Trump has reportedly picked a Liz Cheney challenger to endorse
Former President Donald Trump has reportedly selected the lucky Wyoming Republican House candidate that will receive his endorsement in the primary against frequent Trump critic and incumbent GOP Rep. Liz Cheney (Wyo.).
According to Politico, the ex-president is set to back Harriet Hageman, an attorney who lost a bid for governor in 2018. Insiders say Trump chose Hageman after a robust process interviewing multiple possible Cheney challengers because "she impressed him the most." "He interviewed a lot of people, and when it was done, it was clear she's in a class of her own," one Republican told Politico.
Trump has had it out for Cheney, his "top Republican target," since she condemned both his role in the events of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot and his baseless, widespread claims of election fraud, writes Politico. She was later ousted from her House leadership position.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Given the stakes, the Hageman endorsement is "the most important political endorsement yet in Trump's post-presidency," and will "test his political power in the GOP like never before," Politico writes. Although official word is still pending, Trump has already told Hageman that "she has his support," per Politico.
As another step outside of endorsement, in order to prevent a Cheney win via plurality, Trump and his team will need to clear the primary field should it become crowded. "Each candidate has pockets of voters, and they'll all draw votes from each other but not Cheney," said Tex McBride, a conservative activist in Wyoming.
Hageman herself has not yet revealed her candidacy, but did, as a final step, resign from her post on the Republican National Committee on Tuesday. Her official announcement is reportedly expected later this week. Read more at Politico.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brigid Kennedy worked at The Week from 2021 to 2023 as a staff writer, junior editor and then story editor, with an interest in U.S. politics, the economy and the music industry.
-
The UK’s best Christmas pantosThe Week Recommends Dive into the festive cheer, even into the new year, with some traditional favourites and modern twists
-
The longevity economy is booming as people live longerThe Explainer The sector is projected to reach $27 trillion by 2030
-
Codeword: December 11, 2025The daily codeword puzzle from The Week
-
Judge orders release of Ghislaine Maxwell recordsSpeed Read The grand jury records from the 2019 prosecution of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein will be made public
-
Miami elects first Democratic mayor in 28 yearsSpeed Read Eileen Higgins, Miami’s first woman mayor, focused on affordability and Trump’s immigration crackdown in her campaign
-
The Trump administration says it deports dangerous criminals. ICE data tells a different story.IN THE SPOTLIGHT Arrest data points to an inconvenient truth for the White House’s ongoing deportation agenda
-
Ex-FBI agents sue Patel over protest firingspeed read The former FBI agents were fired for kneeling during a 2020 racial justice protest for ‘apolitical tactical reasons’
-
Trump unveils $12B bailout for tariff-hit farmersSpeed Read The president continues to insist that his tariff policy is working
-
Trump: Losing energy and supportFeature Polls show that only one of his major initiatives—securing the border—enjoys broad public support
-
Is Trump in a bubble?Today’s Big Question GOP allies worry he is not hearing voters
-
Trump’s Comey case dealt new setbackspeed read A federal judge ruled that key evidence could not be used in an effort to reindict former FBI Director James Comey
