Overnight on Aug. 16, U.S. Rep. Liz Cheneythe vice-chair of the House Jan. 6 panel and one of former U.S. President Donald Trump's biggest Republican criticslost her seat in Congress to a challenger backed by the former chief executive, The Guardian reported.
Cheney lost in Wyoming's GOP primary to Harriet Hageman, a conservative attorney who has backed Trump's false claims of widespread voter fraud regarding the 2020 presidential election.
Conceding defeat in a speech, Cheney said, "Two years ago, I won this primary with 73% of the vote. I could easily have done the same again. The path was clear, but it would have required that I go along with President Trump's lie about the 2020 election."
Newsweek noted that Trump later wrote on social media, "Liz Cheney should be ashamed of herself, the way she acted, and her spiteful, sanctimonious words and actions towards others. Now she can finally disappear into the depths of political oblivion where, I am sure, she will be much happier than she is right now. Thank you[,] WYOMING!"
The three-term congresswoman's father, Dick Cheney, represented the state in the U.S. House for a decade before becoming defense secretary under George H.W. Bush from 1989 to 1993 and vice-president under George W. Bush from 2001 to 2009.
Many see Liz's loss as proof that Trump still rules the Republican Party. However, some experts say the rock-bottom moment may be exactly what she needs to mount a significant 2024 challenge to Trump, Newsweek also noted.
Liz's sister, Mary Cheney, is a lesbian activist who is married to Heather Poe. Last year, Liz said she was "wrong" to oppose same-sex marriage when her objection to it caused a public split with her family, USA Today reported.