Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) said she believes the Republican Party is “very sick” and may not be able to recover in the near future, The New York Times reported.
The big picture: Cheney, who serves as the vice chair of the Jan. 6 committee, has long questioned the party’s attachment to former President Donald Trump.
- However, Cheney is now bracing for possible defeat in her state’s Republican primary on Aug. 16 at the hands of a Trump-backed challenger. Her opponent Harriet Hageman is currently 22 points ahead of the congresswoman in the polls, according to the Casper Star-Tribune.
What she’s saying: The GOP “is continuing to drive itself in a ditch, and I think it’s going to take several cycles if it can be healed,” Cheney said, according to The New York Times.
- “If the cost of standing up for the Constitution is losing the House seat, then that’s a price I’m willing to pay,” she said, the Times reported.
- “I would much rather serve with (Democratic Reps.) Mikie Sherrill and Chrissy Houlahan and Elissa Slotkin than (Republican Reps.) Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert, even though on substance certainly I have big disagreements with the Democratic women I just mentioned,” Cheney added, per the Times. “But they love this country, they do their homework and they are people that are trying to do the right thing for the country.”
More details: As rumors abound of her own potential presidential run in 2024, Cheney said she “would find it very difficult” to support Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis as the party’s candidate.
- “I think that Ron DeSantis has lined himself up almost entirely with Donald Trump, and I think that’s very dangerous,” she said.
Go deeper: Scoop: Republicans’ last-minute Cheney lifeline
