Mary Cheney Isn't Supporting Sister Liz for Senate

In her latest public statement, Mary Cheney tells Politico Magazine that she is "not working, not contributing, and not voting for" her sister Liz Cheney in Wyoming.

It isn't that Mary Cheney is rooting for the Senate bid to fail. But "I'm not supporting Liz's candidacy," she told the magazine via email.

Mary Cheney is an experienced political operative, having helped her father, Dick Cheney, run for vice president. She's not sat quietly on the sidelines, though, as Liz Cheney announced her opposition to same-sex marriage in August. Instead, she and her wife have made a series of public condemnations.

Her first response came via Facebook. "For the record, I love my sister, but she is dead wrong on the issue of marriage," Mary Cheney wrote in August after Liz Cheney issued a statement to clarify that she's "not pro-gay marriage." The candidate was responding to push polling that suggested she'd promoted marriage equality.

Since then, a PAC has run TV ads further attacking Liz Cheney as not antigay enough. She went on Fox News Sunday this weekend and answered questions about her lesbian sister and children by saying, "I love her family very much," but then added, "This is just an issue on which we disagree."

Mary Cheney took to Facebook almost immediately afterward to share a long post from her wife, Heather Poe, who explained why she's "very disappointed" in her sister-in-law and found her political position "offensive." Mary Cheney shared the post and wrote, "Couldn't have said it better myself."

The two sisters are reportedly not on speaking terms, according to Politico and The New York Times, but Mary Cheney addressed her sister directly on Facebook: "Liz, this isn't just an issue on which we disagree -- you're just wrong -- and on the wrong side of history."

Even the debate on Facebook is contentious. A friend, Gina Bluher Morrison, responded, "Sorry, Mary. I'm with Liz on this one. Can't you all just accept Liz's position and remain lovingly tolerant? She has her opinion, you have yours."

And yet again Mary Cheney piped up: "Gina -- this isn't like a disagreement over grazing fees or what to do about Iran. There isn't a lot of gray here. Either you think all families should be treated equally or you don't. Liz's position is to treat my family as second class citizens. That's not a position I can be 'lovingly tolerant' towards."

Read the complete profile of the two sisters at Politico Magazine.