Cheney sets personal fundraising record

Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) set a personal fundraising record in the first quarter of 2022, raking in nearly $3 million as she fights off a Trump-backed primary challenger.

Cheney raised $2.94 million in quarter one, according to a source familiar with the fundraising, bringing her total haul this cycle to upward of $10 million. 

With the funds raised in the first three months of 2022, Cheney has $6.8 million in cash on hand.

The first-quarter total set a personal fundraising record for Cheney. She raked in $1.5 million in quarter one of last year, a record at the time. In quarter two she raised $1.9 million, followed by $1.7 million in quarter three and $2.05 million in quarter four.

Politico first reported on Cheney’s quarter one fundraising success.

The quarter one fundraising haul puts Cheney well ahead of her primary opponent, Wyoming attorney Harriet Hageman. Hageman has the support of former President Trump and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), but her fundraising appears far smaller than Cheney’s.

Hageman, who announced her candidacy in September, raised roughly $745,000 in the second half of 2021, putting her well behind Cheney’s strong fundraising totals.

Last month, however, more than 100 House Republicans, including McCarthy, hosted a fundraiser for Hageman.

The primary battle between Cheney and Hageman is shaping up to be one of the most closely watched races this cycle. While Hageman has the support of Trump and McCarthy, Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) and former President George W. Bush are supporting Cheney, whose father, Dick Cheney, was Bush’s vice president.

The primary is set for Aug. 16.

Cheney attracted the ire of many of her colleagues when she rejected Trump’s false claims that the 2020 presidential race was stolen from him. She went on to vote to impeach Trump  for “incitement of insurrection” following the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.

In May 2021, House Republicans voted to oust Cheney from her leadership post as conference chairwoman.

The congresswoman is currently one of two Republicans, alongside Rep. Adam Kinzinger (Ill.), sitting on the House select committee investigating the Capitol riot. Kinzinger is not seeking reelection.