Inside a large metal barn complex on the outskirts of the state capital of Cheyenne, hundreds of young ranchers brought their cows, sheep, pigs and chickens to be sold at the fair’s young stock auction. And in a quiet part of the facility, 13-year-old Jayden Ocheskey sits with her parents, waiting her turn to introduce two of her family’s steers. One is called Donald, the other Trump. That cow, named Trump, was one of two shown by 13-year-old Jaden Ochesky at the Laramie County Fair in Cheyenne, Wyo., on Saturday. The other helm of the family is named Donald. (Jennifer Barr/CBC) While Ocheskey is too young to vote, her mom, Jennifer, is confused about Tuesday’s Republican House primary — and the very possible prospect that one of Trump’s loudest critics is about to lose her job . “I’m super excited, like a kid waiting for Christmas,” said Jennifer Ocheskey, describing Rep. Liz Cheney as a “traitor to the people of Wyoming.” “All she cares about is Jan. 6. … We want someone who really cares about Wyoming.” Ocheskey then walked over to stand next to Trump (the steering wheel) with his pen. And as the conversation continued, the animal defecated very noticeably. Laughing, he turned to look at the pile of fresh poo, saying, “That’s what he thinks about Liz Cheney.” Jayden is shown with her mother, Jennifer Ocheskey, at the Laramie County Fair. (Jennifer Barr/CBC) Despite being the incumbent, staunch conservative and member of a political dynasty, Trump supporters are widely expected to deliver the ultimate punishment to Cheney during Tuesday’s Republican primary in Wyoming — a state where nearly 70 percent of voters voted for Trump in 2020, his strongest victory in his failed re-election bid. According to a University of Wyoming poll taken 10 days ago, Cheney trails her opponent by nearly 30 points.
Cheney’s refusal to back down
Cheney has become the face of Republican defiance — first because he voted to impeach the former president in the wake of the deadly Jan. 6 attack and then because he served as co-chairman of the congressional committee investigating attempts to rig the 2020 election. She has already been removed from her official House duties by GOP leadership and has been criticized by her colleagues at the state level. Former U.S. President Donald Trump arrives to deliver a speech at a rally in support of Harriet Hageman in Casper, Wyo., on May 28, 2022. Trump first endorsed Hageman last September. (Chet Strange/Getty Images) The candidate expected to beat Cheney is Harriet Hageman, a Trump-backed attorney and former Republican National Committee member who has repeated the lie that the 2020 election was stolen. Originally a critic of Trump, Hageman did not support his 2016 campaign to be the Republican presidential nominee, calling him the “weakest candidate” and “someone who is racist and xenophobic.” But it was endorsed by him last September, as Trump sought to reprimand Cheney, the ranking Republican in the House of Representatives, to vote for his impeachment. Cheney has long argued that she has taken on this battle to defend the US Constitution and stand by its principles. But she also must have known that confronting the former president could lead to her defeat, argued Chad Fogg, another Republican voter who attended the Laramie County Fair. Chad Fogg is a Republican voter from Wyoming who says he’s voting for Harriet Hageman in Tuesday’s primary. (Jennifer Barr/CBC) “So much of the population of Wyoming was for Trump,” he said. “To see her do what she did, I don’t think she represents her state very well.”
Pulling support from the other side
Cheney’s fight — and what she stands for — has garnered a lot of support both inside and outside of Wyoming. Chad Fogg’s wife Kate, for example, is a Democrat who switched parties to vote for Cheney in this primary. “I’m so proud that she stood up for her values and morals – and I feel like she’s an honest person,” she said. “If we continue down this path, I feel like we’re headed for a civil war,” he said of the current political atmosphere. WATCHES | Liz Cheney is fighting to keep her seat in Congress after Trump impeachment:
After challenging Trump, Liz Cheney is fighting to keep her seat in Congress
Following Donald Trump’s confrontation, US Rep. Liz Cheney could lose her seat in Congress after the Republican primary. Katie Simpson visits Wyoming where many voters believe she is the enemy. Former Wyoming Gov. Mike Sullivan, a Democrat who served two terms in the late 1980s and early 1990s, agrees it’s a troubling time in American politics right now. He also switched parties to support Cheney. “It’s not something I expected to happen in my political life,” he said of his decision, speaking to CBC News in the backyard of his home in Casper, Wyo. “What I came to was that this was a stark contrast, and the importance of being an American citizen, a citizen of Wyoming, was more important than political allegiance.”
‘I dont regret’
Sullivan knows the Cheney family well. He and his wife dated Liz Cheney’s parents, former Vice President Dick Cheney and his wife Lynne, from the 1960s. Sullivan’s time as governor also overlapped with Dick Cheney’s time as a congressman. “She will not regret taking the position … she is on a path that I believe is right and is in the best interest of our country,” he said of Liz Cheney’s decision to criticize Trump. While Sullivan expects Cheney to lose the Republican nomination, he hopes it won’t be by a wide margin. It’s an attitude he shares with some of the volunteers who knock on doors for Cheney. “Even if it loses a little bit, maybe, if it pulls through, it will be a statement that maybe … people are not as willing to continue on the current path that people think,” said Heath Mayo, the founder of Principles. First, a conservative grassroots organization that aims to wean the Republican Party from Trumpism. Former Wyoming Gov. Mike Sullivan is pictured outside his home in Casper, Wyo., on Saturday. Calling it a troubling moment in US politics, the Democrat switched parties to support Cheney in her primary race. (Jennifer Barr/CBC) Mayo flew from New York to Denver, then drove two hours north to Cheyenne to spend the final weekend of the campaign scouting for Cheney’s team. Of the 20 people knocking on doors with his group, he said 18 are from out of state. “For many of us, the erosion of what the Republican Party stood for, which initially attracted me to the party, has been clear over the last four years: Rejection of the rule of law, rejection of the truth, rejection of the constitution, questioning of the fundamental tenets of democracy,” Mayo said. “I think it’s all at stake with Liz Cheney,” he said, praising her for refusing to stay silent. “It’s important to stand up for what you believe in, even when … maybe a base of people, maybe it’s not what they want to hear, but it’s something they need to hear.” If all goes as widely expected, Mayo predicts his team will “lick our wounds and carry on” the morning after Tuesday’s vote. “The good thing about what we’re fighting for, it’s not just about Liz Cheney,” Mayo said. “It’s a set of principles and ideas that she stands for that will continue to flow through her, hopefully to other candidates. Really, a movement to maybe take the party back. Who knows.”
