Wyoming senator says ‘there are not enough Democrats’ to help Liz Cheney win primary

Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) on Sunday cast doubt that Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) could prevail in the state’s primary because “there are not enough Democrats” to propel her to victory.

In an interview on “Fox News Sunday,” Barrasso referred to Cheney’s outspoken rhetoric against the Jan. 6, 2021, storming of the U.S. Capitol and her position as vice chairwoman on the House panel investigating the riot as potential trouble in the race ahead of the Aug. 16 primary election.

“Wyoming politics is very personal. It’s face to face. It’s town to town,” Barrasso told host Mike Emanuel. “The travel that I have done around the state, I think she has a lot of work to do if she hopes to win the primary.”

Cheney, who also voted to impeach former President Trump for his alleged role in the Jan. 6 riot, is fending off a number of Republican challengers, including Trump-endorsed Harriet Hageman, in her bid to hold her seat in Wyoming’s at-large congressional district.

With Trump flirting with a potential 2024 White House run and many Republicans still backing the former president, Cheney last month began urging Democrats to switch their party affiliation in the primary to help her win reelection.

On Sunday, Barrasso, who voted against the House panel investigating the Jan. 6 riot and against impeaching Trump, said that “this wouldn’t be the first time” Democrats switched over to vote in a GOP primary.

But the Wyoming senator said he does not believe there are enough Democrats who might switch over for Cheney to clinch the nomination.

“There’s really not that many Democrats out there,” the senator told Emanuel. “Even the chairman of the Democratic Party said there are not enough Democrats to do that.”