McConnell quiet on Cheney primary loss after previously expressing support for congresswoman

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell Wednesday is silent on Rep. Liz Cheney’s primary loss Tuesday night, after previously supporting the anti-Trump congresswoman against her critics. 

Cheney, R-Wyo., lost to her Trump-backed primary opponent Harriet Hageman by a massive margin of 66% to 29%. The result was widely expected after Cheney became one of the most vocal critics of former President Donald Trump in the wake of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol by a mob of his supporters. 

Representatives for McConnell, R-Ky., did not respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital Wednesday morning. A representative for the second-ranking Senate Republican, GOP Whip John Thune, R-S.D., also did not provide comment in response to a request from Fox News Digital Wednesday. 

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The congresswoman not only voted for Trump’s impeachment in the days following the attack, but became one of two members of the House January 6 Committee to investigate it. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., appointed Cheney after blocking Republicans put forward by Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., who then refused to name any GOP committee members. 

Cheney was also booted from her post as the House GOP conference chair over her vocal opposition to Trump and vote to impeach him. And she was unable to overcome a wave of GOP mobilization against her before being blown out as an incumbent in her Tuesday primary.

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The silence from McConnell comes after he’s expressed support for her in the past. 

“With regard to the suggestion that the RNC should be in the business of picking and choosing Republicans who ought to be supported, traditionally, the view of the national party committees is that we support all members of our party, regardless of their positions on some issues,” McConnell said in a press conference after the RNC censured Cheney and Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., earlier this year. 

The GOP leader also said in a 2021 appearance on Fox News’ “Special Report” that he is “a great admirer of hers.”

Thune has not as vocally embraced Cheney as McConnell – although he also did criticize the RNC for its censure of Cheney, according to The Hill. 

The third-ranking Republican in the Senate, GOP Conference Chair John Barrasso, R-Wyo., issued a statement on the race shortly after it was called Tuesday night, though it did not mention Cheney by name. 

“Congratulations to Harriet Hageman on her primary win. Harriet will be a tremendous ally in the fight to unleash American energy, combat inflation and secure our southern border,” Barrasso said. “Along with Cynthia Lummis, the three of us will be a strong, conservative, and effective team for the people of Wyoming.”

On the House side, McCarthy campaigned against Cheney in the days leading up to the primary, calling the election “a referendum on the January 6 Committee.”

Fox News’ Kelly Phares and Charles Creitz contributed to this report.