WYOMING – A day after a potentially momentous development in the race for Wyoming’s lone U.S. House of Representatives seat, current Rep. Liz Cheney hosted a call with Wyoming media only.

She started the call by honoring fallen U.S. Marine Rylee McCollum, as his body was scheduled to return through Jackson later on Sept. 10. She also reflected on the 20^th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks. Cheney thanked McCollum for his service and conveyed her condolences to the family.

Questions to Rep. Cheney quickly pivoted to Harriet Hageman, the Cheyenne lawyer who announced her candidacy for the House seat on Sept. 9 with a letter of endorsement from former president Donald Trump. Hageman was invited onto Laura Ingraham’s Fox News program to talk about her candidacy and her Wyoming roots. Cheney said it was important to talk to Wyomingites while Hageman did the national media circuit.

“I’m going to run on my strong conservative record, I’m going to run on what I’ve produced and delivered for the people of Wyoming,” Cheney said.

Cheney has reiterated her vote to impeach former president Trump in the aftermath of the Jan. 6 storming of the Capitol by Trump supporters was one of democratic integrity. She solidified her stance that Trump mislead Americans on the integrity of the 2020 election and it resulted in an attack upon members of the U.S. government.

She said that she swore an oath to uphold the U.S. Constitution and allegiance to America, not to the presidency.

“I would point out that Harriet took a similar oath when she became a member of the Wyoming Bar,” Cheney said. “And she now is abandoning that principle, sacrificing that oath, abandoning her duty to the people of Wyoming in order to pledge loyalty to Donald Trump. She seems to be stepping on the shoes of people like Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell, two attorneys who have recently been sanctioned by the courts for lying about the election.”

Calling it opportunism, Cheney called Hageman entering this primary race tragic and inconsistent with Wyoming values. She said it was sad to see candidates feel the need to travel to New Jersey to pledge allegiance to Donald Trump rather than the people of Wyoming.

Cheney said outside influence in Wyoming elections is nothing new but that it hasn’t worked in Wyoming. And while, she said, other candidates are concerned with national figures, she’s keeping her focus on local issues.

“I’m going to be very focused on the issues that matter to us here in Wyoming, on standing up for our principles and our values, fighting against the devastating Biden administration policies we’ve seen with respect to our energy, our ag industry, across the board spending.”

Cheney also directly rebutted Hageman’s doubts of the representative’s Wyoming ties. On Fox News, Hageman downplayed Cheney’s support in the state and said Cheney hasn’t been fighting against the Biden administration.

Rep. Cheney cited the multitude of criticisms on Afghanistan, natural resources and energy, the leasing ban, executive orders, the Second Amendment, border security and infrastructure.

“If Harriet Hageman thinks Liz Cheney is not fighting the Biden administration, she must be wearing blinders,” a release stated.

Hageman previously supported Cheney during the 2013 campaigns, saying that she had a long history in Wyoming and any criticism was a “distraction.” Cheney’s campaign noted that. The two maintained a friendly relationship during that time. Hageman said, when announcing her campaign, that she hasn’t talked to Cheney since the current Wyoming Representative said she did not share the same concerns for widespread voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election.

The Republican primary for the 2022 election is 11 months away.