On October 21, 2024, in an effort to persuade uneasy Republican voters who may be hesitant about former President Trump to support her in order to defeat him, US Vice President and 2024 Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris joined forces with Republican former congresswoman Liz Cheney in three battleground states.
In the face of a tightly contested presidential election where a small number of votes could determine the outcome, how would Trump respond to Liz Cheney’s move to support Kamala Harris and “dig out” votes for her?
Liz Cheney, a Republican from Wyoming and former congresswoman, is the daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney. She was once the third-ranking Republican in the House of Representatives but distanced herself from the increasingly pro-Trump Republican Party after cooperating with Democrats in congressional investigations into Trump’s responsibility for the January 6, 2021 Capitol riot, condemning Trump. In the 2022 congressional elections, Liz Cheney suffered a major defeat in the Republican primary against a pro-Trump challenger, leading her political career into a decline.
During the third event of the day held in Brookfield, Waukesha County, Wisconsin, Liz Cheney spoke about Kamala Harris by saying, “We may not agree on every issue, but she is someone you can trust.”
According to the Associated Press, Cheney’s remarks that day were an unusual attempt to welcome Republican voters to support Kamala Harris. While Cheney had previously described Harris as a “radical liberal,” she now states that Harris will “lead this country with a sincere heart.”
Cheney, a mother of five and a staunch conservative, staunchly opposes abortion in Congress and celebrated the US Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade in the summer of 2022.
However, in her campaigning for Harris, Cheney sought to downplay her anti-abortion stance, warning that after the Supreme Court’s significant ruling in 2022, women did not have access to necessary reproductive health services, and only Harris had the compassion to handle this issue.
Cheney expressed her concern over the situation in many states where women were unable to access necessary medical care, leading to fatalities due to providers fearing criminal liability. She emphasized, “I’m really troubled by what I’m seeing in many states, deeply troubled. Just as Vice President Harris said, there are women dying in certain circumstances because they can’t get the medical care they need because the providers are afraid to be held criminally responsible, and that troubles me.”
“We are facing a situation today that I think is untenable,” Cheney added.
Earlier in the day, at the second event held in the suburbs of Detroit, Michigan, Cheney also pointed out that some Republicans feared retribution or even violence if they spoke out against Trump. Sitting side by side with Kamala Harris, she said, “Just remember, if you really are concerned but you don’t want to say anything to anyone, vote your conscience. Millions of Republicans will be doing that on November 5th.”
In the first event of the day held in Malvern, Pennsylvania, Liz Cheney praised Kamala Harris as “someone who will defend our Constitution.”
She said, “We don’t always agree, but I know Vice President Harris will always do what she believes is right for this country. She has a sincere heart, which is why I am honored to be here and support her in this campaign.”
All three counties visited by Kamala Harris and Liz Cheney on October 21 — Chester County, Pennsylvania; Oakland County, Michigan; and Waukesha County, Wisconsin — were won in the Republi…