Cheney announces big fundraising amid removal from leadership

By David Wright, CNN

Rep. Liz Cheney announced Tuesday that her campaign raised nearly $1.9 million in second quarter 2021, setting what her office described as a quarterly fundraising record for the Wyoming Republican, amid her removal from House leadership and ahead of a potentially bruising reelection campaign.

Cheney’s big fundraising haul follows her ouster from House GOP leadership in May for her ongoing criticism of former President Donald Trump and false claims about the 2020 election.

Cheney’s office said the fundraising set a quarterly record for the Wyoming representative, beating the $1.5 million she raised in the first quarter of 2021. Cheney also announced having $2.85 million in cash on hand for her reelection campaign in 2022.

The fundraising haul “gives the campaign a significant advantage over any other candidate currently running in Wyoming,” Cheney’s office announced.

Pro-Trump Republicans are eager to challenge Cheney in a 2022 primary. Two state lawmakers, Chuck Gray and Anthony Bouchard, have already announced bids.

Other potential challengers include: Wyoming Secretary of State Edward Buchanan, Darin Smith, a businessman who lost to Cheney in the 2016 House GOP primary, Bryan Miller, the Republican chairman of Wyoming’s Sheridan County, and William Perry Pendley, who served as acting director of the Bureau of Land Management during the Trump administration.

Cheney has continued to criticize Trump and members of her own party for making false claims about 2020 election, and she recently broke with her caucus to vote in support of a select committee to investigate the January 6 Capitol riot. Earlier this month, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced that Cheney would serve on the committee.

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