Former Wyoming Republican Congresswoman Liz Cheney has accepted a position as a professor of practice at the University of Virginia’s (UVA) Center for Politics.
Cheney took the university position after leaving Congress in January after losing to her Republican primary opponent in the 2022 election. According to the university, Cheney’s appointment is effective immediately and will last until the end of the 2023 fall semester with an option to renew.
“Preserving our constitutional republic is the most important work of our time, and our nation’s young people will play a crucial role in this effort,” Cheney said, upon accepting the position. “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.”
Cheney will participate in UVA-wide lectures, serve as a guest lecturer in student seminars with other faculty of UVA’s Center For Politics, contribute to the center’s research, and participate in other university events.
Cheney had drawn the ire of many in her party for her opposition to former President Donald Trump. Cheney was one of 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump on charges he incited an insurrection with his election fraud claims, culminating in the Jan. 6, 2021 breach of the U.S. Capitol. Cheney went on to serve as one of the only two Republicans on the Democrat-controlled House Jan. 6 Committee, while then House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) rejected Republican committee picks who had favored Trump’s innocence in the impeachment case.
Following Cheney’s rift with Trump and the broader Republican conference, the former president endorsed Harriet Hageman to challenge Cheney in the Wyoming House Republican primary. Hageman defeated Cheney by more than 37 percentage points in the primary before winning the statewide election.
UVA Leaders Praise Cheney
Leaders at UVA lauded Cheney for her political record as they welcomed her to the school.
“Our students will have an incredible opportunity to learn from Liz Cheney, who has fiercely defended democracy as part of a distinguished career,” said UVA President Jim Ryan. “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.”
UVA’s Center for Politics is led by Professor Larry Sabato, who served on several of Virginia Democrat Henry Howell’s political campaigns and who has a history of criticizing Trump and the Republican Party.
“With democracy under fire in this country and elsewhere around the world, Liz Cheney serves as a model of political courage and leadership,” Sabato said. “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.”
Whitt Clement, the rector of UVA’s Board of Visitors, said the board members are “committed to offering our students an array of diverse viewpoints.”
“Liz Cheney, a strong conservative who never hesitates to put honesty ahead of all other considerations, is a model of leadership not just for the students at the University of Virginia, but for all people concerned for the well-being of this country,” Clement said.
Cheney’s Political Future
With the UVA position, Cheney may be biding her time before reentering the political arena.
The day after her defeat in the 2022 Republican Wyoming House primary, Cheney told NBC News she was considering running for president in 2024.
Trump has mocked media coverage promoting Cheney’s future in politics.
“The Fake News Media continues to push Crazy Liz Cheney and the fact that, despite losing her Wyoming Congressional race to a far superior candidate by an unprecedented 40 points, she has a ‘bright’ political future,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform on Aug. 17.
“Really? I don’t think so, but perhaps that’s why we call it the FAKE NEWS!” Trump posted.
In October, Cheney said the current Republican Party is in a “very dangerous and toxic place” and would either have to change or it will splinter, resulting in the formation of a successor conservative political party. For her part, Cheney said she would do “whatever it takes” to prevent Trump from winning the presidency again in 2024.
In the weeks following those comments, Trump launched his 2024 presidential campaign.