Two House Democrats have asked Wyoming members of their party to temporarily switch parties to vote for Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) in next week’s primary.
Reps. Tom Malinowski (D-NJ) and Dean Phillips (D-MN) both appeared in online ads this week expressing their support for Cheney’s re-election efforts.
“Liz Cheney and I don’t agree on everything,” Malinowski said in a Facebook ad. “But we’re on the same side today, fighting for a country where we settle our differences by voting, not violence.”
“Wyoming Democrats can put country over party too by registering to vote for her in the Republican primary,” he added.
The description of the ad noted, “Democratic Congressman Dean Phillips is sending a clear message to Trump by joining forces with Congresswoman Liz Cheney to end Trumpism.”
Phillips offered a similar request for Wyoming’s Democrat voters this week.
“You might be a little surprised that I’d be supporting Liz Cheney in her bid to continue representing Wyoming in the U.S. House, but principle must always come before politics, and nobody has shown more honor, integrity, and courage than she,” Phillips said in an ad.
“So I ask you to please consider temporarily switching parties and voting for Liz Cheney on or by August 16th,” Phillips asked Wyoming Democrats.
The strategy seeks to keep Cheney in power as she faces tough competition from Republican candidate Harriet Hageman who has been endorsed by former President Donald Trump. The congresswoman has also faced strong opposition from her own party in Wyoming over her vote to impeach Trump after January 6, 2021, and her involvement in the House Select Committee to investigate the events of that day.
The group Wyomingites Defending Freedom and Democracy has promoted both ads on Facebook.
The spots come just days before Wyoming’s primary vote on August 16, as Cheney makes last-minute moves to remain on November’s ballot for the midterms.
Last week, Cheney also tweeted an endorsement from “Yellowstone” actor Kevin Costner. The post featured Costner in a T-shirt that read, “I’m for Liz Cheney.”
Real men put country over party. pic.twitter.com/7FaJpahtll
— Liz Cheney (@Liz_Cheney) August 1, 2022
“Real men put country over party,” Cheney added in the description above Costner’s photograph.
According to a report by Newsweek, Costner previously endorsed former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg when he ran for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020 and later supported then-Democratic candidate Joe Biden in the general election.
Cheney also released a video ad on Twitter last week from former Vice President Dick Cheney.
“In our nation’s 246-year history there has never been an individual who is a greater threat to our Republic than Donald Trump,” he claimed in the ad. “He tried to steal the last election using lies and violence to keep himself in power after the voters had rejected him. He is a coward. A real man wouldn’t lie to his supporters. He lost his election, and he lost big.”
“In our nation’s 246 year history there has never been an individual who is a greater threat to our Republic than Donald Trump.” Dick Cheney pic.twitter.com/erBPBNy8ah
— Liz Cheney (@Liz_Cheney) August 4, 2022
The New York Times reported in June that Cheney’s campaign sent a mailer to Wyoming Democrats that included instructions on how to change their party affiliation to vote for her in the primary election.
NEW NEWS: Liz Cheney is sending mail to Wyoming Democrats with instructions on how to switch parties to vote for her in the state's August primary. https://t.co/wR5asnnkGR pic.twitter.com/imnhKYccrL
— Reid J. Epstein (@reidepstein) June 23, 2022
The mailing included answers to the questions “How do I change my party affiliation to register as a Republican so I can vote for Liz?” and “How can I get an absentee ballot and when does it need to be returned?”
Source: Dailywire
