What Harris’ appearance with Liz Cheney in Wisconsin says about her campaign

Former Rep. Liz Cheney, one of the most vocal anti-Trump Republicans in the last Congress, is campaigning alongside Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday in a Wisconsin city widely known as the birthplace of the Republican Party.

Cheney, who endorsed the Democrat for president last month, will attend Harris’ rally in Ripon, where the meeting that led to the creation of the Republican Party took place. (Cheney’s father, former Vice President Dick Cheney, has also endorsed Harris.)

The Wyoming Republican’s appearance with Harris is notable — especially given the country’s deep political divisions — but not surprising. Cheney has been a harsh critic of Donald Trump over his role in the Jan. 6 riots, and she stoked both his anger and that of his allies with her involvement in Congress’ investigation of the attack on the Capitol.

Meanwhile, Harris is going to great lengths to win over dissatisfied Republicans, including to demonstrate the Democrats’ big tent. Several prominent Republicans had speeches at the Democratic National Convention in August, and Harris has said she would be open to appointing a Republican to her Cabinet if elected. On Thursday, NBC News reported that her campaign is releasing two ads in battleground states aimed at Republican voters and former Trump supporters.

Wisconsin is a must-win state for Harris, and holding the event in Ripon is symbolic. One of the anti-Trump Republicans’ main arguments against the current The Republican candidate claims he has defaced the party from its traditional values. In a city with such historic ties to the Republican Party, Cheney will once again make it clear to voters that, regardless of party, electing Trump to the White House again is simply too dangerous.