The soon-to-be-former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) has abandoned Republicans for some time now, and it's not just by voting in favor of impeachment articles for then President Donald Trump. She's also ticked off other Republicans, including her constituents, which is why she lost her primary by nearly 40 points. Cheney continues to show she has no qualms when it comes to throwing Republicans under the bus, with the latest evidence being her endorsing Rep. Tim Ryan, the Democratic nominee looking to replace retiring Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH).
Cheney's remarks in question, as Andrew J. Tobias reported for Cleveland.com, came earlier on Tuesday while she was speaking with Judy Woodruff at Cleveland State University.
"I would not vote for [Republican Senate nominee] J.D. Vance," Cheney told Woodruff, who also told the journalist that "I would" when asked if she would vote for Rep. Ryan if she were a registered voter in Ohio.
To add insult to injury, Tobias' report mentions that Cheney is next headed to Michigan, where she is campaigning for another Democrat she's endorsed, Rep. Elissa Slotkin.
lol I think my favorite thing about this is Liz Cheney being so delusional that she actually thinks her endorsement is a net positive for anyone. https://t.co/Mek07t8l4r
— Andrew Surabian (@Surabees) November 1, 2022
The thing is, though, Cheney is not a registered voter in Ohio. She has very little clout there. At an event in Avon, Ohio, which Townhall attended in September, Vance made clear that he cares about what local Ohio voters think.
This sentiment was echoed in a statement that the Vance campaign sent to Cleveland.com. "This election will be decided by Ohioans, not creatures of the swamp in D.C. Liz Cheney’s endorsement is the kiss of death for Tim Ryan and will lose him far more votes than it gains," the campaign is quoted as saying.
Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-TX), tweeting from his campaign account, called to mind past remarks from Rep. Ryan, who has sought to portray himself as a moderate and an "independent voice for Ohio."
While calling into MSNBC's "Morning Joe" in September, ironically while trying to frame himself as someone who would work across the aisle, Rep. Ryan said we have to "kill and confront that movement" of so-called "extremist Republicans." He doubled down on such comments when confronted about them in subsequent debates with Vance.
It should come as a surprise to NOBODY that Liz Cheney is supporting Tim Ryan. Tim Ryan is a RADICAL who said we needed to, “KILL MAGA.” Cheney & Ryan are two peas in a pod. Good thing they’ll both be OUT OF CONGRESS very soon!!
— Ronny Jackson (@RonnyJacksonTX) November 1, 2022
Vance is favored in this race against Ryan, who been largely neglected by the Democratic Party. Forecasters regard the race as "Lean Republican." This includes Decision Desk HQ, which gives Vance a 76.6 percent chance of winning. RealClearPolitics (RCP), which regards the race as "Leans GOP" and projects a "GOP Hold," shows Vance with a +2 lead. Some polls have shown a tie between Vance and Ryan, but Ryan has not led in polls that RCP has used since September.