Former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), whose term in Congress ended earlier this year, started a professorship at the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics.
The school announced the hiring in a statement Wednesday, saying his position as “Professor of Practice” is now through the fall semester of 2023, with the possibility of 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 a statement. .
The director of the nonpartisan center, Larry Sabato, hailed him as “a model of political courage and leadership,” while UVA President Jim Ryan praised him as a “fierce defender of democracy.”
Cheney, who represented Wyoming for three terms in Congress, lost to the Republican Party late last year after falling out with the party over its handling of Donald Trump. He voted with the Democrats in 2021 to impeach the president at the time for instigating the Capitol riots on January 6 of that year, and he was then the top Republican on the House select committee investigating the attack. Both decisions drew support from the Republican National Committee and voters in the nation’s reddest states.
Trump-backed attorney Harriet Hageman won the primary against Cheney and then the general election for Wyoming’s lone House seat.
Shortly after being ousted, the daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney vowed to leave the Republican Party if Trump became the GOP presidential nominee in 2024. She also said she would “think” about being in the White House herself.
In a statement Wednesday, the former congressman said he is eager to work with young people at UVA to solve 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 vital role in this effort,” said Liz Cheney. “I look forward to working with students and colleagues at the Center to advance the important work that he and others at the University of Virginia are doing to improve the health of democracy here and around the world.”
In his role at UVA, Cheney is expected to participate in university lectures, lead guest lectures at student seminars and contribute to the Center for Politics research, the university said.