Kevin McCarthy Officially Backs Liz Cheney’s Primary Challenger

February 18, 2022
Kevin McCarthy has officially endorsed Harriet Hageman, the Wyoming attorney running against Liz Cheney in the upcoming primary for her at-large district.

In a very unusual move, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy has officially endorsed Harriet Hageman, the attorney running against incumbent Liz Cheney in the upcoming primary for her at-large Wyoming district.

McCarthy issued a statement to the Federalist confirming he’s backing Cheney’s opponent.

“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.

He added that he is looking forward to working with her for years to come.

“I look forward to welcoming Harriet to a Republican majority next Congress, where together, we will hold the Biden Administration accountable and deliver much-needed solutions for the American people,” added McCarthy.

RELATED: ‘Never Trumpers’ Paul Ryan, John Boehner, And Adam Kinzinger Supporting Liz Cheney’s Reelection Bid

McCarthy Calls Liz Cheney a ‘Pelosi Republican’

Kevin McCarthy has been hinting at his opposition to Liz Cheney’s re-election bid repeatedly since she defied him by joining the Democrat-led select committee investigating the Capitol riot.

McCarthy had chosen Republicans to represent the panel but House Speaker Nancy Pelosi nixed his selections and instead chose anti-Trump handmaidens, Cheney and Representative Adam Kinzinger (R-IL).

The GOP leader has referred to Cheney as a “Pelosi Republican.”

Considering her a ‘Pelosi Republican’ is more than her own party is willing to do in Wyoming.

The Wyoming GOP voted in November to no longer formally recognize Cheney as a member of the Republican Party at all.

Cheney was stripped of her No. 3 leadership role in the House last May in an overwhelming vote.

And earlier this month, Cheney and Kinzinger were formally censured by the Republican National Committee (RNC). The censure states that the two lawmakers were “participating in a Democrat-led persecution of ordinary citizens engaged in legitimate political discourse.”

RELATED: Wyoming GOP Votes To No Longer Recognize Liz Cheney As A Republican

Is Hageman a Good Choice?

Harriet Hageman also earned an endorsement from both President Trump himself and from the woman who replaced Cheney in her leadership role, Representative Elise Stefanik (R-NY).

“I’m proud to endorse Harriet Hageman in her race to unseat Liz Cheney,” Stefanik said. “House Republicans were ready for a change when I took over as Conference Chair, and it’s resoundingly clear that Wyoming families are too.”

While she may not have McCarthy and Stefanik in her corner, Liz Cheney has the market cornered in ‘Never Trump’ Republicans like herself.

Previous reports have indicated she is receiving financial and moral support from former Speakers of the House Paul Ryan and John Boehner, along with Kinzinger, in her bid to win reelection in 2022.

Former President George W. Bush made a maximum donation to Cheney’s campaign and even appeared at a fundraiser for the congresswoman back in October.

Oddly enough, Hageman herself was once in the same boat – a vociferous supporter of Liz Cheney and a NeverTrumper.

A video posted by CNN’s Andrew Kaczynski shows Hageman referring to Cheney as a “proven, courageous, constitutional conservative.”

Hageman went on to accuse certain forces of trying to shut down “true conservatives” like Cheney.

Hageman also tried to stop Donald Trump from getting the Republican nomination in 2016 and, sounding an awful lot like Cheney, called him “racist and xenophobic.”

The New York Times reports that Hageman was “part of the final Republican resistance to his ascent in 2016,” engaging in a procedural ploy at the Republican National Convention to replace Trump with Senator Ted Cruz.

Things have since been seemingly smoothed over, with Trump also endorsing the Wyoming lawyer.

“Unlike RINO Liz Cheney, Harriet is all in for America First,” he insists. “Harriet has my complete and total endorsement in replacing the Democrats’ number one provider of sound bites, Liz Cheney.”

By Rusty Weiss

Rusty Weiss has been covering politics for over 15 years. His writings have appeared in the Daily Caller, Fox... More about Rusty Weiss

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