Liz Cheney - live: Biden calls Wyoming congresswoman after defeat and Trump attacks
US president Joe Biden reached out to Liz Cheney on Wednesday after she lost to Donald Trump-backed Republican nominee Harriet Hageman.
Mr Biden had called the Wyoming congresswoman and Trump critic as the 45th president wasted no time in taking a victory lap, Bloomberg reported.
“Liz Cheney should be ashamed of herself, the way she acted, and her spiteful, sanctimonious words and actions towards others," Mr Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“Now she can finally disappear into the depths of political oblivion where, I am sure, she will be much happier than she is right now,” he added, before quipping that Wyoming’s primary outcome was a “complete rebuke” of the January 6 committee investigating the Capitol riot, which Ms Cheney serves as the vice chair.
As her congressional career suffered an unexpected halt, Ms Cheney vowed that she would do whatever it takes to stop Mr Trump from reaching the White House again.
“Tonight, Harriet Hageman has received the most votes in this primary,” she said during her concession speech. “This primary election is over. But now the real work begins.”
Sarah Palin, a former Alaska governor who has staged her race for the state’s open congressional seat as a revival of her political career after more than a decade spent out of elected office, will advance to the November general election.
Alaska, whose electorate approved a process being used for the first time in the state, has opted to do away with traditional party primary races in favour of ranked choice voting, which will instead send the top four candidates – regardless of political party – to the general election.
As of Tuesday morning, based on the votes tabulated, the House primary race in November will include Ms Palin, Democrat Mary Peltola and Republican Nick Begich on the ballot. The fourth slot, however, remained too early to call.
Biden calls Cheney after primaries loss
US president Joe Biden reached out to Congresswoman Liz Cheney on Wednesday after she lost to Republican nominee and Trump-endorsed challenger Harriet Hageman.
Mr Biden called Ms Cheney after former president and her foe Donald Trump lost no time in going after her, Bloomberg reported.
Mr Trump had fired off a statement on his Truth Social platform, quipping that he believed that Ms Cheney would be “happier” in the “depths of political oblivion”.
Cheney tell ‘Today’ show she is thinking about presidential run
Liz Cheney has said that she’s “thinking about” a White House run, in her first interview after losing her primary to a Trump-backed opponent.
“I believe that Donald Trump continues to pose a very grave threat and risk to our republic,” she told NBC’s Today. “I think that defeating him is going to require a broad and united front of Republicans, Democrats and independents – and that’s what I intend to be part of.”
Gustaf Kilander reports from Washington, DC.