
Rep. Liz Cheney address the audience during the 2017 Casper Chamber of Commerce State of the Nation Lunch. Cheney announced Thursday she will not pursue a bid for U.S. Senate.
Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney announced Thursday she will not be making a bid for the U.S. Senate, initiating a reelection campaign some predict could one day lead to her becoming Speaker of the House.
In an announcement first provided to the Star-Tribune early Thursday morning, Cheney, who currently sits as the third-ranking Republican in the House of Representatives, said she will not seek the U.S. Senate seat to be vacated next winter by Wyoming’s longtime Sen. Mike Enzi — a move many in the national press had long predicted for Cheney. Enzi announced his retirement in the spring.
Instead, Cheney said, she will be staying put and putting all of her effort toward regaining a majority for Republicans in the House of Representatives.
“Nancy Pelosi and the Socialist Democrats in the House of Representatives are threatening our freedom and our Wyoming values every day. They must be stopped,” Cheney said in a statement. “Our nation is facing grave security challenges overseas and the House Democrats are working to weaken our president and embolden our enemies. Socialists in congress and among the presidential candidates are threatening our liberty and freedom.
“I believe I can have the biggest impact for the people of Wyoming by remaining in leadership in the House of Representatives and working (to) take our Republican majority back,” she added. “I will not be running for the Senate in 2020. I plan to seek re-election to the House of Representatives.”
Cheney’s decision to avoid a contested Senate race dodges what might have been one of the most bitterly fought primary elections in Wyoming history. Former Rep. Cynthia Lummis, who announced her campaign in a July news conference, has slowly been building momentum throughout the state and, as of Thursday morning, boasts nearly $312,000 in cash on hand, according to the Federal Elections Commission. At the time of Lummis’ announcement, she said it would be a “real barn-burner” if Cheney entered the race, and throughout her campaign Lummis has been gently hinting Cheney should remain in the House of Representatives.
“As I’ve said before, Congressman Cheney has been a great spokeswoman and leader for the Republican Party in D.C.,” Lummis said in a statement Thursday morning. “Her role as House Republican Conference Chair is one she truly excels in and I think her future knows no bounds. It’s a tremendous benefit to the people of Wyoming to have John Barrasso in leadership in the Senate and Liz Cheney in leadership in the House.”
Also waiting in the wings are figures like GOP financier and former gubernatorial candidate Foster Friess, who has been hinting heavily at a Senate campaign in recent months. Friess maintains a strong conservative coalition across the state as well as a sizable ability to self-fund a campaign.
In a press conference Thursday afternoon, Cheney told reporters she had not spoken with Lummis in several months and that her decision not to run was one made independent of any other candidate.
“I made this decision irrespective of anyone else in the race,” she said.
If she did run, however, the second-term congresswoman could have been a formidable opponent. Early polling showed Cheney with a significant advantage in a hypothetical head-to-head match-up against Lummis, and the representative’s fundraising efforts in recent months have also been among the strongest of her career, closing out the third quarter of 2019 with more than $758,000 in cash on hand according to the FEC.
For Cheney, Thursday’s announcement starts a road to reelection many in Washington see as a potential pathway to speakership in the House of Representatives that began last winter, when the second-term representative was appointed to the chairmanship of the House Republican Conference, the third-highest position in party leadership.
Since then, Cheney has built gobs of momentum in national Republican politics, leading many to assume higher ambitions in the years to come. In the past year, Cheney has quickly risen to a starring role in the House of Representatives, becoming a leading critic of Democratic leadership as well as a close ally of President Donald Trump while taking the helm of numerous Republican causes.
What lies ahead?
Cheney’s announcement was anticipated to set off a chain reaction among political hopefuls across Wyoming who have been eyeing her next move. Now set in her position, others could be expected to follow — or decline to run entirely.
Teton County Republican Robert Grady — who has been “exploring” the prospect of a House or Senate race — was seen as leaning more toward a run for the House of Representatives, while other figures like Superintendent of Public Instruction Jillian Balow, a longtime friend of Cheney’s, has so far declined to rule out a potential congressional campaign.
Meanwhile, Cheney is well-positioned to remain in leadership and begin efforts to rebuild a Republican majority in Congress that was lost in the 2018 midterm elections. Early on in her leadership role, she showed a willingness to clash with officials in the National Republican Congressional Committee over its candidate recruitment efforts and, in her final interview of 2019, told members of the Wyoming press corps she was confident in the party’s ability to swing key districts in the 2020 elections and cut into the fresh Democratic majority.
“I feel really good about our chances,” Cheney said at the time. “The American people are seeing once again that the Democrats can’t be trusted. To do something this reckless with one of their most important constitutional obligations, thinking about impeaching the president of the United States, reminds people yet again what happens when they’re in the majority. A number of Democrats hold districts that Trump won around the country, and I feel really good about our chances to get their seats back in the districts where they’ve failed to produce for the people who sent them here.”
When it came to her future ambitions for leadership, however, Cheney avoided a direct answer to a question posed by a Star-Tribune reporter on whether a potential speakership played into her decision not to run. Instead, she said she was focused solely on reelection, her current term and her party’s greater bid to retake the majority.
“My decision is very much based on where I can be most effective for Wyoming,” she said Thursday. “The people of Wyoming have elected me, and it’s important to recognize the damage that could be done to the people of Wyoming in terms of the policies Democrats in the House are pursuing. I’m honored to represent Wyoming, and I’m honored my colleagues elected me to be chairwoman of the House Republican Conference and, in that position, am going to fight very hard over the course of the next 11 months here to make sure we do take back the majority. That’s going to be our focus.”
The primary election takes place Aug. 18.
Congress Immigration

Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wy., heads to the House floor for a vote on Capitol Hill, June 27, 2019, in Washington.
Trump Impeachment

House Republican Conference chair Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., speaks during an Oct. 31, 2019, news conference with other Republicans on Capitol Hill in Washington.
Cheney

In this Sept. 10, 2019, photo, House Republican Conference chair Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., pauses as she and the GOP leadership speak to reporters following a meeting at the Capitol in Washington. Cheney said that party politics should not have played a role in choosing whether to impeach President Donald Trump.
Trump Impeachment

Rep. Liz Cheney speaks during a news conference concerning President Donald Trump's first impeachment on Dec. 3, 2019, on Capitol Hill in Washington.
House Republicans

Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., accompanied by House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy R-Calif., and Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La., speaks on a news conference at the 2019 House Republican Conference Member Retreat in Baltimore, Friday, Sept. 13, 2019. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
Trump

Rep. Liz Cheney,center, speaks with President Donald Trump during a bill signing ceremony for the Women's Suffrage Centennial Commemorative Coin Act in the Oval Office of the White House on Nov. 25, 2019, in Washington.
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Rep. Liz Cheney waves during a 2018 ceremony to pardon the National Thanksgiving Turkey in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington.
Cheney

House Republican Conference chair Rep. Liz Cheney talks to reporters during a 2019 news conference at the Capitol in Washington.
Rep. Liz Cheney

House Republican Conference Chair Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., joined by Minority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., speaks to reporters following a GOP meeting at the Capitol in Washington onSept. 10, 2019.
Republicans Omar

House Republican Conference Chair Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., does a tv news interview just outside the House chamber to discuss her reason for voting against the Democratic resolution condemning anti-Semitism that was sparked by controversial remarks from freshman Democrat Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, at the Capitol in Washington, Friday, March 8, 2019. Cheney, the No. 3 House Republican, called the resolution "a sham" by Democrats to avoid condemning Rep. Ilhan Omar directly for her comments. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Trump Impeachment

Rep. Liz Cheney speaks as the House of Representatives debate the articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump at the Capitol on Wednesday in Washington.
Liz Cheney

U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney and Scott Turner, executive director of the White House Opportunity Zone Revitalization Council, participate in a meeting Thursday morning in Casper.
Sonny Perdue visit

Gov. Mark Gordon and Rep. Liz Cheney chat during a breakfast discussion Wednesday in Wright. U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue also attended.
Liz Cheney

Rep. Liz Cheney arrives for a news conference along with House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California, left, and House Minority Whip Steve Scalise of Louisiana in January in Washington. Cheney has raised just over $321,000 in the first quarter of this year.
Cheney

U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney takes her seat Jan. 7 in Saint Mark's Episcopal Church for a prayer service prior to the official inauguration of Gov. Mark Gordon.
Liz Cheney

U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyoming, seen speaking in Philadelphia in January.
Wreaths

U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney speaks during the Wreaths Across America event on Dec. 15 at the Oregon Trail State Veterans Cemetery.
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President Donald Trump gives his pen to Rep. Liz Cheney after signing a bill related to the Bureau of Land Management in March at the White House. Sen. John Barrasso stands to Cheney's right and Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke stands behind Trump. A new survey found that while Wyoming voters remain supportive of Trump in general, many disagree with specific policies supported by him and Zinke.
Liz Cheney

Rep. Liz Cheney address the audience Wednesday during the Casper Chamber of Commerce State of the Nation Lunch at the Casper Events Center.
Liz Cheney and Donald Trump

President Donald Trump gives his pen to Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., after signing one of various bills at the White House in March. Cheney has thrown her support behind two immigration bills that are in line with Trump’s policies.
Liz Cheney Visit

U.S. Rep Liz Cheney meets with members of the Casper Star-Tribune reporting and editorial staff on Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2017, in Casper.
Liz Cheney

U.S. Rep Liz Cheney speaks with Casper Star-Tribune reporters on Jan. 18 in Casper.
Election Night 2016

Liz Cheney hugs a supporter as she enters the Natrona County GOP election night party on Tuesday evening at the Black Gold Grille in Casper.
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U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney and her family pose for a photo with House Speaker Paul Ryan during her swearing-in ceremony Tuesday in Washington.
House Debate

U.S. House candidates Republican Liz Cheney and Democrat Ryan Greene listen to a moderator during the U.S. House debate on Oct. 20 at Casper College.
House Debate

Candidates for U.S. House from left, Republican Liz Cheney, Democrat Ryan Greene, Libertarian Lawrence Struempf and the Constitution Party’s Daniel Cummings listen to a question from a panelist Thursday during a U.S. House debate at Casper College.
Dick Cheney, Liz Cheney

Liz Cheney walks off the stage with her father, former Vice President Dick Cheney, after they addressed the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), in 2010.
Republican U.S. House Debate

Republican U.S. House candidate Liz Cheney listens to debate moderator and former Gov. Jim Geringer on Aug. 2 at Casper College, in the Wheeler Concert Hall. She sailed to victory in Tuesday’s Republican primary.
Republican U.S. House Debate

Liz Cheney speaks during a debate Tuesday evening along with fellow Republican candidates for U.S. House Darin Smith, Leland Christensen and Tim Stubson at Casper College. Nine candidates seeking Wyoming’s only U.S. House seat participated in a series of debates Tuesday.
Liz Cheney

Liz Cheney speaks with the Star-Tribune last month in Casper. Cheney is running for U.S. House.
Liz and Dick Cheney

Liz Cheney and her father, former vice president Dick Cheney, attend the Wyoming high school girls soccer state championships on May 30, 2015, in Jackson.
Liz Cheney

Liz Cheney speaks during a Natrona County Republican Women meeting April 21 at the Casper Municipal Golf Course. She will run for Wyoming’s lone U.S. House seat.
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U.S. Senate candidate Liz Cheney, far right, talks to supporters as her opponent, incumbent Sen. Mike Enzi, left, also makes the rounds during a tea party rally Aug. 24. 2013, in Emblem.
Liz Cheney

Liz Cheney speaks during a campaign appearance in Casper, Wyoming, Wednesday, July 17, 2013. Cheney, the elder daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, announced on Tuesday her GOP primary challenge to Wyoming's senior U.S. incumbent Sen. Mike Enzi. (AP Photo/Matt Young)
Dick Cheney, Liz Cheney

Former Vice President Dick Cheney and his daughter, U.S. House Rep. Liz Cheney, share a foreign policy vision that advocates the use of American military power to promote the country’s interests.
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Liz Cheney talks with Wyoming Rep. Tom Reeder, right, on May 23 at the Parkway Plaza in Casper. Cheney announced Tuesday that she will run for U.S. Senate in 2014, seeking the seat currently held by Sen. Mike Enzi.
Liz Cheney

Liz Cheney talks with other guests before the start of the annual Wyoming Retail Association meeting on May 23, 2013, at the Parkway Plaza in Casper. A California-based PAC has mounted a petition drive to try to convince Cheney to seek the U.S. Senate seat held by Republican Mike Enzi.
Liz Cheney

Liz Cheney speaks to a reporter before her appearance at a Natrona County Republican Party fundraiser on Aug. 16, 2012 at the Parkway Plaza Hotel in Casper.