On Thursday, Liz Cheney, one of Donald Trump’s fiercest Republican opponents, will be joining forces with Democratic candidate Kamala Harris in Wisconsin to participate in a campaign event aimed at garnering support from moderate voters and challenging the former president.
Cheney, the daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, was one of the most prominent Republicans on the House committee investigating the “insurrection” event of January 6, 2021, which drew Trump’s ire and effectively led to her expulsion from her own party.
Two years ago, Cheney lost her federal House seat in Wyoming to a candidate supported by Trump and currently serves as a professor at the University of Virginia’s Miller Center for Politics. Last month, she announced her support for Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris.
These two women will be appearing together at a historic white schoolhouse in Ripon, where a series of meetings opposing the expansion of slavery in 1854 ultimately gave birth to the Republican Party.
In the final weeks of the presidential campaign, it is rare for a candidate to express admiration for the origins of their opposition party. Moreover, the name Cheney was once a taboo among Democrats who condemned Dick Cheney’s role as Vice President under George W. Bush.
However, both Cheneys now openly support Kamala Harris, having severed ties with the majority of current and former Republicans who still stand with Trump. Harris, accompanied by Cheney, is visiting the birthplace of the Republican Party in an attempt to portray herself as the ideal choice for independent, conservative, and patriotic voters.
Harris will be spending two days in Wisconsin and Michigan. Meanwhile, Trump is set to arrive in Michigan on Thursday, where he will engage in fierce competition with Harris in battleground states such as Pennsylvania.
Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania are traditionally Democratic-leaning states collectively known as the “blue wall,” but they flipped in favor of Trump in the 2016 election and now function as swing states. With 43 out of 50 states leaning towards either the Democrats or Republicans, victory in the remaining 7 battleground states, including the “blue wall”, is crucial for Democrats.
President Joe Biden expressed on Thursday that he is not worried about the intensifying competition between Trump and Harris, as such scenarios are to be expected.
Before heading to storm-ravaged Georgia and Florida, Biden stated on the South Lawn of the White House to reporters, “She’ll do great.”
He also praised Harris’ running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, for his strong performance in a debate against Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance on Tuesday.
Biden remarked, “He lost the debate, twisting everything.”
The day before Harris’ visit to Wisconsin, a federal judge released a 165-page court document outlining special prosecutors’ charges against Trump for attempting to overturn the results of the 2020 election. Trump pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy and obstruction of justice.
Harris is also scheduled to hold a campaign rally on Friday in Flint, Michigan. Trump won the state in the 2016 election, while Biden secured victory there in 2020. Republicans have intensified their campaigning efforts in the state, holding two rallies less than a week ago.
Trump will hold a rally in Saginaw County, Michigan on Thursday, a county that serves as a bellwether in the central part of the state. In 2020, Biden narrowly won the county by 303 votes.
(This article references reporting from the Associated Press.)