During a conversation this week with Judy Woodruff of PBS, outgoing Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) said she supported Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio) in the ongoing Ohio Senate race, in which Ryan is running against Trump-backed Republican J.D. Vance.
Asking Cheney about the race, Woodruff noted Vance’s acceptance of conspiratorial talk about the 2020 election, dismissal of the seriousness of the January 6 riot, and disinterest in Ukraine. If Vance wins a spot in the Senate, he could help shape the direction the chamber takes on issues like recognizing the results of elections and providing support for Ukraine in its fight against Russia. Ohio has recently leaned towards Republicans, with Trump having won there in both 2016 and 2020, but polling has indicated the Ohio Senate race is close, with Election Day next week. Ryan has also consistently outraised Vance by significant levels, although Vance has benefited from substantial levels of outside financial support. “I would not vote for J.D. Vance,” Cheney told Woodruff. “If you were a Buckeye State voter, you’d be voting for Tim Ryan?” Woodruff subsequently asked, and Cheney replied affirmatively.
In both fundraising and polling, Democrats have made positive showings in Senate races nationwide — although the election is already beginning to draw to a close. A full 25.5 million votes were already cast around the country. According to TargetSmart, a data analytics firm, the number of early votes cast this year already passed 19 percent of the total votes cast in 2018. Check out Cheney’s recent remarks below:
WATCH: Rep. Liz Cheney says she "would not vote for J.D. Vance" in Ohio's U.S. Senate race.@JudyWoodruff: "If you were a Buckeye State voter, you'd be voting for Tim Ryan?"
Cheney: "I would." https://t.co/FoJDIhPSpe pic.twitter.com/4J3p9BEP7x
— PBS NewsHour (@NewsHour) November 1, 2022
Cheney has previously expressed support for Democratic candidates in Arizona, including Katie Hobbs, who is running for governor, and Adrian Fontes, who is running for Secretary of State. The GOP candidates in both races, which polling has shown to be especially close, have expressed support for election-related conspiracy theories. Kari Lake, who is running for governor, and Mark Finchem, who has been running for Secretary of State, even pushed for a hand count of Arizona ballots instead of using tabulation machines. “I don’t know that I have ever voted for a Democrat,” Cheney said. “But if I lived in Arizona, I absolutely would. You have a candidate for governor, Kari Lake, you have a candidate for Secretary of State, Mark Finchem, both of whom have said that they will only honor the results of an election if they agree with it. And if you care about the survival of our Republic, we cannot give people power who will not honor elections. We must have elected officials who honor that responsibility.”
Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.), another Republican in Congress who has distinguished himself with his basic commitment to democratic principles, has also endorsed Democratic candidates in state-level races in key locales, including Arizona, where he’s supporting Hobbs and Fontes. His PAC — called Country First — said it would be conducting campaign outreach for candidates of its choice. “Country First will support campaigns with a tailored combination of fundraising, advertising, texting, grassroots engagement, and get-out-the-vote,” the organization’s website said. Both Cheney and Kinzinger are leaving Congress this coming January.
