“Because of the danger that Donald Trump represents, not only will I not vote for him, but I will vote for Kamala Harris.» In front of students at Duke University in North Carolina, this Wednesday, September 4, the former number 3 of the Republican Party Liz Cheney finally made the statement that observers of American politics have been speculating about for several weeks: during the presidential election on November 5, she will support the Democratic candidate. “As a conservative, as someone who believes in and cares about the Constitution, I’ve thought deeply about this,” she explains. For Kamala Harris, Liz Cheney is a major prize of war: the 58-year-old lawyer, a former Wyoming representative and for a time chair of the Republican Party group in the House of Representatives, is one of the most famous figures in the Grand Old Party.
She is also a figure in the internal opposition to Donald Trump, with whom she definitively broke in 2021, after the attempted storming of the Capitol by supporters of the billionaire. “There has never been a greater betrayal by a President of the United States of his office and his oath to the Constitution,” she declared then about the attitude of the head of state, who refused to recognize his electoral defeat against Joe Biden. In February 2021, she voted like nine other Republicans in favor of the impeachment of Donald Trump, then she became vice-president of the parliamentary commission of inquiry into the events of the Capitol. Enough to make her a pariah in her own camp, ousted from the presidency of the party group in the House of Representatives, then deprived of her mandate in Wyoming by her defeat in a Republican primary.
“A patriot who puts our Constitution first”
For months, the Wisconsin native has been urging voters to «sauver» democracy by ensuring that “Donald Trump will never again approach the Oval Office.” But this conservative, who opposes abortion, has never before ventured to publicly support the Democratic Party in the presidential election. She who, five years ago, described it as “the party of anti-Semitism, […] of infanticide, […] of socialism. Kamala Harris’ campaign team is therefore pleased with the news, announced in a state, North Carolina, where the two candidates are neck and neck in the polls. “Liz Cheney is a patriot who loves this country and puts our democracy and our Constitution first,” a spokesperson for the Vice President of the United States rejoiced in a press release.
While the Grand Old Party remains generally united behind its leader, several other Republicans have announced their support for Kamala Harris. This includes the governor of Georgia, Geoff Duncan, and former White House spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham, who were even present at the Democratic convention in Chicago at the end of August. Last week, several of the 200 former collaborators of Republican presidents or presidential candidates did the same, ensuring that a new term for Donald Trump would “harm ordinary citizens and weaken our sacred institutions.” Proof that Kamala Harris is capable of broadening her electoral base and drawing from the Republican ranks – a good omen, on the eve of an election that promises to be extremely close.
