THE ROAD TO THE CAPITOL: Republican Voter Thinks Rep. Liz Cheney is Trustworthy

By Shen Wu Tan

Special to the Wyoming Truth
 

BUFFALO, Wyo. – Local artist Judy Shubert holds a seemingly unpopular opinion in the Cowboy State: she is in Rep. Liz Cheney’s corner.

Shubert, a 74-year-old potter and registered Republican, voted for the incumbent in 2020 and will support her again in the upcoming Aug. 16 GOP primary to determine the party’s nominee for the U.S. House of Representatives election this fall.  

“I think that she is someone you can trust, that she’s not afraid to stand up for her principles and stick by them,” said Shubert during her shift at Wyoming In Color, a consignment art store, as a Train song blared from speakers. “And I think she’s done a good job for Wyoming.”

Cheney’s service on the select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol reaffirmed Shubert’s confidence in her.

“She has done her homework at the cost of her own election probably,” said Shubert, surrounded by regional western art, jewelry, yarn, pottery and handcrafted soaps. “Instead of campaigning here, she had a lot of work to do on that committee, and I thought she did an impressive job.”

“I’m glad we have the Jan. 6 committee so that the rest of the country can know what went on,” she added. “The whole thing makes me sad.”

Still, Shubert noted that the panel is not as neutral as it should be; Cheney, the vice chair, is one of only two Republican appointees, and there is no cross examination of witnesses, many of them former Trump administration officials, during the hearings, she acknowledged.

Shubert met Cheney’s most serious challenger, Harriet Hageman, when she stopped by the store on a campaign swing through Buffalo.  She was not impressed by the encounter.

“I don’t know; I just don’t have a good feeling,” she said of Hageman, a Cheyenne attorney.  

To Shubert, the most pressing issues in Wyoming are the economy, including gas prices and inflation, the state’s high suicide rate, the lack of social programs, the low minimum wage and health care.

Although Shubert supported Trump’s policies, she doesn’t want him to seek the presidency in 2024.

“I think he’s kind of an embarrassment as a president,” said Shubert, chuckling. “I guess I just don’t like him…He just needs to go away.”

Instead, she would like South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem or former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley to pursue a presidential bid.

Our final stop: Sheridan.