Liz Cheney, the Republican former representative of Wyoming, has endorsed Kamala Harris for US president.
The former legislator made the pronouncement at an event at Duke university in North Carolina. This move makes her the latest Republican to publicly say that they will not be supporting Donald Trump.
“I don’t believe we have the luxury of writing in candidates’ names, particularly in swing states,” Ms Cheney, daughter of former Republican vice-president Dick Cheney, told the crowd. “And as a conservative, as somebody who believes in and cares about the constitution, I have thought deeply about this and the present danger that Donald Trump poses, not only am I not voting for Donald Trump, I am voting for Kamala Harris.”
Her announcement, which was met with cheers from the audience, puts her on the growing list of lifelong Republicans who will be voting against Mr Trump. In March, former vice-president Mike Pence told Fox News that he will not be endorsing his former running mate in November, citing Mr Trump’s actions in allegedly fomenting the Capitol riots on on January 6th, 2021 and his reversals on issues such as forcing China to sell TikTok.
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Other prominent Republicans to vote against the party’s nominee include Adam Kinzinger, the former republican representative for Illinois; Olivia Troye, who worked in the Trump administration as homeland security adviser to Pence; and Stephanie Grisham,a former Trump press secretary, all of whom spoke at the recent Democratic national convention in Chicago. These appearances follow years of establishment Republicans Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan, known as “Never Trumpers”, decrying Mr Trump and the risks they see him posing to the health of the nation.
On Tuesday, a day before Ms Cheney’s announcement, Jimmy McCain, son of former Republican senator John McCain, said that he would also be voting for the Democrat’s ticket due to what he sees as Mr Trump’s and disrespect toward the military.
“I care about my family, I care about equal rights for everyone in this country. I care about all of this, and you know, as much as I stayed as an independent I decided it was time to move on and do what I believe in,” Mr McCain told CNN.
Ms Cheney has long been a detractor of Trump. In 2021 she was one of 10 Republicans to vote to impeach Mr Trump after the January 6th riot. Weeks later Cheney was voted out of her leadership role among House republicans. During a closed-door vote before her ousting, she was reportedly booed after voicing criticisms of Mr Trump. – Guardian