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Cheney’s loss solidifies Trump’s hold on GOP

Wyoming Representative Liz Cheney, Donald Trump’s fiercest Republican adversary in the US Congress, has been defeated in a GOP primary by a rival backed by the former president, in a contest that reinforced his grip on the party’s base.

The third-term congresswoman and her allies entered yesterday’s vote downbeat about her prospects, aware that Trump’s backing gave her rival Harriet Hageman a considerable lift in the state where he won by the largest margin during the 2020 presidential election.

Cheney is already looking ahead to a political future that could include a 2024 presidential run, potentially putting her on another collision course with Trump.

She described her loss as the beginning of a new chapter in her political career as she addressed a small collection of supporters, including her father, former vice-president Dick Cheney.

‘‘Our work is far from over,’’ she said. ‘‘I have said since January 6 (2021) that I will do whatever it takes to ensure Donald Trump is never again anywhere near the Oval Office – and I mean it.’’

The result was a powerful reminder of the Republican Party’s rapid shift to the right. A party once dominated by national security-oriented, businessfriendly conservatives like Cheney’s father now belongs to Trump, animated by his populist appeal and, above all, his denial of defeat in the 2020 election.

Echoing Trump, Hageman, a ranching industry lawyer, falsely claimed that the 2020 election was ‘‘rigged’’ as she courted Trump loyalists.

Trump called Cheney’s loss ‘‘a complete rebuke’’ of the House committee investigating the January 6 attack on the US Capitol. Cheney is the panel’s vice-chair, and has endured GOP censures and death threats.

‘‘Liz Cheney should be ashamed of herself, the way she acted, and her spiteful, sanctimonious words and actions towards others,’’ Trump wrote on his social media platform. ‘‘Now she can finally disappear into the depths of political oblivion where, I amsure, she will be much happier than she is right now. Thank you WYOMING!’’

Cheney will now be forced from Congress at the end of her third and final term in January. She will continue in her leadership role on the congressional panel investigating the January 6 attack until it dissolves at the end of the year.

Yesterday’s primary contests in Wyoming and, to a lesser extent, Alaska demonstrated the enduring strength of Trump and his brand of hardline politics ahead of the November midterm elections. So far, the former president has helped to install loyalists who parrot his conspiracy theories in general election matchups from Pennsylvania to Arizona.

Seven Republican senators and 10 Republican House members backed Trump’s impeachment. Just two of those 10 House members have won their primaries this year, and after two Senate retirements, Alaska’s Lisa Murkowski remains the only antiTrump Senate Republican on this year’s ballot.

World

en-nz

2022-08-18T07:00:00.0000000Z

2022-08-18T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://stuff.pressreader.com/article/281767043012240

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