Liz Cheney is unapologetically Dick Cheney s avatar She co wrote his autobiography defends him like a pit bill and almost always is his sidekick at public appearances.
Her inseparability from such a polarizing figure might seem like a big drawback but in Wyoming it may actually be her best shot at winning a U.S. Senate seat.
Continue ReadingDisliked as Dick Cheney is nationally after his controversial tenure as vice president he remains an esteemed figure in the state he represented three decades ago in the House of Representatives. Ironically Liz Cheney s last name will be her biggest asset in next year s Republican primary against three term incumbent Sen. Mike Enzi.
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Indeed if Cheney is able to knock off Enzi next summer as she told reporters Wednesday she will try to do it will likely be on her father s coattails.
The Cheney family especially the vice president is revered in the state of Wyoming said Democratic National Committeeman Mike Gierau who owns restaurants in Jackson and Cody. You can disagree on issues but they re revered.
There is sparse public polling in the state of 576 000 so it s impossible to quantify Cheney s favorability right now.
But his standing is certainly better in the Cowboy State than nationally. Polls conducted during Bush s presidency showed Cheney s numbers in the high 60s statewide but that they dropped off somewhat during the second term said James King the chairman of the political science department at the University of Wyoming. In a 2010 Gallup poll 52 percent of Americans saw Cheney unfavorably.
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Liz Cheney has proudly served as her father s gatekeeper since he left the White House. The 46 year old a senior State Department official during George W. Bush s second term has been his closest adviser.
In a December list of the 100 top global thinkers Foreign Policy magazine grouped the two together for keeping the neocon flame alive.
And Liz Cheney pounced last month when Obama defending the National Security Agency surveillance programs said he is not Dick Cheney.
Every time I hear him say that I ve got to say You re right. Absolutely she told Sean Hannity. This president is nowhere near the man or the leader that Dick Cheney is.
Only once has Liz apparently distanced herself from her father in recent years. The elder Cheney said on ABC s This Week last July that John McCain picking Sarah Palin was a mistake who was not ready to take over as president.
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Rarely do I disagree with best VP ever Liz Cheney responded on Twitter but SarahPalinUSA more qualified than Obama and Biden combined. Huge respect 4 all she s done 4 GOP.
In her opening pitch thus far Liz Cheney has seemed intent on presenting herself as a female and youthful heir to her father. She does not need to invoke her father explicitly for people to make the connection.
We are blessed by our heritage in Wyoming a heritage built on the values brought here by our forefathers and mothers she said in her announcement video.
Those close to Cheney say she will establish her own identity in the race.
Liz has her own record accomplishments and of course the Cheney name is solid in WY both Lynne and Dick and while they will be both be a committed help she is running on her own merits emailed Cheney insider Mary Matalin. And has been to every county multiple times and will continue the one on one visiting with voters.
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