WASHINGTON — Liz Cheney, daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, said Monday she is abandoning her effort to unseat Republican incumbent Sen. Mike Enzi of Wyoming.
Cheney cited “serious health issues” that “have recently arisen in our family” as the reason for her decision.
Liz Cheney
But her candidacy had raised hackles in the Republican Party and caused a public rift with her sister, Mary, a lesbian, over Liz Cheney’s opposition to same-sex marriage.
In her withdrawal statement, Cheney did not mention those controversies.
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“Serious health issues have recently arisen in our family, and under the circumstances, I have decided to discontinue my campaign. My children and their futures were the motivation for our campaign and they will always be my overriding priority,” Cheney said. She did not specify those health issues.
Cheney moved her family from Virginia to Wyoming to run for the seat. Her effort to replace Enzi angered and upset many Republicans and drew virtually no support from Senate Republicans, who rushed to back the Senate veteran. Enzi’s supporters called Cheney a carpetbagger and opportunist.
In November, Cheney said she opposed same-sex marriage, sparking a public feud with her sister, Mary.
In an appearance on Fox News, Liz Cheney told Chris Wallace, “I love Mary very much, I love her family very much. This is just an issue on which we disagree.”
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“Liz has been a guest in our home, has spent time and shared holidays with our children, and when Mary and I got married in 2012 — she didn’t hesitate to tell us how happy she was for us,” Poe wrote in a Facebook post. “To have her now say she doesn’t support our right to marry is offensive to say the least.”
“I can’t help but wonder how Liz would feel if as she moved from state to state, she discovered that her family was protected in one but not the other,” Poe added.
Mary Cheney shared Poe’s comments, adding, “Liz – this isn’t just an issue on which we disagree – you’re just wrong – and on the wrong side of history.”
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