Liz Cheney, the highest-ranking Republican woman in Congress and frequent Trump critic, is heavily rumored to be eyeing a third-party presidential run in 2020.
Cheney, the third-ranking leader in the House of Representatives, has made her opposition to President Donald Trump clear since his inauguration in 2017. During Trump’s State of the Union address in February 2019, Cheney wore a white pantsuit as an obvious reference to the suffrage movement and the women’s voting rights. She recently wrote an op-ed in USA Today in which she criticized the president’s decision to withdraw troops from Syria and Afghanistan.
Cheney’s decision to further explore a third-party run of her own for president comes just weeks after two independent candidates declared their candidacies in separate races. Former Massachusetts Governor William Weld and Maryland Congressman Justin Amash, both Republicans, are running for president as independents.
If Cheney does decide to pursue a third-party run for president, she would join a crowded political field; there are currently eight major declared candidates and three other declared independents. She would also face an uphill battle against the 33 states that have adopted the “sore loser” law, which prohibits any candidate who didn’t win their party’s nomination from appearing on the ballot as an independent candidate.
Regardless of the challenges ahead of her, Cheney’s potential run is being seen by many as a sign that she is determined to challenge President Trump and reject the status quo demanded by the Republican Party leadership. A Liz Cheney candidacy could inject a much-needed spark into a presidential race that has largely been seen as too predictable.
Only time will tell if Liz Cheney decides to pursue a third-party presidential run, but when she does, it’s sure to be an interesting and potentially groundbreaking year in U.S. politics.