RIPON, Wisc. — Former Republican Rep. Liz Cheney endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris in Wisconsin on Thursday, slamming Donald Trump as “vindictive” and “cruel” as she attempted to sway Republican and Independent voters in Harris’ direction.
Speaking in Ripon, Wisconsin — known as the birthplace of the Republican Party — Cheney warned of the consequences of re-electing Donald Trump to a second term in November.
“I have never voted for a Democrat, but this year, I am proudly casting my vote for Vice President Kamala Harris,” Cheney said.
The former Wyoming representative called out Trump, specifically his alleged role in the January 6, 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol after special counsel Jack Smith released a detailed report on Wednesday on the evidence against the former president.
“Donald Trump was willing to sacrifice our capitol to allow law enforcement officers to be beaten and brutalized in his name and to violate the law and the Constitution in order to seize power for himself. I don’t care if you are a Democrat or a Republican or an Independent, that is depravity, and we must never become numb to it,” she said. “Any person who would do these things can never be trusted with power again.”
“He is petty, he is vindictive, and he is cruel, and … is not fit to lead this good and great nation,” she added.
Harris took the stage and promised to be a president for all Americans, urging the country to put their differences aside and work together to end the division in the country.
“We have a shared commitment as Americans to ensuring that future generations live in a nation where power is transferred peacefully, where our leaders are men and women of good faith, and where our public servants set aside partisan battles to do what’s right for this country,” Harris said.
Harris leads Trump by roughly 2 percentage points in Wisconsin, according to 538’s polling average in the state.
Speaking on Fox News, Trump slammed both Cheney and Harris.
“Liz Cheney lost for Congress. She was terrible. Liz Cheney is a stupid war hawk. All she wants to do is shoot missiles at people. I really think it hurts. I think, frankly, if Kamala, I think they hurt each other. I think they’re so bad both of them,” he said.
Former Trump White House staffers — Alyssa Farah Griffin, Cassidy Hutchinson and Sarah Matthews — have also endorsed Harris this year, and are scheduled to join Cheney at an event in Pennsylvania next week.
