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Mitt Romney says he hopes Liz Cheney WINS race against Trump-backed challenger Harriet Hageman but admits ‘that may not be possible’ with ex-president’s opposition
- Utah Republican Senator Romney’s comments were published on Sunday, just days before Rep. Liz Cheney is expected to lose her Tuesday primary race
- Cheney has earned bipartisan acclaim for her criticism of Trump and leadership on the January 6 committee
- But it’s also served to alienate residents in the deep red state of Wyoming
- Wyoming went for Trump in 2020 by a larger share than any other state
- Cheney is facing a Trump-backed primary challenger, attorney Harriet Hageman
- The lawmaker has not ruled out running for president in 2024
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Utah Republican Senator Mitt Romney said he hopes Rep. Liz Cheney wins her Wyoming GOP primary – despite the uphill battle she’ll face Tuesday to keep her seat in a state that’s largely behind Donald Trump.
Multiple polls leading up to the race show Cheney trailing challenger Harriet Hageman, who is endorsed by Trump, House Republican leadership and even the state Republican Party.
Those same entities made Cheney a political pariah among the GOP for her vote to impeach the former president over the Capitol riot and her ensuing work on the January 6 committee to investigate Trump’s alleged efforts to steal the 2020 election.
Romney, who voted in the Senate to convict Trump for the insurrection, expressed regret over Cheney’s likely loss in comments published by Business Insider on Sunday.
‘Her political future is something I’m sure she’s considered. I hope she wins,’ the Utah Republican said earlier this month.
Romney added that he’s even hosted fundraising events for Wyoming’s lone House Representative to keep her seat.
He added, ‘But I recognize that in the time of Trump that may not be possible.’
Rep. Liz Cheney is facing a tough primary race this Tuesday as she faced Trump-backed challenger Harriet Hageman
However, the senator did suggest Cheney might come back to the political battlefield in her own quest for the White House.
‘We’ll see what happens. But I don’t think she’s gone by any means. I wouldn’t be surprised to see her run for president,’ Romney said.
Cheney herself has not ruled out the possibility – telling both CNN and ABC in July that she would make a decision ‘down the road.’
Her opponent, Hageman, is an attorney whose bid to unseat Cheney was endorsed by Trump in his attempt to end his critic’s political career.
Hageman’s campaign has sought to paint Cheney as a carpet-bagger who is more interested in raising her profile in Washington rather than making lives better for Wyoming residents.
Utah Republican Senator Mitt Romney, like Cheney, voted to hold Trump accountable over the Capitol riot
The former president has put a political target on Cheney’s back over her impeachment vote and work on the House January 6 committee
Cheney’s high-profile role on the House January 6 committee has earned her bipartisan and high-profile accolades – fueling her critics’ accusations that former Vice President Dick Cheney’s daughter is out-of-touch with her local constituents in deep-red Wyoming.
Though sparsely populated, the Cowboy State was home to the largest share of Trump to Biden voters in the 2020 presidential election.
Nearly seven out of every 10 Wyoming resident who went to the polls that year voted for the former president.
And it appears the Trump effect still lingers, according to a recent poll showing Hageman’s already-commanding lead over Cheney increasing even further.
According to the University of Wyoming survey of 562 likely voters, 57 percent back Hageman while just 28 percent are for Cheney.
Hageman led Cheney by more than 20 points in a late July poll by the Casper-Star Tribune and Mason-Dixon Polling & Strategy.
The challenger held a 52-percent majority in the survey, while just 30 percent of people backed Cheney. Eleven percent said they were undecided.