However, the former president has made her a prime target for primary defeat.
Dueling events set 850 miles apart will display the schism within Republican Party Saturday.
At an annual meeting of conservative activists, Donald Trump will address his supporters in Orlando, Florida. His Republican critics heard from Liz Cheney (R-Wyo), while Trump's former President addressed his supporters.
Cheney gave recorded remarks to a crowd that was grateful she had stood up to Trump, and dispelled the myth that the 2020 election was stolen, in a little counterprogramming to Trump's Conservative Political Action Conference.
She stated that America is needed by the world and America needs its conservative leadership. "We need conservative principles. We need young people, especially those who are committed to making sure that our party and our country return to the principles that we all believe in.
She appears at an odd time in a career that could lead to two completely different paths. Cheney's vocal criticisms of Trump could lead to Wyoming losing its Republican primary this summer. She will be challenging a pro-Trump candidate.
Her candor has attracted a national following, which could make her stand out from the rest of GOP candidates for the presidency in 2024.
Ty Cobb, a former Trump White House lawyer, said that she "embodies the little boy who is emperor without clothes" and provided the necessary dose of reality. He has donated $2,000 for her campaign. "She is the one who shouts, 'He's not nekkid.
He said, "The big lie led to Jan. 6, and someone had to call it out, which she did bravely." We need more truth and courage in America today - across the board.
Cheney's reelection fund is accumulating money -- more than $7million last year. It is 10 times more than Harriet Hageman, her Trump-backed primary opponent, drew. It's so much money from so many places that even seasoned campaign operatives don't think she could spend it all on a Wyoming House race.
A fundraiser for Cheney will be held next month by like-minded Republicans featuring Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah), with VIP tickets starting at $10,800 per couple. To accommodate the increasing number of supporters, organizers had to change venues.
Bobbie Kilberg is the host of the event. She was an advisor to both Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford, as well as the Bushes.
"I think even those who supported Donald Trump realize that we have to look forward, but that he's on his vengeance tour and looking backwards," stated former Rep. Barbara Comstock (R-Va.), who will be speaking at the weekend conference with Cheney.
Recent signs that Trump may be losing some control over the GOP are encouraging for Cheney supporters. Recent polling by the Morning Consult/Politico showed that more Republicans are now open to Trump's allegations of fraud than they want to continue fighting for him. A CNN/SSRS poll showed a 50/50 split between Republicans who want Trump to be renominated for president in 2024 and those who want a different candidate.
Cheney is the champion of the anti-Trump party wing. In a moment when few Republican politicians will cross Trump, Cheney has made it her sole focus to stop him getting "anywhere near" the Oval Office again.
Former Sen. Alan Simpson (R-Wyo.) stated that "She will be an force -- a power -- in bringing down Donald Trump." And that will be her mission."
Trump's orders, Republican leaders tried to stop her. Since Trump's Jan. 6 Capitol Riot, when he was caught in it, Republican leaders have been trying to get Cheney out of their party. They also accepted Nancy Pelosi's nomination to the select committee that would investigate the attempted insurrection.
The reprisals began last May with her removal from the House GOP leadership. They have continued throughout this month when Republican National Committee voted unanimously to censure both her and Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.), who sits on Jan. 6 of that committee.
Her deceit has also caused problems back home. In Wyoming, where Trump has racked up a greater share of the vote (70 percent) than any other state in the country, it is particularly risky to offend Trump. Some GOP strategists aren't sure she will win re-election. They predict that she will bow out and take her growing network of donors to run for president in 2024.
Trump had one of the largest margins of victory in that state and she spends all of her time attacking Republicans on national stage," a national Republican campaign strategist stated. He spoke on condition of anonymity so that he could speak more freely. It's not a place where you can do that. This position would make more sense if it was Susan Collins. She's in ruby red Wyoming.
The results of a straw poll conducted by Wyoming's Republican State Central Committee last month point to Cheney's problems. Hageman won the election with 59 votes, while Cheney came in second with six votes. Some Republicans believe that the outcome speaks more to the rightward, pro Trump drift of the party leadership than it does about Cheney. She is not distinguished by the challenger because of her policy. Hageman has called Trump the greatest president she ever lived ( although she was critical in 2016).
Hageman, a Wyomingian, said that Cheney is not in sync with Wyoming. She also faulted the lawmaker for focusing too heavily on Jan. 6's investigation and failing to address local issues voters care about such as fossil fuel development.
Hageman admitted that Cheney has more money in the bank than her and that Cheney raised her seven times as much. Hageman claimed that Cheney has been outraised by her in Wyoming.
"We need money. There's no question about it," Hageman said. "But, the truth is that she is raising money from outside of her state because she is a globalist. They know they can control and she will do so. This is what all this is about.
Cheney has not ruled out a presidential bid. She says that she is running for reelection and strikes a defiant tone about Trump's attempt to remove her from Congress.
He has. It was the endorsement of Hageman by the ex-president that helped winnow, so it is effectively a two-person race between Cheney & Hageman. Donald Trump Jr. is Hageman's honorary chairman of Wyoming Values, a super-PAC that supports him. Trump supported a Wyoming Legislature effort to end the practice that allows residents to change their party affiliation at the primary.
The legislation would require that voters who wish to change parties must do so by mid-May, three months before the primary. This change could create a new problem for Democrats who may be grateful for Cheney but want to temporarily switch parties in order to vote for her in the GOP primaries. Wyoming has a Republican outnumber than Wyoming's Democrats, but in close races, Democratic votes can make a difference.
Joe Barbuto (chairman of the Wyoming Democratic Party) said that there is a greater highlight to this race than in previous cycles. He also stated that he expected Democratic crossover voting.
Trump may not consider Cheney's midterm race as crucial as his. He would be able to defeat her and get rid of a prominent foe, whose Jan.6 committee used subpoena power in an effort to stop President Joe Biden winning. This would also show his power within the party. Republicans would be less likely to fear Trump's anger if Cheney attacked him in an unrestrained manner in a state that he won by such a wide margin.
It would be a strong sign that Trump's influence has diminished if Cheney is able to salvage a victory.
Simpson, a former lawmaker, explained how he is perceived in Wyoming's Republican circles. He said, "I'm a Republican, and I'm horse's ass to the Earth."
"I was 90% conservative. However, I now go to meetings and people turn me the other way because I'm a "RINO" -- this is very sad stuff," he said, using an acronym that stands for "Republican in Name Only."
Kilberg hopes that Cheney can, with the support of the millions she's raised, form a coalition of cross-party Democrats and Republicans tired of Trump. A surprise victory in the August primary could send a clear message to those party leaders who still hold on to Trump: It's enough.
She stated, "We are in a very sad state of affairs. It is extremely important that we protect our democracy and that the rule of law be respected and adhered to." Liz is taking that step. Mike Pence did that on Jan. 6. This is something that we should all be aware of and support. It's as easy as that.
