After former President Donald Trump endorsed Wyoming attorney Harriet Hageman’s primary challenge against his top congressional Republican nemesis Rep. Liz Cheney, the rest of the candidates in the crowded primary field faced immediate pressure to end their campaigns and back his pick.

But while two candidates have dropped out in light of the endorsement, at least four Cheney challengers say that they intend to stay in the race.

The former president had long urged “JUST ONE CANDIDATE” to run against Cheney. The risk if candidates stay in the race is that the anti-Cheney field could split the vote, and Cheney could win the primary with only a plurality, all but cementing her reelection in the reliably Republican state.

That worry prompted a question to candidates at a June forum about whether they would drop out of the race if they did not lead the anti-Cheney field come May 2022, when candidates can file with the state to declare their candidacy for the Aug. 16 primary.

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Two prominent candidates who met with Trump earlier this summer, state Rep. Chuck Gray and attorney Darin Smith, both said that they would bow out and stressed the importance of “consolidation.”

Smith, to “honor my word,” suspended his campaign on Thursday night after Trump’s endorsement and threw his support behind Hageman.

“I said hell would freeze over before I’d be the reason Liz Cheney gets re-elected to represent the great state of Wyoming in the U.S. House,” Smith said in a statement. “My stepping back should help clear the field for a one-on-one matchup.”

Candidate Bryan Miller, chairman of the Sheridan County Republican Party, also reportedly said he will drop out of the race and endorse Hageman on Thursday.

Gray, whose endorsers include Arizona Rep. Paul Gosar, did not respond to inquiries from the Washington Examiner on his campaign plans.

Other candidates say that they will not follow suit, keeping the field large.

Candidates were set to appear at a forum hosted by the Carbon County Republican Party on Sept. 17. After Trump’s endorsement Thursday, the country party sent emails to the candidates asking if they intend to continue their campaigns or also back Hageman.

Anthony Bouchard, a state senator with a combative independent streak and the top grassroots fundraiser among the anti-Cheney field, has long said that he plans to continue his campaign despite not being invited to meet with Trump as he assessed the Cheney challengers.

“My position has not changed. I have been running for the people, not to chase endorsements. I will stay the course. My record stands on its own,” Bouchard said.

Other candidates with low fundraising figures also told the Washington Examiner they plan to continue their campaigns — and expressed frustration at constant questions about whether they will drop out.

Retired Army Col. Denton Knapp, who previously said at the forum that he would consolidate around a front-runner in the spring, said that it is “very un-American to tell everybody to drop out” nearly a year before the actual primary.

Businesswoman Robin Belinsky also said she will continue her candidacy, saying she will not “just sit back and let the powers that be dictate what we should do in our state and how to represent the people.”

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Marissa Selvig, former mayor of Pavillion, Wyoming, also said that she will not drop out and that she is “not thrilled” with how the state Republican Party is handling the race. She alleged that Wyoming Republican Party Chairman Frank Eathorne asked her to drop out in June and run for something else.

Eathorne disputes that, saying that he has never asked or implied a candidate should drop out, and inquired about whether she would consider running for party office if her campaign is not successful.

But he does plan to reach out to the candidates who said that they would drop out if Trump endorsed someone else.

“The grassroots in Wyoming is seeking a single candidate to prevail in this race. One that can beat Liz Cheney,” Eathorne said.

Original Location: Pressure grows on anti-Cheney primary challengers to quit after Trump endorsement

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