Biography
Elizabeth Lynne Cheney was born on July 28, 1966, in Madison, Wisconsin, the daughter of Dick Cheney, who served as Secretary of Defense under George H.W. Bush and as Vice President under George W. Bush. She grew up in Washington political circles, earned her undergraduate degree from Colorado College, and her law degree from the University of Chicago Law School. She worked in the State Department, the Defense Department, and in private legal practice before entering elected politics.
Cheney won Wyoming's at-large House majority in 2016, becoming the first woman to represent Wyoming in Congress. She quickly rose in the Republican leadership hierarchy, winning election as House Republican Conference Chair in 2019 — the third-highest ranking position in the House GOP caucus. She was seen as a rising star in Republican politics with a future Senate or gubernatorial run likely.
That trajectory was shattered by her vote to impeach Donald Trump on January 13, 2021 — one of only ten Republicans to do so — following the January 6 Capitol attack. She was stripped of her Conference Chair position in May 2021 after Republicans grew frustrated with her continued public criticism of Trump. She then accepted an appointment by Speaker Nancy Pelosi to serve as vice chair of the House Select Committee Investigating January 6, a decision that cemented her break with House Republicans. Trump backed Harriet Hageman in the 2022 Wyoming Republican base; Hageman defeated Cheney by 37 percentage points. Cheney subsequently left the Republican Party and has operated as an independent.
- Liz Cheney (R-WY) lost her 2022 Republican primary by 37 points to Trump-backed Harriet Hageman — a historically large primary loss driven by her vote to impeach Trump and her role as vice chair of the January 6th Select Committee.
- Wyoming is R+43 — the most Republican state in the nation, and Cheney was destroyed in the primary despite representing the state for three terms and having a lifetime American Conservative Union rating above 75 before her break with Trump.
- She served as House Republican Conference Chair — the third-highest position in House Republican leadership — before being voted out by her caucus in May 2021 after refusing to stop publicly criticizing Trump's 2020 election lies.
- As vice chair of the January 6th Select Committee, Cheney became the face of the investigation — delivering key opening and closing statements, managing committee strategy, and positioning herself as the most prominent Republican critic of Trump's conduct on January 6th.
Key Positions & Legacy
January 6 Committee
Cheney served as the Republican vice chair of the House Select Committee on January 6, arguably the most prominent anti-Trump role any Republican held during the Trump era. She and Committee Chair Bennie Thompson (D-MS) conducted extensive public hearings presenting evidence of Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election, his inaction during the Capitol attack, and the coordination between his associates and extremist groups. The committee referred Trump to the Justice Department on multiple charges. Cheney personally presented some of the most damaging evidence, including testimony from Trump's own inner circle.
Traditional Conservative Record
Despite her anti-Trump positioning, Cheney's voting record before January 6 was conventionally conservative — she opposed the Affordable Care Act, supported tax cuts, took hawkish national security positions reflecting her father's legacy, and voted with Trump 92.9% of the time during his first term. Her opposition to Trump was grounded in constitutional and rule-of-law arguments rather than policy disagreement. She remains a conservative by most policy measures, putting her in an ideologically unusual position as a conservative who is nevertheless unwelcome in today's Republican Party.
"Oath and Honor" & Post-Congress
Cheney published her memoir "Oath and Honor: A Memoir and a Warning" in December 2023, which became a bestseller and detailed her account of Republican leadership's capitulation to Trump after January 6, including named accounts of Kevin McCarthy, Steve Scalise, and others. She has held fellowships at Harvard and Yale, continued extensive media commentary, endorsed Democrat Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election, and has repeatedly stated that preventing Trumpism's permanent hold on American politics is her primary political mission.
Electoral History
2028 Outlook
Liz Cheney has declined to rule out a 2028 presidential run and has framed her political activity as oriented toward opposing Trump's grip on American politics. As an independent or third-party candidate, she would face near-impossible structural barriers: ballot access requires gathering signatures in all 50 states (historically achieved only by major party candidates and very well-funded independents like Ross Perot), and independent candidates have not won electoral votes since 1968. The spoiler dynamic — where an independent conservative candidate helps elect a Democrat — would need careful navigation.
More realistically, Cheney could serve as a prominent voice in a post-Trump Republican reform effort, support a moderate 2028 Republican candidate, or run as a third-party candidate less to win than to make a statement about the Republican Party's direction. Her book's success and continued national media presence suggest she retains a significant audience, particularly among college-educated Republicans and independents who have drifted from the party.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Liz Cheney?
Liz Cheney is the daughter of former VP Dick Cheney and served three terms as Wyoming's at-large House member. She rose to House majority Conference Chair before voting to impeach Trump in January 2021, leading to her ouster from leadership and eventual 37-point primary defeat. She left the Republican Party and continues to oppose Trump's political movement.
Why did Liz Cheney vote to impeach Trump?
Cheney voted to impeach Trump on January 13, 2021, over the January 6 Capitol attack, stating that Trump had "summoned this mob, assembled the mob, and lit the flame of this attack." She framed her vote as a constitutional obligation, not a partisan act, arguing that Trump's actions represented the gravest possible violation of his oath of office.
Is Liz Cheney still a Republican?
No. Cheney left the Republican Party following her 2022 primary defeat and registered as an independent. She endorsed Democrat Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election, a significant step that reinforced her departure from the GOP. She has stated that the current Republican Party no longer reflects her values on democratic governance and rule of law.
