Harriet Hageman on Thursday formally filed as a candidate to challenge U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney in the GOP primary for Wyoming’s lone U.S. House seat.
Hageman, who filed her papers with the secretary of state’s office, is taking on incumbent U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney, who still had not filed as a candidate for a fourth term in office as of Thursday morning.
Deadline for the filing is now less than 36 hours away, at 5 p.m. Friday.
The delay in Cheney’s official filing should not be seen as too significant, according to former Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal.
“In U.S. House and Senate races it’s not uncommon to wait and see who files,” Freudenthal told Cowboy State Daily.
Hageman and Cheney each announced their intentions to run for reelection many months ago.
Freudenthal said he never looked at the timing of his filing as a strategic move in his political campaigns, as he usually already knew who was going to run against him.
“It’s like lawyers, they have a certain time to file things by; as long as they do it by the deadline then that’s all that matters,” he said.
In her press release announcing the filing, Hageman said she has already traveled more than 23,000 miles throughout Wyoming meeting with voters and holding public town halls. Hageman is a land and water attorney who grew up in Fort Laramie.
“I’ve been fighting for the constitutional rights of the people of Wyoming in my professional career and it’s a battle I’ll continue to fight in Congress,” Hageman said in the press release. “We only get one member of the House in Wyoming, and we have to get it right. The people deserve a congresswoman who represents the ideals and values of our great state.”
Cheney, now in her third term, has put herself at odds with former President Donald Trump and most of the establishment forces in the Republican Party. She and Trump have traded barbs since she voted for his impeachment in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021. attack on the Capitol.
Hageman has been endorsed by Trump and will join him for a rally in Casper on Saturday.
Earlier this week, Cheney announced she has COVID-19, which likely will eliminate any opportunity for in-person campaigning during the long holiday weekend.
Hageman said if elected, she will “fight against federal government overreach and protect property rights, water rights, and 2nd Amendment rights, among other priorities.” She also claims she will keep taxes low, support Wyoming’s energy industries and will oppose “endless foreign wars.”
