Former Rep. Liz Cheney Casts Doubt That Republicans Will Accept Midterm Election Results at IOP Forum

Former U.S. Representative Liz Cheney expressed doubts that congressional Republicans would respect the results of the upcoming midterm elections during a Tuesday talk at the Harvard Institute of Politics.

Cheney, a Republican who represented Wyoming in Congress from 2017 to 2023, said she was concerned about the integrity of the upcoming elections, pointing to the precedent set by congressional Republicans in the lead-up to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.

“You have to be concerned that just based on precedent, it doesn’t leave you with a lot of confidence.” Cheney said. “Making sure that they are on notice, that we are paying attention, and that the American people expect them to do their duty, is very important.”

Cheney predicted that Democrats would retake the House of Representatives while control of the Senate remained uncertain if election results were “respected.” She also expressed concern that the Trump administration had begun to sow doubt about the integrity of the upcoming elections.

The Jan. 6 attack was a turning point in Cheney’s career, she said during the event, which was moderated by Center for Public Leadership director Anthony R. Foxx.

Cheney was one of 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach President Donald Trump in 2021 on a charge of incitement of insurrection. She later served as vice chair of the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack, which produced an 814-page final report.

Over the course of Trump’s first term, Cheney said she increasingly disagreed with him, getting into public spats over the purpose of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the handling of the Covid-19 pandemic. But the Jan. 6 attack ultimately set her apart from a Republican Party fundamentally changed by Trumpism, she said.

“The emotion I remember is just deep anger that this was happening, and that elected officials in this country had contributed to this happening,” she said.

Cheney took aim at the Trump administration for beginning to “sow chaos and doubt” ahead of the midterms and singled out House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) as “one of the real instigators” of efforts to reject electoral votes in 2020.

The wide-ranging conversation also touched on Cheney’s traditional conservatism and concerns about the future of the Republican Party. Arguing that Americans had witnessed “indefensible” acts without significant course correction, Cheney said voters wanted to restore civility to political discourse.

When Foxx asked how Republicans should approach the midterms, Cheney said the elections presented an opportunity for the party to “come back into the light.”

“We would like our politics to be one that is characterized by respect and characterized by seriousness,” Cheney said. “That’s the choice for us coming up.”

Cheney said civility was one of several issues facing voters, who she said felt a “sense of exhaustion” with the current state of politics. Citing concerns about corruption among political leaders, she argued that voters needed to hold Republican leadership accountable.

The former congresswoman also emphasized the importance of protecting the peaceful transfer of power. Cheney recalled growing concerned that she had taken the tradition for granted and that her children were not growing up in a world where it was seen as the norm.

“That was a very emotional moment for me,” she said. “This is a fight we have to win.”