Liz Cheney compares herself to ABRAHAM LINCOLN after thumping loss to Trump-backed Harriet Hageman
CHEYENNE, WYOMING: "Today, Wyoming has spoken," Republican congressional candidate Harriet Hageman, who was endorsed by Donald Trump, said while addressing supporters in Cheyenne on Tuesday, August 16, after ousting her former friend Liz Cheney in Wyoming's Republican primary.
"Wyoming has spoken on behalf of everyone who is concerned that the game is becoming more and more rigged against them," Hageman told an excited crowd, adding if that if they wanted to represent the cowboy state "you damn better well live in Wyoming."
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Before Hageman took the stage, Cheney made her concession speech and hinted at her future presidential run while comparing herself to former US president Abraham Lincoln, who lost a number of times before becoming the 16th US president.
"Abraham Lincoln was defeated in elections for the Senate and House before he won the most important election of all," Cheney said. She spoke about how she had won her primary two years ago by 73 points. "I could easily have done the same again - the path was clear," she added.
She said that all she had to do was "peddle former President Donald Trump's election fraud lies and enable his attacks on the democratic system." "That is a path I could not and would not take. This is not a game. Everyone of us must be committed to the eternal defense of this miraculous experiment called America," she said.
Cheney told her supporters that she called her former friend Hageman and conceded the race. "This primary election is over. But now the real work begins," she said.
"We must be very clear-eyed about the threat we face. I will do whatever it takes to ensure Trump is never again anywhere near the Oval Office, and I mean it," she said.
Former US president Trump, who had been targeting Liz Cheney since the start also celebrated her loss and said, "This is a wonderful result for America and a complete rebuke of the Unselect Committee of political Hacks and Thugs."
"Liz Cheney should be ashamed of herself, the way she acted, and her spiteful, sanctimonious words and actions towards others. 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," Trump added.
After Cheney was done with her speech, Hageman took to the podium and gae her victory speech. She said, "What Wyoming has shown today is that while it may not be easy, we can dislodge entrenched politicians who believe they've risen above the people they are supposed to represent."
"Wyoming has spoken on behalf of everyone all across this great country who believes in the American dream, who believes in liberty, and who recognizes that our natural rights—the freedom of speech, freedom of religion, equal protection and due process—come from God. They do not come from government and the government cannot take them away," she told the crowd.
She also thanked Trump, who helped her in the race and made sure the Congresswoman would not see a fourth term. To defeat Cheney, he endorsed Hageman despite her criticisms of the former president during his 2016 campaign.
The third-term Congresswoman first trailed Hageman by nine points and then by 25. When news outlets started calling the race for Hageman, Cheney was behind by more than 30. With 99 per cent of the expected vote in, Hageman was leading Cheney with about 66.3 per cent of the vote. The results — and the roughly 30-point margin — were a powerful reminder of the GOP’s rapid shift to the right.