Still, Cheney’s intention seems to be to portray Enzi as a man too willing to cooperate with Democrats. And even though there is little evidence of that, Cheney might score some points by arguing that she would be even tougher on the president than Enzi. And despite the initial negative reaction Cheney has received after announcing her run — Wyoming pols and conservative Republicans around the country have suggested she has made a bad choice — it is possible the tactic might work.

In email exchanges Wednesday, two conservative strategists who have been involved in bitter primary fights suggested that Cheney has a tough but doable job ahead of her. “It’s a well-known name with an unknown agenda vs. a mediocre right-leaning senator who’s been virtually invisible,” said one strategist. “But conservatives should be cheering for any primary of sitting Republicans. It forces incumbents to make their case to the people. No one is owed a free ride to reelection.”

“If she runs on a conservative platform and speaks out against the GOP establishment, she could earn a lot of support,” said the second strategist. “We welcome primary challengers because we believe these intra-party debates are healthy and make the party stronger. Nobody is entitled to office so every senator should be prepared to make their case to Republican voters.”