(Headline USA) House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., officially endorsed Rep. Liz Cheney’s, R-Wyo., primary opponent this week, highlighting the GOP’s sharp break with Cheney over her opposition to former President Donald Trump and abetting the J6 Inquisition.
McCarthy announced this week that he is endorsing Harriet Hageman, the Trump-endorsed Wyoming Republican who is vying for Cheney’s seat.
“After spending time with Harriet, it is readily apparent she will always listen and prioritize the needs of her local communities and is focused on tackling our nation’s biggest problems,” McCarthy said in a statement to The Federalist on Thursday. “I look forward to serving with Harriet for years to come.”
In a response to McCarthy’s endorsement, a spokesperson for Cheney claimed Hageman “must be really desperate.”
Hageman, however, is doing just fine. She has raised more than $1 million for her campaign so far and has the backing of Trump and Silicon Valley billionaire Peter Thiel. She also won a recent Wyoming GOP straw poll by a significant margin, taking 59 votes from GOP delegates while Cheney won only six.
“I think it’s a good sign. It’s not an endorsement, but these are the county activists,” Hageman said after the straw poll.
Hageman has blasted Cheney for being inattentive to her Wyoming constituents.
“Wyoming deserves to be represented by someone who cares about Wyoming, not someone who is consumed by her own personal war with President Trump,” Hageman recently told Fox News. “I have been to all 23 counties in Wyoming, and I know that the people are desperate for a change.”
Cheney was one of the only Republicans to vote to impeach Trump after the Jan. 6 Capitol protests. She also agreed to join House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s, D-Calif., partisan Jan. 6 committee.
In response, the Republican caucus ousted her from leadership, the Wyoming GOP voted to stop recognizing her as a Republican, and the Republican National Committee voted to censure her.
