee investigating the insurrection has strengthened her national brand while expanding a national network of donors and Trump critics who could boost a potential White House run
Cheney hasn't ruled out a presidential run as a Republican or an independent, even though she hasn't made a final decision.
In an interview with ABC News, Cheney said protecting the nation from Donald Trump was the most important thing. She said she would make a decision in the future.
The state where Trump scored his largest margin of victory, 43 points, is where Cheney's supporters understand the political paradoxes she faces.
Cheney was going to walk around with a limp for the rest of her life because she was shooting herself in the foot in Wyoming. I could see this growing into a bigger thing.
Among a small group of so-called "Never Trump" Republicans, Cheney is the best known. They include term-limited Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan and Rep. Adam Kinzinger who decided not to run for reelection.
Should he run again, Trump will likely dominate a large field of opponents. There is a group of Republican voters who want to move past Trump's loss in the 2020 election.
Few think that an outspoken Trump critic can win the Republican presidential primary. The majority of Republicans approve of Trump.
Cheney wants to avoid a big loss in her home state next month.
It's going to be hard.
She has been forced to abandon traditional retail campaigning, trading public rallies and town halls for private events where her presence is often revealed to the public only after the conclusion of the event.
She was excommunicated by the Wyoming Republican Party after they censured Cheney last year. Yard signs for Hageman and other Republicans are not offered by local GOP offices.
She turned to Democrats for help because she didn't have many options. Voters can change their party affiliation to Republican on her campaign website.
The political team is speeding up the push.
Kinzinger told the AP that more principled leaders like Liz are needed to make sure that democracy doesn't fail. Pro-democracy voters need to take part in the primary elections.
Some of Cheney's allies tried to get her to change her anti-Trump message. Republicans who criticized Trump after January 6 have tried to sidestep the issue by focusing on local issues in their districts.
Cheney leaned into Trump at the most important moments of her campaign.
She promised in her announcement video that she wouldn't surrender to pressure or intimidation. She said in her closing statement that she would never put the party above her duty to the country.
Trump wants Cheney's defeat to be his top priority.
He referred to her as a despicable human being on his site. In May of this year, Trump traveled to Wyoming's second-largest city, Casper, to rally support for his preferred successor, conservative attorneyHarriet Hageman.
Hageman has been barnstorming the state courting small, rural crowds in the traditional mold of Wyoming politics. The approach is similar to the one Cheney used to win the Wyoming seat in the House of Representatives.
Her absence this year has been noted by friends and foes.
Paul Ulrich is a former chairman of the Petroleum Association of Wyoming and a Cheney supporter. It is difficult for her to have these concerns. It's disgusting that it's here.
When members of Congress face credible security threats, the Capitol Police assign a personal security detail to Cheney.
Dean "Doc" Schroeder, a registered Democrat who plans to change his registration to vote for Cheney in the GOP primary, has been impressed by Cheney's leadership. He said it doesn't matter if the congresswoman spends more time in the state.
A lot of that wouldn't care if she flew into the election. They're not going to vote for her. I don't think it has hurt her. She has benefited from her behavior in Washington.
Some Cheney allies don't think she will get enough Democratic votes to win the election.
Marilyn Kite is a former state supreme court justice who supports Cheney. If she isn't successful, maybe her being true to her oath is more important.
That's right.
People came from New York.
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