‘We agree on little, if anything. But she… put her country over party’
Democratic donors are helping Rep. Liz Cheney in her struggling reelection campaign, citing her as a Republican example of someone who has stood against former President Donald Trump.
Funders who fueled the campaigns of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are now looking to help the Wyoming Republican, as she faces a likely ousting by a pro-Trump primary challenger.
“We agree on little, if anything. But she has done something very, very few people in history have done, which is put her country over party and politics to stand in defense of our Constitution,” film producer Jeffrey Katzenberg told The New York Times.
Along with Mr. Katzenberg, Citigroup chief executive and registered Democrat Jane Fraser, LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman, and billionaire hedge fund manager Seth Klarman have all given to Ms. Cheney’s reelection campaign.
Mr. Klarman, an independent who holds liberal views on social policies, said Ms. Cheney is the “strongest voice” in the GOP when it comes to upholding the Constitution.
Ms. Cheney has also been asking Wyoming Democrats to switch parties and vote for her in a state that Mr. Trump won by more than a 40-point margin in both 2016 and 2020.
The daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney is among the most vocal Trump critics in the Republican Party. She has also criticized her party for what she sees as a cult-like devotion to the former president.
Her work on the Jan. 6 committee investigating the 2021 Capitol riot has elevated her national profile as an anti-Trump Republican, prompting her primary challengers to use her role as leverage in their own appeal to the base.
Polls indicate Ms. Cheney is down significantly against her top challenger, natural resources lawyer Harriet Hageman, who is backed by Mr. Trump.
A Club for Growth poll, conducted May 24-25, had Ms. Hageman up 30 points ahead of Ms. Cheney.
In a recent debate among the GOP contenders, Ms. Hageman described the Jan. 6 committee as “totally unfair” and “contrary to everything that our country stands for.”
The candidate also accused Democrats and media pundits of using Jan. 6 to deflect from other domestic issues facing the nation.
“They talk about January 6, but that’s not what the people of Wyoming are talking about,” Ms. Hageman said. “What they’re talking about is the gas prices, they’re talking about food prices, they’re talking about the fact that they can’t travel. In addition to that, we have serious questions about the 2020 election.”
Ms. Cheney defended her position on the committee and her stance against the “lies” of Mr. Trump, particularly around his claims that the 2020 election was stolen.
“I’m asking for your vote and I’m asking for you to understand that I will never violate my oath of office and if you’re looking for somebody who will, then you need to vote for somebody else on this stage because I won’t,” she said. “I will always put my oath first.”
The Wyoming primary is scheduled for Aug. 16.
Reporting by The Washington Times.
