Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) is calling on Wyoming Democrats to register as Republicans and vote for her in the GOP primary over Trump-endorsed challenger Harriet Hageman.
Cheney is desperately trying to save her political career as she anticipates losing her seat in Congress after the looming midterm election.
“I’ve been a conservative Republican since I first voted for Ronald Reagan in 1984,” Cheney told the Washington Post.
“I encourage everyone with principles who loves our country to exercise their right to vote.
“And, damn right, I will continue to give every voter in Wyoming a list of all the key rules for casting ballots in our state.
“If any eligible voter living in Wyoming wishes to become a Republican, they are free to do so.
“That is their right.”
“We have anticipated that she would do this and we have accounted for the possibility that a higher number of Democrats than normal would crossover in the primary, and Harriet will still win even if that is the case,” a Hageman adviser said.
“We’re all over it and there aren’t enough Democrats in Wyoming for this gambit to work,” a different Hageman adviser told CNN.
NEW NEWS: Liz Cheney is sending mail to Wyoming Democrats with instructions on how to switch parties to vote for her in the state’s August primary. https://t.co/wR5asnnkGR pic.twitter.com/imnhKYccrL
— Reid J. Epstein (@reidepstein) June 23, 2022
Wyoming polls show Cheney trailing well behind her challenger, Harriet Hageman.
Hageman has the endorsement of the Trump family, which in this TV advertisement has trouble spelling her name. pic.twitter.com/37GFJYPIxK
— Reid J. Epstein (@reidepstein) June 23, 2022
In February, Cheney told me she would not make a concerted effort to reach out to Democrats asking them to change parties.
“That is not something that I have contemplated, that I have organized or that I will organize,” she said in a Cheyenne interview.https://t.co/wR5asnnkGR
— Reid J. Epstein (@reidepstein) June 23, 2022
According to The New York Times:
“In the last week, Wyoming Democrats have received mail from Ms. Cheney’s campaign with specific instructions on how to change their party affiliation to vote for her. Ms. Cheney’s campaign website now has a link to a form for changing parties.
Joseph Barbuto, the chairman of the Wyoming Democratic Party, was among those who received Ms. Cheney’s instructions.
“Mr. Barbuto said that over the last week, his social media feeds have been flooded with Democrats — and only Democrats — posting about receiving mailers from the Cheney campaign.”
