Rep. Liz Cheney outraises challengers for 2022 primaries

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) - Wyoming Republican Rep. Liz Cheney has reported a strong start to her campaign's fundraising efforts for the 2022 primary election, when she is set to face challengers that have surfaced since her vote to impeach former President Donald Trump.

Cheney raised $1.54 million in the first quarter of 2021, the most she has reported in a single quarter in her past three elections, the Wyoming Tribune Eagle reported Monday.

Cheney has held Wyoming's only House of Representatives seat since 2017 and is the daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney.

Her campaign closed the first quarter with about $1.43 million cash on hand.

Cheney's closest financial competitor in the primary race is Republican state Sen. Anthony Bouchard, who raised about $334,000 in the first quarter and had about $164,000 in hand at the start of April, according to his Federal Election Commission report filed last week.

Republican state Rep. Chuck Gray trailed both Cheney and Bouchard with about $173,000 in contributions, with roughly $133,000 coming from himself and $5,800 coming from his father.

Trump had recently said in a statement that he would soon make an endorsement for a candidate running against Cheney.

Cheney has remained steadfast in her criticism of the former president, who baselessly attempted to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election that he lost to President Joe Biden by over 7 million votes. Trump's assertions played a role in inciting a mob of pro-Trump rioters who stormed the Capitol Building in an attempt to prevent the certification of the election results.

"I've been very clear about my views of what happened on Jan. 6, about my views of the president's culpability," Cheney said in an interview with Fox News this month. "I obviously voted to impeach him. I think that it was the gravest violation of an oath of office by any president in American history, and I'm going to continue to make sure people understand that."