Representative Liz Cheney (R-WY) lost her primary bid for reelection last Tuesday, marking the effective end of her career as an elected official. Her defeat was not a close one; by the way, Wyoming Republicans voted overwhelmingly to unseat Cheney in one of the most lopsided primaries of the Representatives who voted for the second impeachment of Trump. Her defeat marks the end of an era. It confirms the end of many American political dynasties that have been critical in American politics for decades.
While most of the analyses over Cheney’s defeat will be centered on the influence Trump has on the Republican Party and insight into how the conservative movement is trying to define itself, Cheney’s defeat also serves as the last chapter of the political disintegration of many American political dynasties. This process began in the 2016 election.
The methodical wipeout of the American political dynasties
As noted by conservative media figure Charlie Kirk, January 2023 will be the first time since 1967 that there will not be a member from the Bush, Cheney, or Clinton families in elected office. Although not mentioned by Kirk, another iconic dynasty that has fallen out of grace is that of the Kennedys from Massachusetts.
Although these dynasties have had varying levels of political power, it is impossible to talk about the course of American history since the 1960s without mentioning these surnames at least once. Between them, they have produced four U.S presidents, one Vice-President, and a plethora of Presidential candidates, Governors, Senators, and Representatives.
Hillary’s defeat in 2016 ended the Clintons’ wish of a third term (EFE)
Just in 2016, the Bushes were eyeing a third presidential candidacy. Hillary imagined herself in the Oval Office, Cheney was running for Congress, and some people thought that Joe Kennedy III could be the newest iteration of the Kennedy dynasty. Yet one by one, their hopes for maintaining a relevant role in American politics have been defeated in the fire of the ballot box.
The Clintons faced a tough challenge in their own party to secure the 2016 nomination as virtually half of the Democrat Party voted for Bernie Sanders, only to manage to get defeated by Donald Trump in a historic electoral surprise. Despite rumors of another run for the presidency, it looks as if Hillary’s political career will only be remembered for her defeat against Trump instead of being the first woman president.
The Kennedys, arguably the country’s strongest political dynasty in its more than 250 years of history, has also been whipped out from the elected office. The family-controlled one of Massachusetts’ Senate seats almost uninterruptedly from 1953 until 2009, and they managed to win every Massachusetts Democratic primary they contested.
Former President George W. Bush (EFE:LARRY W. SMIT)
Joe Kennedy III planned to retake the Seat that his family occupied for decades and mounted a challenge against Senator Ed Markey. Yet, the young Kennedy did not have the allure of his grandfather Robert Kennedy and decisively lost the primary in a landslide.
The Bushes were also systematically defeated in the polls. Former Florida governor Jeb Bush did not survive the New Hampshire primary in 2016 despite having one of the largest campaign war chests until then. The vitriol between the Bushes and Trump left the formers debilitated within the GOP. In 2022, the young George P. Bush (who had good relations with Trump) challenged Attorney General Ken Paxton for his seat and, despite forcing a runoff election, Bush was unsuccessful in his bid, if polls are to be trusted —big if— then his famous surname played a role in that defeat.
What the fall of the American political dynasties mean
Cheney’s defeat on Tuesday finalized what began in 2016 with the dual “outsider” nominations of Trump and Bernie Sanders. The political families that provided an endless pool of candidates for both parties are now without a single elected official.
In a relatively short period, having one of these famous surnames went from being a remarkable benefit to an electoral liability. In 2015 it was a genuine possibility that the presidential election would be a 1992 rematch between the Bushes and Clintons; today, that appears to be the synopsis of one of those bizarre multiverse narratives that Marvel has engaged on.
The methodical fall of the American political dynasties might be the perfect illustration of the times we live in, where the electorate appears to crave outsiders and reject those who lead the country in the recent past, which many blame for today’s problems. Historians in the future will surely try to tie them into a grander narrative on the political, economic, and social context of 2022 America.
The electorate has defeated the Bush, Clinton, and Kennedy political dynasties. However, America has been prone to dynasties since its inception, and only time will tell if the electorate has grown wary of the very concept of a dynasty or if they are just waiting to throw their support to a new set of surnames. Who knows? Maybe the future will be decided by the Trumps and the Obama, instead of the Bushes and the Clintons.
Daniel is a Political Science and Economics student from the University of South Florida. He worked as a congressional intern to Rep. Gus Bilirakis (FL-12) from January to May 2020. He also is the head of international analysis at Politiks // Daniel es un estudiante de Cs Políticas y Economía en la Universidad del Sur de la Florida. Trabajo como pasante legislativo para el Representate Gus Bilirakis (FL-12) desde enero hasta mayo del 2020. Daniel también es el jefe de análisis internacional de Politiks.