Liz Cheney, the elder of former Vice President Dick Cheney's two daughters, a former State Department official and a conservative commentator who's often on Fox, is going to challenge Wyoming Sen. Mike Enzi in next year's Republican primary.
According to The Associated Press, Cheney, 46, confirmed what had been wide speculation about her plans on Tuesday -- not long after the 69-year-old Enzi said that he will seek a fourth term.
Her family's roots are in Wyoming. Dick Cheney was the state's congressman from 1979-89.
According to The Hill, Cheney could give Enzi, "a tough race. She is well-known to national Republican donors, especially those focused on international issues."
The New York Timeshas noted that a Cheney run:
"Threatens to start a civil war within the state's Republican establishment, despite the reverence many hold for her family. Mr. Enzi, 69, says he is not ready to retire, and many Republicans say he has done nothing to deserve being turned out. It would bring about 'the destruction of the Republican Party of Wyoming if she decides to run and he runs, too,' Alan K. Simpson, a former Republican senator from the state, said in an interview. ... 'It's a disaster -- a divisive, ugly situation -- and all it does is open the door for the Democrats for 20 years.' "
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