Liz Cheney, a Republican Representative from Wyoming, said on Saturday that she is willing to campaign for Democrats to stop election deniers like Arizona GOP gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake.
Cheney was speaking at the Texas Tribune Festival in Austin, where she said, “partisanship has to have a limit.” She also mentioned Virginia governor Glenn Youngkin, who has said he is planning to campaign for Lake.
"He’s demonstrated that he’s somebody who has not bought into the toxin of Donald Trump — but he campaigned recently for Kari Lake, who’s an election denier, who is dangerous,” Cheney said. “That’s the kind of thing we cannot see in our party. We cannot see an accommodation like that, and I think it’s very important that we be clear about that.”
When asked if she would consider campaigning for Lake’s Democratic opponent, Katie Hobbs, Cheney said that she would. “I am going to do everything I can to make sure that Kari Lake is not elected.”
Cheney, who has been a consistent critic of former President Donald Trump for his actions after the 2020 election, has been hinting at a possible presidential run in 2024. If she does decide to run, she will face an uphill battle; only 4% of Republicans indicated they will vote for her over Trump.
It is worth considering if a Cheney endorsement would be valuable for Hobbs. She is exceedingly unpopular with most voters other than Democrats, who are already likely to vote for Hobbs.
According to a Morning Consult poll, taken shortly after Cheney’s primary loss to Harriet Hageman in August, only 14% of Republicans view Cheney favorably, compared to 66% who view her unfavorably.
Republicans View Liz Cheney Negatively
© Morning Consult Politico
Independents are not much better. Forty-two percent hold an unfavorable view of her, compared to 27% who have a favorable view of the soon-to-be former Representative.
Only Democrats seem to like the daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, with 48% holding a favorable view, compared to 23% who hold an unfavorable view.
If the hope is to peel off some Republican voters from Lake or convince Independents who are on the fence, putting Hobbs on stage next to Cheney may not be the most effective path to that goal.