Dick Cheney makes stunning decision on whether he will vote for Donald Trump or Kamala Harris
Liz Cheney exposed another prominent “Republican for Harris” on Friday, telling a Texas audience that her father, Dick Cheney, would cross party lines to support the Democrat.
The former vice president — once a villain for Democrats amid controversies over the Iraq war during the Republican administration of George W. Bush — is not just sitting on the sidelines, but is following his daughter’s advice to support Harris.
“Dick Cheney will vote for Kamala Harris,” the younger Cheney said Friday at the Texas Tribute Festival in Austin.
On Wednesday, the former Wyoming congresswoman addressed students at Duke University in North Carolina, where she announced her decision to vote for Harris.
“Because we’re here in North Carolina, I think it’s critically important that people realize that what I’ve said about the danger of Trump is not only something that should deter people from voting for him, but I don’t believe we have the luxury of writing down the names of candidates, especially in swing states,” Cheney said.
“And as a conservative and as someone who believes in the Constitution and cares about it, I’ve thought deeply about this. And because of the danger that Donald Trump poses, not only will I not vote for Donald Trump, I will vote for Kamala Harris.”
Her decision was not unexpected, but she decided to no longer protest “protest voting” or staying home to oppose Trump.
Former Rep. Liz Cheney this week endorsed Kamala Harris, saying Friday that her father Dick Cheney would also vote for the vice president
On Friday, she said she would not formally replace Harris but would be “focused on how important it is that we defeat him.” She called for defeating other candidates who have “embraced election denialism.”
She called Democrat Colin Allred an “extremely serious candidate” and said the same did not apply to Republican Senator Ted Cruz.
“We need people who will do their job in good faith,” she said.
The former vice president confirmed his decision in a statement.
“In our country’s 248-year history, there has never been an individual who has posed a greater threat to our republic than Donald Trump. He tried to steal the last election through lies and violence to keep himself in power after voters rejected him. He can never be trusted with power again,” Cheney said.
“As citizens, we all have an obligation to put country above partisanship in order to defend our Constitution. That is why I will be casting my vote for Vice President Kamala Harris.”
The former vice president also removed a vacancy during the 2022 election, in which his daughter lost her seat.
Along with the same language about stealing the election, he added: “He’s a coward. A real man wouldn’t lie to his supporters. He lost his election, and he lost big. I know it. He knows it, and deep down I think most Republicans know it.”
Before serving two terms with Bush, Cheney was a senior member of the Republican leadership in the House of Representatives and chief of staff to President Gerald Ford.
Interviewer Mark Leibovich joked that her father was “a beloved figure among Democrats for many years” when he asked how Dick Cheney would vote.
Her answer drew applause from the audience.
The former member of the House Committee on January 6 turned to Republican politics after her father served two terms as vice president under Republican President George W. Bush.
They made the revelation in an interview at the Texas Tribune festival
Both Cheneys are former Republican leaders in the House of Representatives, and the elder Cheney served two terms as Republican vice president to George W. Bush
She was expelled from Congress after losing her 2022 Republican primary in far-red Wyoming to a Trump-backed candidate, now Rep. Harriet Hageman.
During the Texas Tribune Festival, Cheney was asked if there had been any discussions about her speech at the Democratic National Convention, as her Republican colleague on the Jan. 6 committee, former Rep. Adam Kinzinger, had done.
Cheney said she did not attend the DNC because “I wanted to make the announcement in a way that was separate from the partisan politics of the moment.”
“I also happened to be in London for Taylor Swift’s concert,” Cheney added cheeringly.
She ultimately made her announcement in a key state where Trump won elections in 2016 and 2020, and where Trump campaigned again on Friday afternoon.
He called for “the deception” to be kept to a minimum and criticized the Stormy Daniels case in New York, in which he was convicted on 34 counts, saying there was “no case” and calling it a “witch hunt.”