Jennifer Barella, a University of Wyoming student who serves as a teaching assistant in the Community Journalism class, takes a selfie after a speech by U.S. Rep Liz Cheney at the Wyoming Press Association convention in Casper Saturday.

Tribune photo by Mark Davis

Mark Davis

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When U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney and Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon visited last week’s convention of the Wyoming Press Association, they both received tough questions from well-seasoned journalists and fearless students from the University of Wyoming.

But when Gordon walked into his lunchtime venue, he was able to stop at tables and carry on conversations unmolested. Meanwhile, when Cheney delivered an impromptu Q&A session during a cocktail party prior to the main event Saturday night, she was surrounded by more than a hundred journalists eager to hear everything she said and continued to surround her while waiting to get a private word after the speech.

It’s rare that a politician can cause such a ruckus at the convention. Tribune publisher and former Republican state representative Dave Bonner, who has been a journalist in the state for more than 60 years and rarely missed a WPA convention, said he couldn’t remember a politician ever drawing such interest from attendees.

“It shows the intensity in the level of interest in this coming race,” he said.

Cheney is currently viewed both as a villain and a hero, depending on who you ask. Her role as one of only two Republicans on the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attacks on the U.S. Capitol — and her vote to impeach former president Donald Trump — have made her extremely unpopular with Republicans, especially those willing to be vocal about their feelings. Yet her willingness to cross the aisle and speak her mind about protecting the Constitution has also made her more popular nationally than she has ever been. That’s especially true with independents and Democrats, who had, prior to the Jan. 6 committee, found little to agree with Cheney in past years.

Only time will tell if her past performance, vast war chest of campaign funds — much of which is from out-of-state donors — and newfound popularity will carry her into another term representing the Cowboy State. While there are many fighting to unseat her, it’s impossible to quantify the amount of support Cheney has, including what some have penned as the “silent majority” — those who vote but don’t want to express their opinions publicly. It’s also impossible to gauge how far Republican messages demonizing her recent efforts will carry into the primary election this August.

“A lot of people say to me, ‘Look, Wyoming is very pro-Trump.’ And I say, I know, that’s exactly right. I was pro-Trump and I am pro the policies of the Trump administration, but he crossed a line you can never cross,” Cheney said. “We entrust our president with the defense of our Constitution.”

Several of the journalists in attendance at the convention speculated Cheney’s presence was a sign she’s afraid she’ll lose her seat and needs as much good press as possible to overcome recent backlash. Cheney has rarely frequented the convention, unlike other state and national level politicians. Gordon came to the Wyoming Press Association convention more than once prior to beginning his campaign for governor and has been there each year since his gubernatorial inauguration.

Darcie Hoffland, Wyoming Press Association Executive Director, said she had expected the congresswoman would only give a short speech, “maybe five minutes” and was surprised Cheney stayed as long as she did. At least one member of the national press followed her to the convention, Hoffland said.

Even after her remarks, Cheney stayed to mingle with the crowd, many of whom engaged her in private conversations. She remained in the lobby until reporters and editors were called to dinner for a major awards ceremony. (It seems banquet food is the great equalizer in journalistic pursuits.) Only then did she slip out the side door. 

It’s unclear if she’ll receive the same pleasantries when she ventures into public during future 2022 campaign events. What is clear is that August’s Republican primary election — seen as likely a contest between Cheney and Trump-endorsed attorney Harriet Hageman — will present the biggest challenge of Cheney’s three terms.