Liz Cheney Considers Third-Party White House Bid
Originally published by Kate Brennan for The Story Exchange
Former GOP Rep. Liz Cheney is weighing the possibility of running for president as a third-party candidate.
Cheney discussed her tentative plans with media outlets while promoting her new book, “Oath and Honor: A Memoir and a Warning.” The book, a firsthand account of the January 6th insurrection, includes the former Wyoming congresswoman’s thoughts on the threats our country faces.
“Several years ago, I would not have contemplated a third-party run,” Cheney said in a Monday interview with The Washington Post. But, she said, “I happen to think democracy is at risk at home, obviously, as a result of Donald Trump’s continued grip on the Republican Party, and I think democracy is at risk internationally as well.”
A vocal opponent of Trump, Cheney played a crucial role as the vice chair of the Jan. 6 select committee, aiming to establish the former president’s accountability for the Capitol riots. His political machinery would eventually play a pivotal role in Cheney’s removal from Congress, as she was defeated during the 2022 primary by Trump-backed Harriet Hageman.
After her defeat, Trump took to his social media platform Truth Social to rub salt in the wound: “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.”