Washington, D.C. – In a stunning political reckoning, former Rep. Liz Cheney, the outspoken Trump critic who spearheaded his second impeachment, suffered a crushing blow Friday when Wyoming GOP leaders unanimously endorsed her nemesis, Harriet Hageman, for the 2026 congressional rematch. The move, announced at a Cheyenne rally, effectively writes Cheney’s political obituary, capping years of MAGA vengeance for her “backstabbing” the former – and now current – president.
Cheney, stripped of her House leadership role in 2021 and ousted in the 2022 primary by 37 points, had teased a Senate bid or comeback amid Trump’s second-term turmoil. But the state party’s resolution, backed by Gov. Mark Gordon and Sen. Cynthia Lummis, branded her a “RINO traitor” whose votes to convict Trump on Jan. 6 charges “endangered the Republic.” Hageman, who trounced Cheney last cycle, vowed to “finish the job,” tying the endorsement to Trump’s recent UN address praising “loyal warriors.”
The brutal news underscores the GOP’s iron grip under Trump, where dissent spells doom. Cheney’s post-Jan. 6 crusade – authoring the select committee’s scathing report and barnstorming for Democrats in 2024 – painted her as public enemy No. 1. Trump, fresh from Oval Office jabs at “deep state” foes, crowed on Truth Social: “Liz Cheney got what she deserved – see ya!” Her book deal for a sequel to Oath and Honor reportedly tanked, with publishers citing “market toxicity.”
Democrats mourned the loss of a bipartisan icon, with Rep. Adam Kinzinger – her impeachment ally – lamenting a “dark day for integrity.” Cheney, undeterred, told CNN: “History will judge the cowards.” Yet, with midterms looming and Trump’s retribution machine revving – from FCC threats to agency purges – her exile signals peril for any Republican straying from the fold. In a party remade in Trump’s image, loyalty isn’t optional; it’s survival. Cheney’s fall? A cautionary tale etched in primary ballots.
