Why Liz Cheney endorsed Kamala Harris after the Chicago DNC, and how it helps

WASHINGTON — Former Rep. Liz Cheney, the Wyoming Republican who has made it a mission to make sure Donald Trump never again is president, endorsed Kamala Harris on Wednesday with a specific instruction:

Swing state voters who are against Trump but gag at the thought of voting for a Democrat don’t have the “luxury” this time around to merely write in someone else. To block Trump, they have to vote for Harris.

Cheney sacrificed her House seat when she became one of the nation’s leading Trump critics — serving as vice chair of the committee probing the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol by Trump followers trying to block Joe Biden from becoming president. She is now going on the road to amplify her message, independent of the Harris-Walz campaign.

On Friday, Cheney will be in Austin for the Texas Tribune Festival. She will talk about “defending democracy” with Mark Leibovich, a writer for The Atlantic. While in Texas, Cheney will keep hammering home the message that just not voting for Trump isn’t enough. Harris needs votes to win. Cheney also is likely to be booked on one of the Sunday national news programs. All this comes as Harris and Trump debate for the first time on Tuesday, in Philadelphia.

I’ve done some reporting. Here’s what else I know:

Why Cheney chose not to endorse Harris at the DNC

  The Harris-Walz campaign would have welcomed her. Former Illinois GOP Rep. Adam Kinzinger, the other Republican member of the Jan. 6 committee and a fierce Trump critic, was among the Republicans speaking at the United Center.

“Tonight, as a Republican speaking before you, I’m putting our country first,” said Kinzinger.

Cheney skipped the Democratic convention in order to maximize her appeal to very specific voter segments — independents, people in the middle, Republicans on the center-right or right-leaning. Delivering her endorsement to an arena packed full of Democrats cheering her on may not have helped her persuade the people Harris needs in order to win.

 Anyway, Cheney is her own woman, with her own timeline. As the saying goes, she marches to the beat of her own drummer. And the Harris-Walz campaign can still use their resources to maximize the Cheney endorsement.

What Cheney said on Wednesday

Cheney got a standing ovation after delivering her Harris endorsement at a Duke University forum in the swing state of North Carolina.

Asked if she wanted to announce who she is endorsing in 2024, Cheney said, “Because we are here in North Carolina, I think it is crucially important for people to recognize not only is what I’ve just said about the danger that Trump poses, something that should prevent people from voting for him, but I don’t believe that we have the luxury of writing in candidates’ names, particularly in swing states.

“And, as a conservative, as someone who believes in and cares about the Constitution, I have thought deeply about this, and because of the danger that Donald Trump poses, not only am I not voting for Donald Trump, but I will be voting for Kamala Harris.”

Speaking to “fellow conservatives,” she said given the stakes of the election, “we have a duty, a duty, to put our country and our Constitution above partisanship. We all have that duty and responsibility.”

What’s next for Cheney

Cheney wants to be visible and engaged in the weeks leading up to the election. I don’t expect her to be showing up at rallies for now — her preferred platform is the speaker series, whether sponsored by media outlets or universities, or the like. After North Carolina and Texas, Cheney hits Madison in the swing state of Wisconsin for the Cap Times Idea Fest on Sept. 20. By the way…Mayor Brandon Johnson will speak at the festival on Sept. 16.

Cheney appears at the Philadelphia Speakers Series, in the swing state of Pennsylvania, on Sept. 23. She’s in Boston for speakers series events on Sept. 24 and 25 – in a media market that bleeds into New Hampshire — a state in play, though not one of the very top battlegrounds. After that she is booked at Stevenson University in Baltimore on Oct. 10; the Pittsburgh Speakers series on Oct. 16; Drew University in New Jersey on Oct. 23, among other stops.

Cheney has vowed to do everything in her power to prevent another Trump presidency. With this close race, Cheney is poised, in her own independent way, to go all in.

Emhoff in Chicago on Friday

Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff returns to Chicago on Friday. He is headlining a “Lawyers for Harris” fundraising lunch along with former Attorney General Eric Holder and top former Justice Department official Sally Yates. The tab runs from $1,500 to $100,000 for young professionals.