Liz Cheney quits race for Senate seat, citing family health concerns

Liz Cheney plans to end her bid to run as a Republican for Wyoming's U.S. Senate seat, citing family health concerns. She leaves a campaign dogged by questions of her authenticity as a Wyomingite and a public disagreement over same-sex marriage with her sister, who is a married lesbian. 

A spokeswoman for Cheney, the oldest daughter of former U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney did not respond to a request for comment from Reuters but provided a statement to Politico.com, and an announcement was posted on Liz Cheney's Facebook page. 

Cheney, a lawyer who worked in the U.S. State Department during President George W. Bush's administration, hoped to unseat incumbent Republican Senator Mike Enzi in a primary election in August. She has been behind her opponent in polls by a wide margin.

"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," her Facebook page read Monday morning.

Cheney and her husband, Philip Perry, have five children.

Her father has struggled with heart problems, but there was no indication in the statement that the decision to pull out of the race was related to his health.

Liz Cheney's political entry in the conservative state has been bumpy. She spent much of her youth and adult life in Virginia and had her Wyoming credentials challenged in spite of her family's deep roots in the state.

Last summer she committed a political gaffe in a state where hunting and fishing are taken seriously when she mistakenly bought the wrong fishing license after living in Wyoming for just a few months. State law requires a year of residency before applying for such a license, which is less expensive than ones for visitors and newcomers.

Her candidacy was further complicated by a family spat after she declared her opposition to same-sex marriage. Her younger sister, Mary Cheney, a lesbian who last year married her longtime partner, Heather Poe, publicly chastised her for taking a stance that is "dead wrong," as Mary Cheney put it.

Last November, their father entered the fray, saying in a joint statement with his wife, Lynne, that Liz Cheney "has always believed in the traditional definition of marriage" and has "always treated her sister and her sister's family with love and respect."

Dick Cheney has long said he supports extending marriage rights to same-sex couples.

Al Jazeera and Reuters