 July 13, 2021 | by Chris Cillizza and Lauren Dezenski Why Liz Cheney's money won't save her  Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney raised almost $2 million in just the last three months, the most she has ever raised in a single quarter, according to her office.
Which, you might think, is a sign of her strength in advance of what is expected to be a massive primary fight to hold her House seat in overwhelmingly Republican Wyoming next year.
You would think wrong. Here's why, in three easy steps.
1. Fundraising usually is a sign of support within a community, district or state. If people are willing to give to your campaign, it's, quite literally, an investment in you. Which tends to bode well for your chances of winning their votes. Except that Cheney's office isn't saying how much of her massive fundraising haul actually came from people in Wyoming and how much was from people outside the state who sent her cash to support her vote to impeach then-President Donald Trump. My strong sense is that Cheney's report will show that the bulk of her donations came from out of state -- and from people who aren't Republicans.
2. Money isn't going to win the primary. It doesn't cost much to buy statewide TV advertising in Wyoming. Which means that Cheney's opponents -- particular those already in the state House or state Senate -- will likely be able to raise enough money to make sure voters know who they are running against and why. Yes, Cheney will have more ads, but the law of diminishing returns very much holds here.
3. The voter universe is very small. When Gov. Mark Gordon won the hotly contested 2018 gubernatorial primary, he did so by securing 38,951 votes. Which is not a lot of votes! While Wyoming is strongly Republican, it's is also a tiny state in terms of population. (It is the least populated state in America.) Such a small universe of primary voters means that money is less influential -- or determinative.
Now. None of the above means that Cheney is destined to lose. While pro-Trump Republicans -- including Trump himself -- will make beating her a major priority, the anti-Cheney vote seems likely to be divided, with candidates falling all over one another to run.
Given that, and the strength of the Cheney name in Wyoming, she has, to my mind, a better than even-odds shot at winning a third term.
But money won't win it for her. No matter how much she raises.
-- Chris QUOTE OF THE DAY "Why the heck won't they take advantage of the vaccine that they received plaudits for having developed it?" -- Sen. Mitt Romney responded to the CPAC audience cheering about the country falling short of the Covid-19 vaccine goal, despite some supporters taking credit for the vaccines being developed during the Trump administration. TRUMP AND THE BUNKER  A new book details former President Donald Trump's fury over a leak detailing his hour in the White House bunker in May 2020 because of a security risk from nearby protests.
"Trump boiled over about the bunker story as soon as they arrived and shouted at them to smoke out whoever had leaked it. It was the most upset some aides had ever seen the president," writes Wall Street Journal reporter Michael Bender in a new book.
"'Whoever did that, they should be charged with treason!' Trump yelled. 'They should be executed!'" the book reads.
Then-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows "repeatedly tried to calm the president as startled aides avoided eye contact," Bender writes, adding that Trump's top aide told his boss: "I'm on it. We're going to find out who did it."
Trump, angry over the leak for days, "repeatedly asked Meadows if he'd found the leaker," with his top aide becoming "obsessed" with finding the source, according to the book, which noted that "those who said they'd heard the president issue that warning had interpreted the outburst as a sign of a president in panic."
Bender's book "Frankly We Did Win This Election," is one of three released over the next seven days that focus on Trump's last year in office. And all three present what can only be described as a terrifying picture of a president consumed by personal hatred and unwilling to even consider the limits his predecessors had placed on themselves in office.
Chris has more on the big-picture takeaways from the tell-all books and Trump's presidency as a whole.
TUESDAY'S TOP TWEETS  1. Joe Manchin draws his latest line in the sand 2. Joe Biden, not taking questions 3. The beer didn't help matters 5. Good to see Chris Christie staying busy 6. Michael Bender's hair is amazing... 8. Who knew fish dropping could be so mesmerizing?
CHRIS' GOOD READS  One of the least understood parts of Donald Trump's transformation of the GOP during his time in office is how his loyalists have taken over dozens of state parties. This Politico piece reveals just how much that matters.
Keep an eye on consumer prices. That could be a major Achilles heel for Democrats in 2022. This New York Times article is a good place to start on why the CPI matters.
This 538 take on whether or not presidents are the official face of their parties anymore is intriguing.
Ted Lasso is who we should all aspire to be. Which is why I loved this profile of Jason Sudeikis in GQ.
"Boyz N the Hood" is 30 years old. This Times piece on what the film meant -- and means -- for the culture is terrific.
I am utterly fascinated by the annual Sun Valley conference organized by Allen & Co. This Guardian story digs into what, exactly, goes on there.
MUSICAL INTERLUDE Radiohead just released a 2021 remix of their smash hit "Creep." (It's 9 minutes long!) When Radiohead makes music, you need to listen to it. It's the rules. THESE 2 MAPS TELL AMERICA'S COVID STORY  If you compare a map of the 2020 presidential election results and a map of fully vaccinated states, they look wildly similar.
In this latest episode of The Point, Chris explains what (and who) is to blame of the unfortunate similarities.
Stay in-the-know with The Point on YouTube and subscribe.  1 BIG TOWN HALL  President Joe Biden will participate in a CNN town hall on Wednesday, July 21, in Cincinnati, Ohio -- a little more than six months after being sworn into office. The town hall is expected to focus on a wide range of issues facing the nation ranging from Covid-19 to the economy. You are receiving this message because you subscribed to CNN's The Point with Chris Cillizza newsletter. Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up now to get The Point in your inbox.
Send your tips and thoughts via email to Chris Cillizza and Lauren Dezenski. You can follow Chris and Lauren on Twitter and connect with The Point on:
Our mailing address is:
Copyright © 2021 Cable News Network, Inc., All rights reserved. | |||||||||||||||||||||||
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER
Top Articles
-
Baird and NWSL general counsel Lisa Levine were ousted Friday in the wake of a rep...
-
Plus: The high costs of housing, school board politics and alien life abroad July 16, 2021 View in B...
Our Hindi Website
www.hindi.men
