Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) is not saying that she plans to run for president in 2024.
But she’s not ruling it out either.
During an appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union” Sunday, Cheney was asked by host Jake Tapper if she would be “willing” to make a bid for the White House to try to stop former President Donald Trump from returning to office.
“At this point, I have not made a decision about 2024… I’ll make a decision about 2024 down the road,” Cheney responded.
She continued, “As I said, I believe our nation stands on the edge of an abyss. And I do believe that we all have to really think very seriously about the dangers we face and the threats we face. And we have to elect serious candidates. And we’ve got to elect people who will take their obligations and their oaths seriously. And who will deal with issues of substance with respect for people who have disagreements.”
“And we’ve got to be able to come together and stop the very dangerous kind of politics that we have lived through over the last year and a half,” she added.
Watch the video below:
"At this point, I have not made a decision about 2024."
— CNN (@CNN) July 24, 2022
CNN's @jaketapper asks @RepLizCheney if she's willing to run for president to stop former President Donald Trump in 2024. @CNNSotu #CNNSOTU pic.twitter.com/bF4Q0ikl3J
Cheney has not been shy about speaking out about the negative aspects of Trump.
And she has been trying to get the Republican Party to break up with the former president, and his style of politics, and support candidates who are conservative and have ideas about how to implement their plans — not just talking points that sound good on TV.
But despite the fact that Cheney has a more conservative voting record than Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), who replaced her as the House Republican conference chair, she has essentially become an outcast in her party.
In November, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) showed no sympathy when he was asked about Republicans voting to oust Cheney, he said coldly, “That’s an election. She didn’t get punished by that. She lost an election. I’m sorry. People go up for election all the time.”
Because of the Wyoming Congresswoman’s willingness to stand up to Trump, even if it means losing her leadership position in the House and possibly her House seat, she has received a lot of national attention. And there has been a lot of speculation that she might use her new national profile to launch a presidential bid.
Unfortunately for her, she probably shot herself in the foot by being such an outspoken critic of Trump and infuriating so much of the conservative base.
Her vote to impeach Trump may not in and of itself have been the kiss of death for her political career. And joining the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol may not have been either. But repeatedly and forcefully calling Trump a danger and taking such a prominent role on the committee is not sitting with conservatives.
A recent poll conducted by Mason-Dixon Polling & Strategy found that Cheney has a 27% approval rating statewide and was trailing her primary opponent by 22 points.
By contrast, just look at Rep. David Valadao (R-Calif.), who voted for impeachment and survived his primary challenge in June. Have you ever heard of him? Perhaps when angry conservative commentators read through the list of Republicans who voted for impeachment.
But you don’t usually see hosts of Fox News railing against Valadao and accusing him of being a secret liberal or trying to fit in with the Democrats because he likes their cocktail parties. He’s also not someone you regularly see on CNN, and the Sunday shows labeling Trump an existential threat to the country.
He voted for impeachment, but then has kept his head down and avoided much of the ire of conservative media.
So while Republican voters may actually like the policies that Cheney supports, as of right now, it seems unlikely that they would be willing to overlook her very public and sharp criticism of the former president and support her in the 2024 primary.
