Fans of Liz Cheney may want to click away from this story and pour themselves a stiff holiday drink. The last remaining fragments of Cheney’s once-vaunted political “legacy” are being swept decisively into the dustbin of history. Meanwhile, the woman who delivered Cheney’s career-ending defeat is doing exactly what winners do in politics: moving forward.
Republican Rep. Harriet Hageman of Wyoming — the same Harriet Hageman who crushed Cheney in a landslide primary that shocked the national media — has officially announced her candidacy for the United States Senate. With Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) announcing her retirement last week, Hageman wasted no time stepping into the spotlight, and Wyoming Republicans are already rallying behind her.
For Cheney, the moment is an unmistakable reminder of how quickly political fortunes can change when voters decide they’ve had enough.
The Defeat That Changed Everything
Liz Cheney didn’t just lose her House seat in 2022. She was politically annihilated.
Hageman defeated Cheney by nearly 40 points, a margin so wide it left no room for spin. It wasn’t a fluke. It wasn’t low turnout. It wasn’t confusion. It was a direct, unambiguous rejection of Cheney’s transformation from a conservative representative into a Beltway celebrity whose primary constituency became cable news producers, Democratic donors, and the permanent Washington class.
Wyoming voters didn’t just vote against Cheney — they voted for Hageman, a candidate who ran unapologetically on representing her state, not lecturing it.
That primary marked the end of Cheney’s relevance in Republican politics. Since then, Cheney has lingered on the national stage as a cautionary tale, making appearances at liberal conferences, endorsing Democrats, and being propped up by media outlets that once despised her family name but suddenly embraced her as a useful symbol.
Wyoming moved on. Harriet Hageman moved on faster.
A Senate Seat Opens — And Hageman Steps In
Sen. Cynthia Lummis’s retirement announcement sent shockwaves through Wyoming politics. Lummis had been expected to remain in the Senate longer, and her departure immediately sparked speculation about who would emerge as the Republican frontrunner.
Hageman’s name was at the top of every list.
As Wyoming’s sole at-large House member, Hageman has quickly established herself as a reliable conservative voice, aligning closely with President Donald Trump and consistently backing policies popular with her constituents. She has also been openly considering a gubernatorial run, which made her next move the subject of intense local speculation.
On Monday, Hageman hinted that an announcement was imminent. By week’s end, the suspense was over.
She’s running for the Senate.
A Campaign Grounded in Wyoming, Not Washington
In announcing her candidacy, Hageman released a video that struck a markedly different tone from the performative politics that defined Cheney’s final years in office. Featuring her 102-year-old mother, the video emphasized roots, family, and a generational commitment to Wyoming — not personal ambition or national celebrity.
Hageman spoke about protecting Wyoming’s energy industry, defending constitutional freedoms, standing up to federal overreach, and continuing the fight against the same entrenched establishment that Cheney ultimately chose to join.
It was a quiet but powerful contrast: one woman who built a career trying to please Washington elites, and another who built one by defying them.
Why This Matters Beyond Wyoming
Hageman’s Senate run isn’t just a state story — it’s a signal about the broader direction of the Republican Party.
Cheney’s downfall marked a turning point when Republican voters drew a clear line between principled disagreement and outright contempt for the party’s base. Cheney crossed that line repeatedly, and voters responded accordingly.
Hageman represents the opposite approach: firm conservatism, loyalty to constituents, and a refusal to apologize for Republican priorities.
Her rise reinforces a reality many in the media still struggle to accept: Republican voters are not looking for moral lectures from politicians who treat them as obstacles to be managed. They want representation.
Cheney’s Legacy, Such As It Is
For all the glowing profiles Cheney continues to receive in liberal publications, her political legacy remains stark. She lost her seat. She lost her party. And now, the woman who replaced her is poised to move even higher.
Cheney’s supporters once insisted she was sacrificing her career for principle. Wyoming voters saw it differently. They saw a politician who stopped listening to the people who elected her and started performing for an audience that never intended to vote for her anyway.
History has a way of clarifying things.
What Comes Next
Barring an unforeseen upset, Harriet Hageman enters the Senate race as the clear favorite. Wyoming remains one of the most reliably Republican states in the country, and Hageman’s strong alignment with the party’s base gives her a commanding advantage.
Democrats will undoubtedly attempt to frame her candidacy through the same nationalized lens they used against her in 2022 — and failed. Wyoming voters already know who Harriet Hageman is, and they’ve made clear they prefer her brand of leadership to Liz Cheney’s.
As for Cheney herself, she remains on the sidelines, occasionally hinting at future ambitions while watching the political arena move on without her.
The woman who ended Liz Cheney’s career didn’t pause to admire the moment. She built on it.
And now, she’s aiming for the United States Senate.
