Rep. Liz Cheney lost her Republican primary in Wyoming on Tuesday evening to Harriet Hageman, her challenger endorsed by former President Donald Trump, according to projections by Decision Desk HQ and Insider. Polls closed at 7 p.m. local time.
The race and the stakes
Cheney, once a shoo-in for reelection in Wyoming, faced an uphill battle as Trump and his allies sought to oust her from office. She voted to impeach him last year over the Capitol attack on January 6, 2021, and remained a fierce critic of the former president, leading him to rebuke Cheney and endorse Hageman.
Hageman is a local natural resources attorney in Wyoming and former Republican National Committeewoman. Once a Cheney ally, she turned into a loyal Trump supporter and has harshly attacked the incumbent congresswoman. Hageman received support from pro-Trump lawmakers at the state and national level, and has raised around $4 million. Pre-election polls showed Hageman with a commanding lead over Cheney, who has represented Wyoming for five years with a solidly conservative record.
Cheney had been endorsed by state Republican officials and high-profile GOPers, including former House Speaker Paul Ryan and former President George W. Bush. She raised around $15 million for her reelection bid — an unusually high amount for a House race.
The primary largely represented a test of Trump's influence over the Republican Party. Other challengers to Cheney included state Sen. Anthony Bouchard, military veteran Denton Knapp, and Robyn Belinskey, a small business owner.
Gubernatorial and state legislative primaries
