Citing Family Health Issues, Liz Chaney Withdraws From Contentious Senate Primary in Wyoming

A Difficult Situation to Comment On

Saving face among politicians is a practiced art, it has to be because the profession contains so many challenges and defeats, even for a successful politician.  So when many politicians concede a loss they often present the public face of family issues.  Such is now the case with Republican Senate hopeful and daughter of the former Vice President Liz Chaney.

Liz Cheney, the daughter of former vice president Dick Cheney, announced Monday that she has decided to end her bid for U.S. Senate in Wyoming, citing "serious health issues" in her family.

Cheney's decision brings an abrupt end to a high-profile campaign that shook the Wyoming political landscape and unfolded against the backdrop of a deeply personal and very public rift in the Cheney family.

"Serious health issues have recently arisen in our family, and under the circumstances, I have decided to discontinue my campaign. My children and their futures were the motivation for our campaign and their health and well being will always be my overriding priority," Cheney said in a statement.

She did not offer specifics about the health issues impacting her family. Cheney and her husband, Phil Perry, have five children. 

On one hand, the claim of family issues causing the withdrawal of a candidate from a losing campaign has the hollow ring of a false front, but on the other hand it may be that family health issues here are real and potentially tragic. But like everyone else,  Ms. Chaney and her family are entitled to their privacy and have absolutely no obligation to explain themselves to anyone.

So our comment on this situation is that we wish Ms. Chaney and her family all the best and we hope that her withdrawal from the campaign will lead to a reconciliation between her and her gay, married sister and that all will lead happier lives.  In the end, her withdrawal may well benefit politics in general, the Republican Party, the goal of polite discourse in public forums and all of the individuals involved.