Establishment Uniparty Deploys Last-Ditch Tactics to Save Liz Cheney from Defeat

Establishment Republicans are trying to save Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) from defeat in the highly contested August 16 GOP primary by deploying last-ditch tactics to stave off a Trump-endorsed Harriet Hageman victory.

While Hageman is ahead in the polls and predicted to win by a large margin, big-money donors and grassroots organizers from the establishment uniparty are working to rescue Cheney’s campaign, Axios reported. That campaign  has been in a downward spiral since she allied herself with the partisan January 6 Committee.

Those involved in defending Cheney are reportedly Jeff Larson, chairman of America Rising, Julia Griswold Dailer, a former Trump White House aide, Wyomingites Defending Freedom and Democracy (WDFD), and Conservatives for a Strong America (CFSA).

WDFD is focused on publishing digital and TV ads that push Democrats to vote for Cheney in the open Republican primary, a tactic that has also been deployed by Cheney’s own campaign but which Joseph Barbuto, the chairman of the Wyoming Democrat Party, believes will not be effective.

CFSA is deploying a different tactic to defeat Hageman. The group is trying to elevate outside contenders that do not have a chance of victory in order to split the vote. The strategy means Cheney could receive a larger percentage of the total vote than Hageman.

Congressional candidate Harriet Hageman meets attendees at a rally at the Teton County Fair & Rodeo Grounds on June 14, 2022, in Jackson, Wyoming. (Natalie Behring/Getty Images)

“WDFD has reported spending $188,428 in support of Cheney since last month, making it the fourth-largest independent spender in the Wyoming primary race — and the top one backing Cheney,” Axios detailed. “CFSA has spent another $47,108 attacking Hageman, according to FEC records.”

Though Cheney has a web of support from the establishment, Hageman has the momentum. Hageman has received $800,000 worth of help from Wyoming Values, which is allied with former President Trump’s leadership PAC. The challenger is also endorsed by Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), and former Wyoming Rep. Barbara Cubin.