Former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), whose term in Congress ended earlier this year, is starting a professorship at the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics.
The school announced the hire in a statement Wednesday, saying her tenure as a “Professor of Practice” runs now through the fall 2023 semester, with the possibility of extending it longer.
“There are many threats facing our system of government and I hope my work with the Center for Politics and the broader community at the University of Virginia will contribute to finding lasting solutions that not only preserve but strengthen our democracy,” Cheney said in the statement.
The nonpartisan center’s director, Larry Sabato, hailed her as a “model of political courage and leadership,” while UVA President Jim Ryan praised her as having “fiercely defended democracy.”
Cheney, who represented Wyoming for three terms in Congress, lost her Republican primary last year after breaking with the party on its handling of Donald Trump. She voted with Democrats in 2021 to impeach the then-president for instigating that year’s Jan. 6 Capitol riot, and she later served as the top Republican on the House select committee investigating the attack. Those two decisions sank her support from the Republican National Committee and voters in the country’s reddest state.
Trump-backed attorney Harriet Hageman won the primary against Cheney and later the general election for Wyoming’s lone House seat.
Shortly after her ouster, the daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney vowed to leave the Republican Party if Trump becomes the GOP’s nominee for president in 2024. She also said she would “think about” a White House run of her own.
In Wednesday’s statement, the former congresswoman said she’s eager to work with young people at UVA on addressing the country’s problems.
“Preserving our constitutional republic is the most important work of our time, and our nation’s young people will play a crucial role in this effort,” Liz Cheney said. “I look forward to working with students and colleagues at the Center to advance the important work they and others at the University of Virginia are doing to improve the health of democracy here and around the world.”
In her role at UVA, Cheney is expected to participate in universitywide lectures, lead guest lectures in student seminars and contribute to the Center for Politics’ research, the university said.