GOP lawmaker: Cheney's loss shows "disconnect" between politicians, voters

Liz Cheney's recent primary loss to her Trump-backed opponent illustrates a "massive disconnect" between the priorities of politicians and what Americans want," Rep. Andy Barr (R-Ky.) told NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday.

Driving the news: Cheney, a vocal critic of former President Trump, shaped much of her campaign around combatting Trump's false claims about the 2020 election.

The big picture: Barr threw doubt on the effectiveness of the strategy, saying Cheney's loss illustrated Americans' ambivalence about the subject.

• The outcomes in many state primaries so far have shown that "these seats do not belong to politicians in Washington. These seats belong to the American people," Barr said.
• "There is a massive, massive disconnect between the priorities of politicians in Washington and the concerns of the American people," he added.
• On visits to various parts of Kentucky, Barr said that "not once have any of my constituents — Republican or Democrat — talked about the 2020 election, Jan. 6, the committee in Washington or any of these issues."
• Constituents are more concerned about topics such as high food and gas prices, he added.
• "Politicians that obsess about the past are not in touch with the American people," Barr said, but he evaded directly answering a question as to whether the same would be said of Republicans campaigning on Trump's false election claims.