Voters in Tuesday's Wyoming primary will determines whether Republican Congresswoman Liz Cheney keeps her seat.
Polls show one of her challengers, Trump-backed Harriet Hageman, at 30 points ahead of Cheney.
Wyoming has the smallest population of any state in the nation, and yet, all eyes were on the vote here. And, voting was strong. People lined up outside the door in Cody since 7 a.m.
“I was born and raised in Cody, I voted for 50 years in this exact location. Cody auditorium, central Cody and this is the first time I’ve ever seen a line outside Cody, and it’s even more unusual that it’s a primary election," said Cody voter Dewey Vanderhoff.
Park County Clerk Colleen Renner reported absentee and early voting set a record, too. She said almost 4,600 people had their votes in by Monday. It was the most in a primary since 2020.
MTN News asked people after they voted to tell us who they chose for Wyoming’s one Congressional seat.
Sam Little voted for Hageman.
“I don’t like the one that’s in there now because she doesn’t represent Wyoming," he said.
Cheney has taken heat in deep-red Wyoming largely as her work with the January 6 Committee and her efforts to tie former President Donald Trump to the violence at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Trump won Wyoming in 2020 by more than 40 points.
Cheney, who's seeking her fourth term as Wyoming's lone member of Congress, had support from some voters in Cody.
“I voted for Liz Cheney, because I respect her integrity. I feel she truly represents leadership," said Cody voter Paula Dimler.
Another Cody Voter, Anissa Bree, said, “I voted for Harriet Hageman because I feel she has the best interests of Wyoming at heart.”
Most of the voters MTN News interviewed had given the nod to the Hageman, and even Vanderhoff, the Cheney supporter, felt the turnout was not a good sign.
“Turnout looks like an avalanche. That’s bad news for Liz Cheney," he said.
Wyoming allows people to change parties on election day, and some Democrats are crossing over to vote for Cheney.
