'Now the Real Work Begins': Liz Cheney Concedes Wyoming Republican Primary
US Rep. Liz Cheney conceded she lost the Wyoming Republican primary election to Harriet Hageman on Tuesday, August 16.
Speaking to supporters in Jackson, Wyoming, Cheney said she could have “easily” won re-election had she “gone along with President Trump’s lie about the 2020 election,” but that it was a path she “could not and would not take.”
“No House seat, no office in this land, is more important than the principles we are all sworn to protect,” she said. “Our republic relies upon the goodwill of all candidates for office to accept honorably the outcome of elections. And tonight, Harriet Hageman has received the most votes in this primary. She won. I called her to concede the race. This primary election is over. But now the real work begins.”
Hageman’s, who was endorsed by Donald Trump in September last year, thanked Wyoming voters in a tweet from her campaign’s profile account. Credit: Liz Cheney via Storyful
Video Transcript
- Well, thank you all. Thank much. It's wonderful to see you, friends, family, especially wonderful to be here on the beautiful Mead Ranch. And thank you so much, Brad and Kate, for that wonderful induction. We really are in God's country. And it's wonderful to welcome so many here.
I want to say, first of all, a special thanks to every member of Team Cheney, who is here in the audience.
[CHEERING]
And I tell you, our work is far from over. Among the many, many blessings that we have as Americans and as individuals and as human beings, the blessing of family is surely the most important. And so I want to thank all my family and pay a special tribute to those who are here with us tonight, my mom and dad, Dick and Lynne Cheney, and my husband, Phil. And four of my five kids are here, Katie, and Gracie, and Phillip, and Richard are here tonight. And Elizabeth is studying law school today. So we'll have another generation carrying on dedication to the Constitution and then to our freedom.
A little over a year ago, I received a note from a gold star father. He said to me, standing up for truth honors all who gave all. And I have thought of his words every single day since then. I've thought of them because they are a reminder of how we must all conduct ourselves. We must conduct ourselves in a way that is worthy of the men and women who wear the uniform of this nation and in particular, of those who have given the ultimate sacrifice. This--
[APPLAUSE]
This is not a game every one of us must be committed to the eternal defense of this miraculous experiment called America. And at the heart of our democratic process, our elections, they are the foundational principle of our Constitution. Two years ago, I won this primary with 73% of the vote. I could easily have done the same again. The path was clear.
But it would have required that I go along with President Trump's lie about the 2020 election. It would have required that I enable his ongoing efforts to unravel our democratic system and attack the foundations of our republic. That was a path I could not and would not take.
[APPLAUSE]
No-- no House seats, no office in this land is more important then the principles that we are all sworn to protect. And I well understood the potential political consequences of abiding by my duty. Our republic relies upon the goodwill of all candidates for office to accept honorably the outcome of elections. And tonight, Harriet Hageman has received the most votes in this primary. She won. I called her to concede the race. This primary election is over. But now, the real work begins.
