ORLANDO — House Republican Conference Chair Liz Cheney is not ruling out a potential presidential bid, The Post has learned.
“I’m not ruling anything in or out — ever is a long time,” she told The Post when asked if she would ever consider running in the future.
The Wyoming Republican — who has been a frequent target of former President Donald Trump — said there are a number of contenders she sees as having potential for the 2024 nomination, adding that she believes the lawmakers who led the efforts on challenging the election on Jan. 6 should be out of the running.
“I think we have a huge number of interesting candidates, but I think that we’re going to be in a good position to be able to take the White House. I do think that some of our candidates who led the charge, particularly the senators who led the unconstitutional charge, not to certify the election, you know, in my view that’s disqualifying,” she said.
“I think that adherence to the Constitution, adherence to your oath has got to be at the top of the list. So, I think, you know that certainly will be a factor that I’m looking at and I think a number of voters will be looking at as they decide about ’24.”
Cheney, the No. 3 Republican in the House and daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, has been a vocal critic of former President Trump, often rebuking his style and splitting with him on a number of issues including foreign policy during his time in office.
Trump has repeatedly called for ouster, with a group of House Republicans unsuccessfully attempting to force her out of leadership earlier this year.
She currently faces multiple primary challengers for her House seat, with Trump allies including Trump’s son Donald Trump Jr. and Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) actively campaigning against her following her decision to vote to impeach the former president.
Cheney said she is “confident” that she’ll ultimately win her primary despite efforts to unseat her.
“My primary is clearly going to be an important one — I am more than happy anytime and any place to debate anybody who wants to about what happened on Jan. 6 and why our oath of office requires that we make sure that that never happens again,” she said. ” And I feel confident about prevailing in my primary.”
Cheney said she’s optimistic about Republicans’ odds of taking back the House and Senate in 2022 and the White House in 2024, adding she believes there is a way to retain blue collar voters while regaining ground with suburban women in the next cycle.
“I do and I think Reagan for example showed the way — you look at Reagan, he won 49 states and his reelection people forget that, but that coalition that he built because he was able to convey what the party stands for, being able to convey our belief in substance and policy and optimism,” she said. “I think that the policies of deregulation, tax cuts, of defending the United States, those are policies that are really important. And, and I think you know, I’m confident that we can build a coalition that’s a winning coalition,” she said