Liz Cheney will campaign with Harris in Wisconsin

RIPON, Wisc. (AP) – Liz Cheney, one of Donald Trump's fiercest Republican opponents, teamed up with Kamala Harris on Thursday in the Wisconsin town where the modern Republican Party was born, as the Democratic vice president aimed to win over moderate voters win and unsettle the former president.

Former Republican Vice President Dick Cheney's daughter was former Rep. Liz Cheney the top Republican lawmaker in the House committee that investigated it January 6, 2021, Insurrectionwhich earned Trump's scorn and effectively exiled her from her own party.

“Violence does not and must never determine who governs us. Voters do it,” Cheney told the crowd as she recounted Trump’s refusal to act as he watched the violent attack on television. Someone in the crowd shouted “Coward!” Others booed.

“He praised the rioters. He didn't condemn her. That’s Donald Trump,” Cheney said.

She lost her seat in Wyoming to a Trump-backed candidate two years ago and She supported Harristhe Democratic candidate, last month. The two women appeared together in Ripon, the site of a white schoolhouse where a series of meetings against the expansion of slavery were held in 1854, leading to the founding of the Republican Party.

“I know she loves our country, and I know she will be a president for all Americans,” Cheney said of Harris. Noting that she herself remains conservative, Cheney said she was “honored to join her in this urgent cause.”

Instead of their usual “Harris Walz” campaign signs, the stage was decorated with large signs reading “Country Over Party” and plenty of red, white and blue bunting.

Harris opened a two-day trip to Wisconsin and Michigan, and Trump was in Michigan on Thursday as the two candidates battled for victories in battleground blue wall states that include Pennsylvania.

Meanwhile, President Joe Biden said Thursday that he's not worried about a Trump-Harris contest coming down to the wire because “it's always going to be so close.”

“She will do well,” Biden said of Harris to reporters on the South Lawn of the White House en route to a visit to storm-ravaged Georgia and Florida. He added that Harris' running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, performed well in his debate with Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance Debate on Tuesday in New York.

“The other guy lost the debate,” Biden said. “He misrepresented everything.”

A day later, Harris' visit comes to Wisconsin a federal judge unsealed a 165-page court filing outlining prosecutors' case against Trump over his attempt to overturn his 2020 election defeat. Trump has pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy and obstruction.

Trump made no mention of the document filed by special counsel Jack Smith or Cheney's appearance with Harris during an 82-minute speech at a rally in Saginaw County, Michigan. In 2020, Democrat Biden won the key district by just 303 votes, contributing to his victory in the state.

As Trump spoke, his campaign announced he would appear with the Republican governor in Georgia on Friday. Brian Kemp. The two men have Peace made after Trump in August blistering attack on Kemp he has faulty for not giving in to his efforts to make up for his loss in 2020.

As for Harris, it is unusual, to say the least, for a candidate to make a reference to the opposing party's origins in the final weeks of a presidential campaign. Not only that, the name Cheney was once anathema to Democrats who pitied Dick Cheney, Liz's father, for his role as vice president under George W. Bush.

During the 2020 campaign, Liz Cheney criticized Harris as a “radical liberal” who wants to “remake America in the image of what is happening on the streets of Portland and Seattle,” a reference to the unrest that erupted in those cities following the assassination by Harris took place George Floyd.

But January 6th was a turning point for Liz Cheney and her family. Both Cheneys support Harris, part of a cadre of current and former Republican officials who have broken with the vast majority of their party, which remains in Trump's corner. Harris wants to portray her candidacy as a patriotic choice by independent and conservative voters who were angered by Trump's unwillingness to relinquish power. Trump continues to deny his defeat with false claims of voter fraud.

Harris was also endorsed on Thursday Cassidy Hutchinsonwho was a young White House staffer during Trump's presidency and who, during a hearing before Cheney's congressional committee on Jan. 6, described how she was outraged by Trump's refusal to stop the rioters that day. Harris' campaign also began airing ads targeting Republicans, independents and former Trump voters in battleground states.

Cheney's presence caused some dissonance among Harris supporters in the audience, particularly those who remember their father's role as a Republican headliner.

Victor Romero, 46, said it was “a little strange” to be at an event with her.

“I still don’t like Liz Cheney’s politics. But I’m glad she understands that the Republican Party that currently exists is all for Trump.”

But younger voters know that Cheney is best known for standing up to Trump.

“She stayed true to her morals,” Kynaeda Gray, 22, said.

Harris will hold a campaign rally in Flint, Michigan, on Friday, continuing her tour of states that were crucial to Democrats' victories. Trump won Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan in 2016 and Biden won them in 2020.

Trump has increased his focus on Michigan, holding two rallies there less than a week ago before his appearance in Saginaw on Thursday.

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Associated Press writers Joey Cappelletti in Saginaw, Mich., and Jonathan J. Cooper in Phoenix contributed to this report.