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Former Vice President Dick Cheney announced on Friday that he will cast his ballot for Vice President Kamala Harris in the upcoming election.
This endorsement, confirmed earlier by his daughter, former Rep. Liz Cheney, positions the elder Cheney among a growing list of Republicans backing Harris in opposition to former President Donald Trump.
“In our nation’s 248-year history, there has never been an individual who is a greater threat to our republic than Donald Trump,” Cheney declared in a statement. “He tried to steal the last election using lies and violence to keep himself in power after the voters had rejected him. He can never be trusted with power again.”
The decision comes as a shock, given Cheney’s long-standing ties to the Republican Party, having served as vice president under President George W. Bush. His daughter, Liz Cheney, an outspoken critic of Trump, had already endorsed Harris earlier in the week, stressing the need to prioritize country over party in such a critical moment for American democracy.
“Because of the danger that Donald Trump poses, not only am I not voting for Donald Trump, but I will be voting for Kamala Harris,” Liz Cheney announced during a public appearance at the Texas Tribune Festival.
The Harris campaign responded warmly to the endorsement. Campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon stated, “The Vice President is proud to have the support of Dick Cheney, who, like hundreds of Republicans, sees the stakes in this election. The very future of our republic is at risk.”
This announcement sparked strong backlash from Trump, who took to his social media platform, Truth Social, to label both Dick and Liz Cheney as “irrelevant RINOs,” referencing the derogatory acronym for Republicans in Name Only. “Dick Cheney is an irrelevant RINO, along with his daughter, who lost by the largest margin in the History of Congressional Races!” Trump wrote.
Liz Cheney, who lost her congressional seat after a resounding defeat in her primary to a Trump-backed opponent in 2022, has continued her vocal opposition to Trump. Her father famously denounced Trump as a “coward” in a campaign ad for his daughter during her 2022 midterm race, reinforcing his disdain for the former president.
In addition to supporting Harris, Liz Cheney revealed she would be endorsing Rep. Colin Allred, a Democrat from Texas, in his Senate race against Republican Sen. Ted Cruz. Praising Allred as a “tremendous, serious candidate,” Cheney cited his integrity and commitment to public service as reasons for her endorsement.
“Here in Texas, you guys do have a tremendous, serious candidate running for the United States Senate, and his name is not Ted Cruz,” Cheney quipped, drawing applause during the event.
Cruz’s campaign responded dismissively, calling Cheney the “poster child of flip-flopping” and predicting that voters would reject Allred, just as Cheney herself was overwhelmingly defeated in her primary race. Nevertheless, Allred expressed gratitude for Cheney’s support, calling her a “patriot” and highlighting their shared commitment to protecting democracy.
The Cheneys’ endorsements highlight a growing divide within the Republican Party, as prominent figures continue to align themselves against Trump. Last week, over 200 Republicans who had worked under the Bush administration, Mitt Romney, and the late Sen. John McCain voiced their support for Harris, emphasizing the need to protect the republic over partisan loyalty.
As the 2024 election nears, Dick Cheney’s endorsement of Harris underscores the lengths to which some Republicans are willing to go to oppose Trump, even if it means crossing party lines.
