Cheney to launch anti-Trump organization after primary defeat

Rep. Liz Cheney is wasting no time beginning the next phase of her bid to prevent Donald Trump’s return to office.

“In coming weeks, Liz will be launching an organization to educate the American people about the ongoing threat to our Republic, and to mobilize a unified effort to oppose any Donald Trump campaign for president,” Cheney spokesperson Jeremy Adler told Playbook exclusively.

The new group, which will serve as Cheney’s (R-Wyo.) primary political vehicle as she considers whether to run for president in 2024, does not have an official name yet. An informed guess: The Great Task, which was the name of Cheney’s final ad of the campaign. The phrase is from the last sentence of the Gettysburg Address, and Cheney also referenced it in her concession speech from Jackson, Wyo., on Tuesday night.

Cheney's campaign filed paperwork early Monday converting her campaign committee to a leadership PAC and renaming it "The Great Task." The move will allow Cheney to continue raising money and potentially distribute it to like-minded candidates in the near term while she hashes out a longer-term strategy.

Speaking on NBC's "Today" show on Wednesday, Cheney said a 2024 presidential run was "something I am thinking about" and promised a decision in the "coming months."

"I believe that Donald Trump continues to pose a very grave threat and risk to our republic," she said. "And I think that defeating him is going to require a broad and united front of Republicans, Democrats and independents, and that's what I intend to be part of."

Cheney, who was seeking a fourth term, was defeated by Harriet Hageman, an attorney and former Cheney supporter who Trump selected last year as his chosen candidate to oppose her. Cheney’s vote to impeach Trump for inciting the Jan. 6 insurrection, her vocal defense of that vote and her leadership role on the House committee investigating the attacks and Trump’s actions made her Trump’s top political target in the midterms.

Olivia Beavers and Zach Montellaro contributed to this report.