Following the weeks of hearings on the US Capitol attack by former President Donald Trump’s supporters, Republican Representative Liz Cheney has emerged as a stark critic to the former by evidently supporting Democrats on the issue.

“President Trump is a 76-year-old man. He is not an impressionable child. Just like everyone else in our country, he is responsible for his own actions and his own choices,” Cheney said during a Jan. 6 committee hearing recently.

Also Read: As Jan 6 panel wraps up, US Senate moves to prevent another Capitol attack

The Democrats are adamant of portraying the former US President as a danger to democracy and they have found an unexpected ally in Cheney, who is just one of two lawmakers in the January 6 committee. However, she will find out if her recent stand will have an effect, when deep red Wyoming holds a Republican primary election that will decide the state’s next spokesperson at the House of Representatives, on August 16.

As vice chair of the congressional panel, which is investigating the 2021 attack on the US Capitol, has resulted in praise from all across the country, however, what the Wyoming voters make of it remains a mystery even to her.

Donald Trump is backing Republican candidate Harriet Hageman, who has an advantage of $5.5 million over Cheney, is losing by more than 20 points against the latter in the opinion polls. This has led to Hageman making an appeal to non-Republican voters to elect her. 

Cheney has become a pariah to the House Republican leadership as well as to the Wyoming Republican Party, who no longer recognize the 55-year-old as a member. 

“Instead of fighting for us, she’s fighting against President Trump. She betrayed us. She betrayed our values,” a Hageman campaign ad said regarding Cheney.

Trump has a huge backing in Wyoming, where Cheney comes from. The former US President had won 70% votes in the state in 2020, the biggest margin of him among all US states.

“Even people who dislike Liz Cheney, even people who are going to vote against her, will tell you that they are impressed with somebody willing to stand up on their convictions, so much so that they risk their political career,” state Representative Landon Brown, who is also a member of Cheney’s campaign team, said.

Also Read: Steph Curry opens 2022 ESPY Awards with light-hearted LeBron jibe

“The only thing people can’t get past is this Donald Trump discussion,” he continued.

A possible defeat for Cheney will act as a symbolic win for Donald Trump, who is reportedly considering running for the White House once again in 2024.

It has also been reported that Cheney might launch a presidential campaign herself should she go on to lose the Wyoming election in August.