Speaker Liz Cheney?

Photo | Axios.com

Democratic Congressman Jamie Raskin proposed to MSNBC host Chris Hayes that a bipartisan coalition might nominate ex-Republican Congresswoman Liz Cheney to be the next Speaker of the House of Representatives.

This public declaration is notable—if not exactly earth shattering. For weeks, prominent commentators and influencers on social media have name-dropped Cheney as a potential replacement for Kevin McCarthy.

Moreover, both Raskin and Cheney have repeatedly, publicly remarked on their unlikely-but-genuine friendship over the years, established by their shared commitment to protecting the Constitutional order from Donald Trump and his MAGA Republicans.

Is this idea legal? Yes. Though Cheney is no longer a member of Congress and Congress has never elected someone Speaker who wasn’t an incumbent member at the time of their election, the Constitution doesn’t forbid non-members from assuming the post.

Is this idea practical? Perhaps. In more conventional times, Cheney—lifelong conservative Republican, daughter of the infamously-reviled former Vice-President Dick Cheney, supporter of Trump during both the 2016 and 2020 elections—would be an understandably-utter nonstarter for House Democrats.

But as Raskin notes, despite their considerable policy disagreements, Cheney is unquestionably a stateswoman who staunchly opposes Trump, MAGA, and the election theft and denialism that permeates the GOP. For these reasons alone, it seems likely that House Democrats would hold their nose and support Cheney en masse if given the chance—especially when the alternative is the likes of Jim Jordan.

The real question is whether Cheney would get sufficient support from Republicans.

Despite her extraordinarily conservative voting record and former role as the chair of the House Republican Conference (the third highest ranking position in their House caucus), Cheney’s relentless opposition to Trump after he schemed to steal the election from President Biden and fomented the January 6th insurrection caused her to be as publicly toxic to the Republican brand as any Democrat.

She was subsequently censured by the Republican National Committee and lost reelection in 2022.

Whether her history as a devoted conservative would motivate enough of the currently-serving Republicans to endorse her potential Speakership remains unknown.