Last month, former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, accepted an appointment to serve as a professor at the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics. The staunch critic of former President Donald Trump was defeated in the Republican primary last year by pro-Trump candidate Harriet Hageman.
(Subscribe to 19FortyFive‘s New YouTube Channel here.)
Liz Cheney had previously suggested that she would consider a presidential run in 2024 – likely as much to ensure Trump couldn’t win as actually to become president. However, it appears those plans could be put on hold.
The short-term winners will be those students who are fortunate to have Cheney as a professor. Her duties as a “Professor of Practice” at the Charlottesville, Va., institution could include giving university-wide lectures, serving as a guest lecturer in student seminars, and participating in research.
“Our students will have an incredible opportunity to learn from Liz Cheney, who has fiercely defended democracy as part of a distinguished career. I’m delighted that she has chosen the University of Virginia and the Center for Politics as a next step, and I very much look forward to working with her,” said UVA President Jim Ryan.
The sentiments were shared by Professor Larry J. Sabato, director of the UVA Center for Politics who added, “With democracy under fire in this country and elsewhere around the world, Liz Cheney serves as a model of political courage and leadership. Liz will send a compelling message to students about integrity. She’s a true profile in courage, and she was willing to pay the price for her principles — and democracy itself.”
Cheney may look to use her position as a professor to help warn students at the school of those threats to our democracy.
“I look forward to working with students and colleagues at the Center to advance the important work they and others at the University of Virginia are doing to improve the health of democracy here and around the world,” said Liz Cheney. “There are many threats facing our system of government and I hope my work with the Center for Politics and the broader community at the University of Virginia will contribute to finding lasting solutions that not only preserve but strengthen our democracy.”
Cheney’s appointment, which began last month, will run through the fall semester of 2023, with options to renew for additional years. That could still leave the door open for her to mull over a presidential run. Cheney has said on multiple occasions that she would do “whatever it takes” to ensure Trump doesn’t serve a second term in the White House.
As noted, Cheney may not be able to win the Republican nomination, but she would certainly appeal to the “Never Trump” wing of the GOP. As a fiscal and social conservative who supports an interventionist foreign policy, Cheney could also appeal to those looking to move beyond Trump’s MAGA isolationist/America Alone policies.
Cheney’s strategy could even serve to divide the party just enough to see Trump go down in defeat.
Author Experience and Expertise:
A Senior Editor for 19FortyFive, Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu.
