 "US presidential election: Why are Liz Cheney, other Republican women backing Kamala Harris?")
Several prominent Republican women, including Liz Cheney, have thrown their support behind United States Vice President Kamala Harris. This unusual bipartisan collaboration is reshaping the narrative for the upcoming 2024 presidential election.
Their efforts are part of a broader strategy to stop former US President Donald Trump from reclaiming the presidency.
The movement is aimed at what it thinks is a growing concern from within the GOP about Trump’s threat to democracy, as expressed by Cheney and other former Republican officials who have chosen to stand with Harris.
Harris-Cheney vs Trump
Harris, alongside former GOP congresswoman Liz Cheney, rallied in Ripon, Wisconsin, a symbolic location for Republicans, as the birthplace of the modern GOP. The two women, from opposing political parties, shared the stage in a rare display of unity aimed at preventing Donald Trump’s return to power.
Cheney, once a high-ranking Republican leader, is now a vocal critic of Trump and is dedicating significant resources to his defeat.
Harris highlighted the need for voters to stand above party lines, saying, “People of every party must stand together” to reject Trump, citing his refusal to accept the results of the 2020 election and his failure to intervene in the January 6th insurrection.
She declared, “The United States of America is the greatest idea humanity ever devised.” Cheney, who played a leading role in the House investigation into the January 6th attack, echoed Harris’s sentiment, stating, “Violence does not and must never determine who rules us. Voters do.”
Trump, meanwhile, has repeatedly dismissed their joint efforts as irrelevant, once stating in a Fox News interview, “I think they hurt each other. I think they’re so bad, both of them.”
His comments highlighted the deep division within the GOP, as Cheney has become one of Trump’s most vocal critics, even after losing her Wyoming congressional seat to a Trump-endorsed candidate.
Why is Cheney supporting Harris?
Cheney’s shift from being a staunch conservative Republican to endorsing Harris stems from her strong opposition to Trump’s actions surrounding the January 6 insurrection.
Cheney, along with other key Republican women like Cassidy Hutchinson and Sarah Matthews, who were both White House aides under Trump, have made public statements denouncing Trump’s behaviour during the insurrection.
Hutchinson described being disgusted by Trump’s refusal to stop the rioters, while Matthews is slated to join Cheney in future rallies opposing Trump’s return.
“He praised the rioters. He did not condemn them. That’s who Donald Trump is,” Cheney remarked during the event in Ripon. Cheney’s endorsement of Harris reflects her belief that democracy and the Constitution must be protected above partisan interests.
Her father, former US Vice President Dick Cheney, has echoed this sentiment, adding, “We have a duty to put country above partisanship to defend our Constitution.”
Their efforts, part of an unprecedented movement within the Republican Party, have been joined by over 200 individuals who worked for past Republican administrations, including those of George HW Bush and George W Bush.
Despite this, an ABC News/Ipsos poll shows that 93 per cent of likely Republican voters still favour Trump over Harris, a sign of the deep loyalty Trump commands within the party base.
Why does the Cheney-led GOP support matter?
Liz Cheney is not merely offering rhetorical support. She is backing her words with significant financial contributions. Cheney’s political action committee (PAC) raised over $3 million in the first six months of the year, which she plans to use against Trump and pro-Trump Republicans in key battleground states.
This financial backing could provide critical support for Harris, as the 2024 US election is expected to be one of the tightest in modern US history.
Cheney’s strategy goes beyond the presidency; her PAC has already spent hundreds of thousands opposing candidates like Arizona’s Kari Lake, a prominent Trump ally.
Cheney’s broader goal is not just to defeat Trump but to purge the GOP of ‘Trumpism’. Some Republican strategists believe that Cheney’s and her father’s endorsements of Harris could give conservative voters pause and potentially lead to defections from Trump’s camp.
While Cheney’s efforts have been applauded by some Republicans, there is no massive wave of GOP voters flocking to Harris. However, both campaigns are chasing margins that could swing the election in close states.
Harris’s campaign has launched a “Republicans for Harris” initiative and is using paid media and grassroots efforts to appeal to anti-Trump Republicans, independents, and former Trump supporters.
Will Cheney’s support make a difference?
Despite the unprecedented nature of this bipartisan effort, the question remains: Will it be enough to make a significant difference in the 2024 election? Harris’s campaign is not relying solely on the Cheney endorsement, but it is a crucial part of her strategy to appeal to moderate and conservative voters disillusioned with Trump.
As Cheney and other Republican women continue to tour battleground states, their message is clear — Trump poses a direct threat to democracy, and Kamala Harris, despite political differences, is the candidate they believe can protect it.
Cheney’s support for Harris represents a watershed moment in American politics, where figures once deeply entrenched in the Republican establishment are choosing to break with their party for the sake of democratic values.
Also Watch:
As Cheney urged the crowd in Ripon on Thursday, “Meet this moment. I ask you to stand in truth. To reject the depraved cruelty of Donald Trump.”
However, polling data suggests that this movement may not sway the broader Republican electorate. Trump remains the overwhelming favourite among GOP voters.
With inputs from agencies
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