Despite the lack of any significant grassroots movement pushing her to run for president, former congresswoman Liz Cheney continues to raise the prospect of doing so.
After the 2020 presidential election, Cheney—who had previously had a prominent position in Congress as the Republican Conference chairwoman—saw a sharp decline in her popularity since she had backed Donald Trump’s impeachment for the events of January 6. As a result, in 2022, she lost her congressional seat in Wyoming.
Even though a real presidential campaign would need a significant amount of financial and grassroots support, the daughter of former vice president Dick Cheney is still considering her options.
During an interview with Jake Tapper on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Cheney stated she was still undecided about her intention to run for president. She remarked, “I haven’t made any decisions about it yet.” “I’m going to use every resource at my disposal to unseat Donald Trump.”
In his opening remarks, Cheney brought up former Attorney General Bill Barr’s declaration that he would back Donald Trump over Joe Biden, even though the two had fallen out over the latter’s inaction in response to the former president’s well-publicized allegations of voter fraud.
According to reports, Barr stated, “Voting for Trump is playing Russian roulette with the country.” “Electing Biden would be a clear act of national suicide.”
Cheney responded to Barr’s remarks:
“He is absolutely incorrect. As of right now, I haven’t backed anyone in the presidential contest, and I would never back Donald Trump—we already know what he would do because he tells us so every day.”
“And everyone who has been abroad or studied the past of autocracies and autocrats understands that we must pay attention to what Donald Trump has to say. Choosing Donald Trump would mean placing in office a person dedicated to dismantling our constitutional order; it is not akin to playing Russian roulette. That’s why Bill Barr is simply incorrect.”
Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia just slammed the door to a presidential bid, despite Cheney’s desire to leave it open.
“I’m not going to try to run as a third party. During his speech at West Virginia University, Manchin declared, “I will not be involved in a presidential race.” “I’ll be participating in ensuring that we elect a president who possesses the skills, enthusiasm, and know-how to unite our nation.”
On @CNNSotu, Republican Congresswoman @Liz_Cheney criticizes Bill Barr for saying he would vote for Donald Trump again and tells @JakeTapper "I haven't made any decision" about running for president herself but "I'm going to do whatever's necessary to defeat Donald Trump." pic.twitter.com/DXdjVVp3Qu
— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) February 18, 2024
It’s presently unknown whether Cheney would run on the No Labels ticket or as an independent if she decided to throw her hat in the ring. Compared to other years, she would be joining a field of third-party candidates that is rather congested, regardless of her choice.
Potential opponents for her candidacy may be writer and environmental attorney Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is running as an independent; Green Party candidate Jill Stein, an activist for the environment; and left-leaning philosopher Cornel West, who is also running as an independent.
Author: Blake Ambrose
