The GOP establishment gave Rep. Liz Cheney the heave ho in May, banishing the Trump critic from party leadership. But Cheney received support from another important constituency: donors.
On Tuesday, the Wyoming Republican announced that she raised nearly $1.9 million in the second quarter of 2021, after tallying $1.5 million in the first three months of the year.
The latest haul comes with a tinge of personal retribution; in Q2, Cheney raised more money than her replacement in the Republican Party’s inner sanctum: Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York, who pulled in $400,000 less.
Cheney’s financial support “gives the campaign a significant advantage over any other candidate currently running in Wyoming,” according to her office.
A slew of Trump-aligned challengers are looking to derail Cheney’s 2022 re-election bid. Two state lawmakers, Chuck Gray and Anthony Bouchard, have already said they’d run against her, and others are reportedly considering it.
Cheney has not backed down from her criticism of the former president and his Big Lie. She recently accepted a position on the Congressional committee charged with investigating the January 6 riots at the U.S. Capitol.
“History is watching. Our children are watching. We must be brave enough to defend the basic principles that underpin and protect our freedom and our democratic process. I am committed to doing that, no matter what the short-term political consequences might be.” Cheney wrote in The Washington Post.
