Republican Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney is facing major backlash after she led the charge among GOP members to impeach former President Donald Trump. Pollster John McLaughlin has found that almost 75% of GOP voters and over 60% of all voters in Cheney’s home state view her unfavorably.
“Liz Cheney’s decision to vote to impeach President Trump makes her extremely vulnerable,” McLaughlin wrote. “It is evident her ratings are in bad shape among general election voters and have collapsed among Republicans and Trump voters.”
Cheney is currently the third most powerful GOP member in the House, after Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and Minority Whip Steve Scalise, enjoying an appointment as the Republican Conference Chairwoman.
Republican Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz recently announced that he would be traveling to Wyoming as part of an attempt to have Cheney removed from her position as Conference Chair. According to Politico, two GOP House members have expressed interest in replacing Cheney: Reps. Elise Stefanik and Lee Zeldin, two Republicans that defended Trump during his latest impeachment. Over half of all GOP House members currently support Cheney’s removal as Conference Chair.
Cheney has become increasingly unpopular among her constituents in Wyoming, leading to censure by members of the state’s Republican party. One of 10 Republicans voting to impeach the president, she is facing a formidable primary challenge from state senator Anthony Bouchard, a staunch Trump supporter.
In an interview with the Washington Times, Martin Kimmet, chairman of the Republican Party in Park County, Wyoming, claimed Cheney’s popularity has plummeted since voting for impeachment.
“She couldn’t win a primary today for dog catcher,” Kimmet told the Washington Times.
“I’ve gotten a lot of phone calls, more than you could count,” Kimmet continued “I have not gotten one in support of what Liz Cheney did. What she did was wrong. Period.”
Cheney also finds herself the subject of a petition seeking to recall her. The petition reads, “Liz Cheney does not speak for the people of Wyoming we have had enough of these swamp people this petition might not do much but maybe it will tell her we will not sit by and take it anymore.” The petition currently has over 55,000 signatures and is open to everyone, regardless of their location.
Many within the GOP believe that all 10 Republicans who decided to cross party lines and vote to impeach Trump will face stiff primary challenges ahead of the 2022 Midterm elections, in a process popularly referred to as being “primaried.” It seems as if Cheney’s unpopular decision may, in fact, result in her being primaried.
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