Liz Cheney, ex-Republican Wyoming representative, endorses Kamala Harris

Liz Cheney’s announcement was cheered by the audience at Duke University. Photograph: Rebecca Cook/Reuters

Liz Cheney, the Republican former representative of Wyoming, has endorsed Kamala Harris for president. The former legislator made the pronouncement on Tuesday at an event at Duke university in North Carolina. This move makes her the latest Republican to publicly say that they will not be supporting Donald Trump.

“I don’t believe we have the luxury of writing in candidates’ names, particularly in swing states,” Cheney, the daughter of the former Republican vice-president Dick Cheney, told the crowd. “And as a conservative, as somebody who believes in and cares about the constitution, I have thought deeply about this and the present danger that Donald Trump poses, not only am I not voting for Donald Trump, I am voting for Kamala Harris.”

Cheney’s announcement, which was met with cheers from the audience, puts her on the growing list of lifelong Republicans who will be voting against Trump. In March, the former vice-president Mike Pence told Fox news that he will not be endorsing his former running mate in November, citing Trump’s actions on 6 January and course reversals on issues such as forcing China to sell TikTok.

Other prominent Republicans to vote against the party’s nominee include Adam Kinzinger, the former Republican representative for Illinois; Olivia Troye, who worked in the Trump administration as homeland security adviser to Pence; and Stephanie Grisham, one of Trump’s former press secretaries, all of whom spoke at the recent Democratic national convention in Chicago. These appearances follow years of the establishment Republicans Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan, known as “Never Trumpers”, decrying Trump and the risks they see him posing to the health of the nation.

On Tuesday, a day before Cheney’s announcement, Jimmy McCain, son of the former Republican senator John McCain, said that he would also be voting for the Democrat’s ticket due to what he sees as Trump’s animus and disrespect toward the military.

“I care about my family, I care about equal rights for everyone in this country. I care about all of this, and you know, as much as I stayed as an independent I decided it was time to move on and do what I believe in,” McCain told CNN on Tuesday.

Cheney has long been a detractor of Trump. In 2021 she was one of ten Republicans to vote to impeach Trump after the 6 January riot. Weeks later Cheney was voted out of her leadership role among House Republicans. During a closed-door vote before her ousting, Cheney was reportedly booed after voicing criticisms of Trump.