A new poll shows that former Wyoming congresswoman Liz Cheney, who became hated by many Republicans for her opposition of Donald Trump, might have hurt Vice President Kamala Harris’ in her run against Trump this year — and at the very least likely didn’t help the Democrats’ cause.
Cheney, a lifelong Republican, drew significant attention for campaigning alongside Harris, a Democrat, this election season. Harris had attempted to promote their alliance as a unified front against Trump and a showing of bipartisanship within her campaign.
Although it was never explicitly stated as such, the move was likely made to attract swing voters and moderate Republicans who were less than enthusiastic about Trump.
Cheney was Wyoming’s congresswoman from 2017-2021. She lost favor with voters after she broke away from supporting Trump and lost her 2022 reelection bid by a landslide to U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman in the Republican primary.
She become a leading anti-Trump voice in the GOP after she served on the House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol and vowing to “do whatever I have to do” to keep Trump from being elected again.
But her support for Democrats since leaving office still raised eyebrows among many who knew her staunch conservative voting record.
Her father, former Vice President Dick Cheney, a hated figure for many Democrats, also jumped on the Harris bandwagon when his daughter announced her support.
Didn’t Pay Off
Apparently, that partnership didn’t pay off, according to a survey conducted by the left-leaning pollster Data for Progress, which found that Harris' decision to appear with Cheney didn't play well among independent voters in two key swing states she narrowly lost.
The poll surveyed 901 likely Pennsylvania voters and 799 likely Michigan voters from Nov. 1-4 in the last week of the campaign.
It found that more independent voters in Michigan and Pennsylvania said they were "less enthusiastic" to vote for Harris after she campaigned alongside Cheney.
A vast majority of independent participants from both states said Cheney’s participation had no impact on their votes, which shows that Harris should have turned her focus elsewhere.
State Sen. Chris Rothfuss, D-Laramie, still believes the decision to have Cheney work with the Harris campaign was the right one.
“At the time, I think it was an appropriate message,” he said. “I think it was a strong demonstration of the concerns that moderate Republicans should have of another Trump administration, from a trusted voice in Republican politics for many years.”
It’s The Economy
Specifically, the poll found that it would have been more useful for Harris to have spent her time focusing on economic issues.
“That’s consistent with polling that showed the economy was the most important issue and cause of frustration among voters who felt like they were being beaten over the head with inflation,” Rothfuss said.
Economic policy was one of the key areas that Harris struggled with voters during the election and by wide margins. Pennsylvania and Michigan independents and Republicans — the audience Harris needed to win over — said the economy was their top issue when voting.
“This finding emphasizes why diverting resources to campaigning with Cheney in the final days, instead of doubling down on Harris' messaging regarding popular economic issues, may have decreased enthusiasm for Harris among key voters,” the survey concluded.
According to the survey, Pennsylvania independents were 18 percentage points more enthusiastic to vote for Harris when she campaigned on economic issues, and 7 points less enthusiastic to vote for Harris when campaigning with Cheney — a swing of 25 points.
In Michigan, independents were 11 points more enthusiastic to vote for Harris when she focused on economic issues and 7 points less enthusiastic when campaigning with Cheney, a swing of 18 points.
In both states, 70% of voters said Harris campaigning with Cheney either had no impact on their enthusiasm or made them less enthusiastic.
Even Democratic voters showed substantially more excitement about Harris campaigning on the economy than with Cheney.
Own Problems To Mend
Several Democratic operatives told Rolling Stone magazine last month they tried to convince the Harris campaign that collaborating with the Cheneys was a bad idea. There was little possible upside, and it could actually hurt her support and voting turnout among less-than-enthusiastic Democrats.
“People don’t want to be in a coalition with the devil,” an anonymous source told the magazine, speaking about Dick Cheney.
They said a Harris staffer responded that it was not the staff’s role to challenge the campaign’s decisions.
A key Democratic strategist also said they attempted to have big donors and battleground state party chairs convey the same message to the Harris campaign at the Democratic National Convention.
At the time, Wyoming Democratic Party Chair Joe Barbuto publicly supported Cheney’s support for Harris.
“While Ms. Cheney and I may not agree on many issues, we stand on common ground when it comes to understanding that preserving our democracy means doing everything we can to ensure Kamala Harris is the next President of the United States,” Barbuto said in a September statement.
Barbuto did not immediately respond to Cowboy State Daily’s request for comment Tuesday about whether he felt partnering with Cheney hindered the Harris campaign.
Another Democratic operative even told Rolling Stone that memos and data was sent to Harris campaign staffers as part of an effort to argue that they should devote their energy elsewhere rather than try to curry favor with Republicans.
Former White House press secretary and MSNBC host Jen Psaki said on “Morning Joe” that Democrats spent too much time listening to and trying to promote “never Trumper” Republicans like Cheney.
“The people who left the Democratic Party are the people who are going to win in the future,” she said. “The people who left Trump, the Never Trumpers — who have important voices — that is not a winning coalition.”
Exit polls show Democrats had major turnout issues in the election. The portion of the 2024 electorate that identified as Democrat declined significantly compared to past presidential elections.
Leo Wolfson can be reached at leo@cowboystatedaily.com.
