Republican Liz Cheney has announced that she plans to cast her vote for Kamala Harris in the upcoming election.

 Liz Cheney, the former congresswoman from Wyoming, announced on Wednesday that she will break from the Republican Party and vote for Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris in the upcoming election.

“As a conservative who values the Constitution, I've reflected deeply on this decision,” Cheney stated at an event hosted by Duke University's Sanford School of Public Policy in North Carolina. “Due to the threats posed by Donald Trump, I will not be voting for him; instead, I will support Kamala Harris.”

Cheney’s endorsement adds her name to a growing list of Republicans who have publicly opposed Trump in this election cycle. Democrats have welcomed these Republican defectors, featuring several of them, including former lawmaker Adam Kinzinger, at last month's Democratic National Convention. Kinzinger and Cheney both served on the House select committee investigating the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack.

Harris campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon expressed pride in earning Cheney's support, calling her “a patriot who loves this country and prioritizes our democracy and Constitution.”

Once the No. 3 Republican in the House, Cheney voted to impeach Trump for his role in inciting the Capitol attack, describing it as a “greater betrayal” by a president. Following her continued criticism of Trump and his unfounded claims about the 2020 election, she was ousted from her role as chairwoman of the House Republican Conference in May 2021.

Cheney, the daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, served as vice chair of the House select committee formed in 2021. In a previous interview, she expressed regret for voting for Trump in 2020, stating that the majority of the Republican Party did not align with her views.

She lost her reelection bid to a Trump-endorsed challenger the following year.

In response to Cheney's endorsement, a spokesman for the Trump campaign dismissed her significance, asking, “Who is Liz Cheney, and what does she do?” They also shared a clip of Cheney from 2020, where she criticized Harris’s record, labeling her “a radical liberal.”

Senator JD Vance, Trump’s vice-presidential pick, criticized Cheney during an event, alleging that her career has been built on sending others to fight in military conflicts for her interests. He remarked that it’s beneficial for her to support Harris, stating that they are “very interesting partners” who profit from wars.

Trump has consistently criticized Cheney, especially after she spoke out against his actions as president. During his speech on January 6, 2021, he called for her removal, and he has since suggested that she and others from the select committee deserve jail time.

On Wednesday, Cheney emphasized that voters cannot afford to support write-in candidates as a protest against Trump, particularly in crucial swing states like North Carolina. “We must recognize the dangers posed by Trump,” she asserted.