We Have Not Heard The Last of Liz Cheney

As widely expected, Liz Cheney has lost the Republican primary for her Congressional seat in Wyoming. As of this writing, with 38% of the vote tabulated, challenger Harriet Hageman has nearly a 23-point lead over Cheney (59.2% to 36.4%). In her concession speech, Cheney accepted the results but it made it clear she isn't going anywhere:

Two years ago, I won this primary with 73% of the vote. I could easily have done the same again. The path was clear. But it would have required that I go along with President Trump’s lie about the 2020 election. It would have required that I enable his ongoing efforts to unravel our democratic system and attack the foundations of our republic. That is a path I could not and would not take.

Tonight, Harriet Hageman received the most votes in this primary. She won. I called her to concede the race. This primary election is over. But now, the real work begins.

Well, the real work will resume. Next month, the January 6th Committee will hold another set of hearings into defeated, former President Trump's attempts to prevent the peaceful transfer of power. 

With Cheney gone from Congress in 2023 (and possibly the January 6th Committee with it) and Trump's imminent announcement that he will seek another bid for the White House there's a good chance Cheney will make a White House bid of her own. Cheney won't defeat Trump in a Republican primary, but she will be a thorn in his side and can damage him as much as he can damage himself. I, for one, would love to see Cheney on a debate stage with Trump. That is, of course, assuming Trump is man enough to debate Cheney. 

While Cheney did support Trump during his presidency, he has crossed a line with her for which there is no going back. Not only has Cheney remained steadfast in not wavering from this threshold she was prepared to lose her seat in Congress and now it has come to pass. 

For Republicans, it isn't a question of choosing party over country. Rather it is a matter of choosing Trump over country. Liz Cheney has refused to make this choice and will spend the next two years or so trying to convince the country this is a choice which we cannot make again if we want to remain a constitutional republic. This will be Liz Cheney's legacy to the country. As for Harriet Hageman, she will barely register a footnote as she will yet become another Republican who holds office to worship at the altar of Trump.