Republican Liz Cheney says she will vote for Kamala Harris for president

By Jessica Banov, The News & Observer

Updated: September 5, 2024 Published: September 5, 2024

U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyoming) arrives before U.S. House Select Committee's fourth hearing on its Jan. 6 investigation on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, June 21, 2022. (Yuri Gripas/Abaca Press/TNS)

Former Congresswoman Liz Cheney, a Republican, told an audience at Duke University on Wednesday that she is going to vote for Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris for president.

Cheney said because she was speaking in Durham — in the swing state of North Carolina — it’s “crucially important” for people to understand the “danger” that former GOP President Donald Trump poses.

“I don’t believe that we have the luxury of writing in candidates’ names, particularly in swing states,” Cheney said, according to video posted on X, formerly Twitter.

“And as a conservative, as someone who believes in and cares about the Constitution, I have thought deeply about this,” Cheney said. “And because of the danger that Donald Trump poses, not only am I not voting for Donald Trump, but I will vote for Kamala Harris.”

Cheney was at the university for a conversation on “Defending Democracy,” presented by the Sanford School of Public Policy.

Cheney is the daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, who served in George W. Bush’s administration. She represented Wyoming in Congress from 2017 to 2023 and was chair of the House Republican Conference from 2019 to 2021.

She has been a regular critic of Trump and served as vice chair of the House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack. She ran for reelection but lost in the 2022 primary.

She’s the latest high-profile Republican to endorse Harris in her bid for president. Several former Trump administration staffers spoke at the Democratic National Convention, with former Republican Congressman Adam Kinzinger giving a prime-time endorsement of Harris.