Former Republican Congresswoman Liz Cheney of Wyoming has announced that she is endorsing Sen. Kamala Harris for president. She made the announcement at an event at Duke University in North Carolina on Tuesday, making her the latest Republican to publicly say she will not support Donald Trump.
“I don’t think there’s any room to write the names of candidates, especially in battleground states,” Cheney, the daughter of former Republican Vice President Dick Cheney, told the crowd. “As a conservative, as someone who believes in and cherishes the Constitution, I’ve thought deeply about this and the current danger that Donald Trump poses. Not only will I not be voting for Donald Trump, I will be voting for Kamala Harris.”
Cheney’s announcement, which drew cheers from the audience, made her join a growing list of lifelong Republicans who will vote against Trump. In March, former Vice President Mike Pence told Fox News he would not support his former running mate in November’s presidential election, citing Trump’s actions on Jan. 6 and his shifting course on issues such as forcing the sale of TikTok to China.
Other prominent Republicans who voted against their party’s nominee include former Illinois Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger, Olivia Troye, who served as Pence’s homeland security adviser in the Trump administration, and Stephanie Grisham, one of Trump’s former press secretaries, all of whom spoke at the recent Democratic National Convention in Chicago. These speeches follow years of mainstream Republicans Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan, known as “Never Trumpers,” denounced Trump and the risk he poses to the health of the nation.
On Tuesday, the day before Cheney’s announcement, Jimmy McCain, the son of former Republican Senator John McCain, also said he would vote for the Democratic candidate, citing Trump’s hostility and disrespect for the military.
“I care about family, I care about equal rights for every person in this country. I care about all of those things. I’ve remained an independent, but I’ve decided it’s time to move forward and do what I believe in,” McCain told CNN on Tuesday.
Cheney has been a longtime critic of Trump. In 2021, she was one of 10 Republicans who voted to impeach Trump after the January 6 riot. A few weeks later, Cheney was ousted from her position as House Republican leader. During a closed-door vote before her expulsion, Cheney was reportedly booed for her criticism of Trump.