Former Rep. Liz Cheney, one of the most vocal anti-Trump Republicans in the last Congress, campaigned with Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday in a Wisconsin city widely known as the birthplace of the Republican Party.
Cheney, who endorsed the Democrat for president last month, will join Harris in Ripon, site of the rally that led to the creation of the Republican Party. (Cheney’s father, former Vice President Dick Cheney, has also endorsed Harris.)
The Wyoming Republican’s performance with Harris is notable — especially given the deep political divisions in the country — but not surprising. Cheney has been a fierce critic of Donald Trump over his role in the January 6 riots, and she stoked his anger as well as that of his allies with her involvement in the congressional investigation into the attack on the Capitol.
Meanwhile, Harris is making a huge effort to win over disaffected Republicans, in part to showcase the Democrats’ big tent. Several prominent Republicans had speaking engagements at the Democratic National Convention in August, and Harris has said she is willing to appoint a Republican to her Cabinet if elected. On Thursday, NBC News reported that her campaign is releasing two ads in battleground states, targeting Republican voters and former Trump supporters.
Wisconsin is a must-win state for Harris, and holding the event in Ripon has symbolic significance. One of the main arguments of anti-Trump Republicans against the current Republican nominee is that he has made the party unrecognizable from its traditional values. In a city with such a historic connection to the Republican Party, Cheney will once again make it clear to voters that, party aside, it is simply too dangerous to re-elect Trump to the White House.
This article was originally published on MSNBC.com
