In a Losing Battle Between Pleasing Both Constituents and Family: Who Will Liz Deceive this Time?

Examples of Mayhew's theory of re-election-attempts by members of Congress is relatively easy to spot in Congresswoman Liz Cheney. There are three main ways in which a member tries to grab the attention of voters: 

Advertising: 
Liz Cheney's first TV ad is all about convincing voters that she is one of them, a Wyomingite. When Cheney was running against former incumbent Mike Enzi in 2016, she had a commercial made in which her three daughters were shown. The commercial did not show any political aspects or standpoints, rather, it was mainly a way to show viewers that her daughters support her and she is a "family person". Commercials and messages that are relatable to viewers are important to a campaign because it makes people feel more connected to the candidate, and therefor are more willing to vote them into office.
In the photo at the beginning of this blog, Liz is shown reading with a little boy. This is another blatant example of advertising. No politics are involved whatsoever, but her face is associated with a feel-good picture. Her latest posts on Facebook revolve around much of Wyoming's interests, such as rodeos and Cowboys Against Cancer,  as well personal messages from herself and her family.

Credit Claiming:
Cheney serves on the Natural Resources Committee, Armed Services Committee, and the Committee on Rules. On the Natural Resources Committee, issues brought forth have a lot to do with energy and mining, which is big in Wyoming. She can report back to her state that she is passing bills which benefit national parks as well as the farming and mining industries. In her February Newsletter on her official website, she stated "In the House Committee on Natural Resources, I questioned witnesses about the Democrats’ Green New Deal and their plan to outlaw all air travel, along with all fossil fuels. I have also been working to defend our Wyoming families from Democrats’ plans to infringe on our Second Amendment rights and our freedom of speech." This makes it seem like if she was not in office, families in Wyoming would not be protected and the Second Amendment would collapse. Her use of the Word "I" tells her constituents that she herself is the reason that things are getting done efficiently in Washington. D.C. 

Position Taking:
Cheney has been known to pass and support bills only to please her constituents. Some of these bills are overall beneficial to the state, such as the State Mineral Revenue Protection Act of 2019, Protecting American Communities from Wildfire Act, and Restoring Local Input and Access to Public Lands Act of 2018. By supporting these types of bills, she is taking a position in which her constituents would most likely be pleased with. 
One of her most controversial positions is that on gay marriage. Her own sister, Mary Cheney, identifies as lesbian. One would think that if your own family feels strongly about an issue, you would support them, but not in this case. Since Wyoming is such a Conservative Republican state, Liz's constituents are mainly anti-gay marriage, so she also took a stance and told the world that she did not support equal marriage laws for gay couples. Basically, Liz turned her back on her sister Mary only to take a position that would get her more votes. Liz tried to lessen the blow, referring to it as a simple disagreement, but Mary wasn’t letting things go that easily. No one is exactly sure how Liz actually feels about the issue, but it seems to many people that it was all just a move to get into office. 

 

There is reportedly still bad blood between Liz (left) and Mary (right). 

The two have never made up after the issue regarding gay marriage.

  The Cheney Campaign-ey: Electoral Circumstances

Last Election 

In the latest House election, Cheney was re-elected to her second term in the office. She received 64 percent of Wyoming's votes, which is an overwhelming majority. Cheney beat Democratic businessman Greg Hunter of Laramie in a race that drew little attention compared to her previous campaigns.

Primary Election 

Cheney, as the incumbent, defeated Republicans Rod Miller and Blake Stanley in the primary for U.S. House Wyoming At-large District on August 21, 2018. She received 71,185 votes, or roughly 67%. Rod Miller received 20%, and Blake Stanley received 12%. These Primary Election results came as no surprise. The citizens of Wyoming thought that Cheney had represented them well enough to beat out any Republican competitor.

General Election

Cheney defeated Greg Hunter (D), Richard Brubaker (L), and Daniel Clyde Cummings (Constitution Party) in the general election for U.S. House Wyoming At-large District on November 6, 2018. Again, this came as no surprise. Wyoming is an overwhelmingly Conservative state, which means it would take some pretty solid cynical evidence to ruin the reputation of a Republican candidate.

Current Prediction

There is no doubt that Cheney will run again for the House in 2020, and there is also no doubt that she will win. Cheney was picked to be the House GOP conference chair, in a Republican-only vote, and this position makes her the highest-ranking Republican woman in the House. This, along with the fact that her state is unwavering and keeps voting her into office, leads people to thinking that she is not going anywhere soon. 

 2016 Election

Liz Cheney defeated Ryan Greene (D), Lawrence Struempf (Libertarian), and Daniel Clyde Cummings (Constitution Party) in the general election on November 8, 2016. Cheney defeated seven other Republican candidates in the primary election, while Greene defeated Charlie Hardy to win the Democratic nomination. The primary elections took place on August 16, 2016.

Campaign Finance Status

During her last election cycle, Cheney's campaign committee raised a total of $2,119,305 and spent $2,078,857. This is more than the average $1.46 million spent by U.S. House winners in 2016.

Major Issues  

The following issues were listed on Cheney's campaign website: Reduce the size, scope and authority of the Federal Government, fight for Wyoming’s Energy and Mining Industries, defend Wyoming’s Agriculture and Livestock Industries, defend families and protect life, and restore America’s strength and power. She has sponsored and supported several bills to help Wyoming's coal, oil and natural gas industries. One bill that has not yet passed would allow states to handle oil and gas permitting on federal land.

The State of Wyoming: Last 

and Most Certainly Least  

(in terms of alphabetical order and population, that is)

Population

• Wyoming is the least populated state in the nation, totaling just over 579,000 people, but it’s also the 10^th largest state in terms of size in the U.S.  It is basically a vast area of rugged landscapes and some of the world’s greatest wilderness areas. Wyoming is known for its famous national parks, diverse wildlife, prairie and cowboy towns, pioneer museums, and hot springs.

•  Some of the major cities in Wyoming include Cheyenne (61,000 people), Casper (51,000), and Laramie (31,000). Many other states in the U.S. would not consider these cities "major" but for the scale of Wyoming's population as a whole, it is a different story. Running for the House of Representatives in Wyoming means that a candidate must appeal to the entire state---considering it is only made up of one single district.

Demographics

• There is quite a lack of diversity in Wyoming in terms of race. This lack of diversity is important to congressional elections because it means that the chance of a minority leader being elected into office is slim. The racial diversity of the population in Wyoming is currently at 91.2% Caucasian, 2.7% two or more races, 2.2% Native Americans, 1.8% other races, 1.1% African American, and .9% Asian. 

• In terms of favored religions among the population of Wyoming, Christian based faith affiliations are at 71%, while non-Christian faith affiliations are at 3%, leaving 26% without any particular religious affiliations. 
• The median age in Wyoming is just above 37 years, which is almost exactly the same as the national average (37.8). 
• The ACS 1-year survey shows that the median family income for Wyoming was $74,868 in 2017. Compared to the median US family income, Wyoming median family income is $977 higher. The lack of people living in the state is what makes Wyoming's average income higher than the National average (fewer people with high paying jobs are needed to increase it.)
• Urban Vs Rural-- Wyoming has 17 (of 23) counties with fewer than six people per square mile; and the overall state averages 5.17 people per square mile.  Forty-seven percent of Wyoming’s residents live in frontier areas of the state. With the exception of people living in Cheyenne and Casper, the remaining population lives in rural areas.

 Major industries & companies

• Though oil and gas production has declined since the 1970s, it remains one of the major industries in Wyoming, and has recently experienced a small boom as a result of hydraulic fracturing efforts.

• Farming has played a central role in the state's history, and it remains one of the major industries in Wyoming. Beef is one of the state's most important products, and with 1.4 million cows, it has nearly 3 times as many cattle as people. These cows earn the state nearly $600 million a year in beef sales.
• Manufacturing contributes $1.25 billion to the Wyoming economy, and the state's manufacturing exports have grown by nearly 50% in the last five years. Wyoming manufacturers specialize in petroleum refinement, with refineries in Evanston, Evansville, Cheyenne, Newcastle and Sinclair refining a total of 170,000 barrels of oil per day.

Party affiliation

• According to the Secretary of State's Statewide Summary of Voter Registration in 2018, of the 262,000 people registered to vote in Wyoming, 18% were Democrats, 67% were Republican, and 15% were unaffiliated. Wyoming's history has shown that the state is largely Conservative, with almost every single county showing up "red" on election maps. This is bad news for democrats (or progressives) trying to gain a seat in congress. Due to Wyoming's roots being so Conservative, there is currently not much room for new ideas. The lack of diversity makes it fairly easy to pick out only representatives that fit the makeup of the state (Caucasian, Republican, Christian).

• In the 2016 election, Donald Trump and Mike Pence received 67.40% of Wyoming's vote. Hillary Clinton did not even come close as she got her share of 21.63% of votes.

 Biographical Information: 

- https://cqrcengage.com

• Age: Elizabeth (Liz) Lynne Cheney was born July 28, 1966, and is currently 52 years of age.   

• Residence: Cheney was born and raised in Madison, Wisconsin. She is the elder of two daughters of former Vice President Dick Cheney and former Second Lady Lynne Cheney     

• Education: Liz received her B.S. degree from Colorado College, then went on to receive her J.D. degree from the University of Chicago Law School 

• Career: Cheney's list of qualifications seems to be never ending. Before attending law school, Cheney worked for the State Department for five years and the U.S. Agency for International Development between 1989 and 1993. After 1993, she took a job at Armitage Associates LLP. After graduating from law school, Cheney practiced law in the private sector (at the law firm of White & Case) and as an international law attorney and consultant at the International Finance Corporation, a member of the World Bank Group. She has also served as Special Assistant to the Deputy Secretary of State for Assistance to the former Soviet Union, and as a USAID officer in U.S. embassies in Budapest and Warsaw. In 2002, Cheney was appointed to the position of Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs. After two years of service, Cheney left her first State Department post in 2003 to serve in her father's re-election campaign. On February 14, 2005, she returned to the U.S. State Department and was appointed the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State For Near Eastern Affairs and Coordinator for Broader Middle East and North Africa Initiatives.
•  Cheney also headed the Iran Syria Policy and Operations Group (ISOG), established in March 2006, a unit within the State Department's Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs. Cheney signed on in June 2007 to serve as one of three national co-chairs for Fred Thompson's 2008 presidential campaign. In January 2012, Cheney was hired as a contributor for Fox News, providing analysis for the Republican primaries and serving as substitute host of some of Fox News' programs including Hannity and Fox News Sunday. She worked at Fox News for 18 months until her contract was terminated by the network in July 2013 after she announced her intention to mount a 2014 bid for the Senate in Wyoming. Finally, On July 16, 2013, Cheney announced that she would run for the Senate in 2014 from the state of Wyoming as a Republican, challenging the incumbent Republican senator Mike Enzi.

• Religion: Cheney practices Methodism.

• Family: She is married to Phillip Perry and has five children: Grace, Kate, Elizabeth, Richard, and Phillip.

 Tenure:
- https://www.congress.gov/member/liz-cheney

•  Cheney (Republican) was sworn into office on January 3, 2017 after winning the Wyoming race for spot in the House of Representatives. During her first year in the House, she co-sponsored legislation that would end protection for grey wolves in the Endangered Species Act. In 2018, she won her reelection and beat out Democrat Greg Hunter. Cheney's previous experience in the field of politics include her positions as both assistant to Deputy Security and later Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Eastern Affairs.

• Cheney sponsors bills primarily in these issue areas:
  
  Public Lands and Natural Resources (60%), Energy (20%). and Armed Forces and National Security (20%)

• Committee Assignments: Cheney serves on the Committee on Armed Service and is part of the subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities, as well as subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations. She also serves on the Committee on Natural Resources, the subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources, and the subcommittee on Federal Lands. Finally, Cheney serves as a member of the Committee on Rules, and a subcommittee on Rules and the Organization of the House

Fun Facts

•  In August 2013, conservative Newsmax magazine named Cheney among the "25 most influential women in the GOP"
• She is the co-author, along with Vice President Cheney, of the novel: Why The World Needs a Powerful America.
• Cheney is also the co-founder of Keep America Safe, a nonprofit organization concerned with national security issues.

To learn more about Liz and 
★★.    to follow her journey in the House,      ★★
visit  https://cheney.house.gov/