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1. Representative Liz Cheney. Who would have predicted that Dick Cheneys superconservative daughter, long despised by many as a pro-torture, anti-abortion, warmongering chip off the old block, would wind up on the same side as Democrats on anything ever? Yet here we are. Ms. Cheneys vote to impeach Mr. Trump (in his second round), her service on the Jan. 6 select committee, her steady drumbeat of warnings about the threat Mr. Trumps lies pose to the nation these shouldnt be partisan issues, but in todays G.O.P. they absolutely set her apart from the sniveling herd. (Plus, her running feud with Senator Ted Cruz is a delight.) In return, she was booted from the House leadership in May, and the Wyoming G.O.P. voted this month to stop recognizing her as a Republican. She is facing a fierce primary challenge next year, enthusiastically backed by Mr. Trump and some of her MAGA colleagues.

2. Representative Adam Kinzinger. The Illinois lawmaker has been an outspoken Trump critic, voting for impeachment this year and serving on the Jan. 6 committee. Even some of his family members turned on Mr. Kinzinger for his betrayal of Mr. Trump, firing off a group letter in January proclaiming themselves disgusted and accusing him of joining the devils army of Democrats and the fake news media. Last month, after redistricting complicated his re-election prospects, Mr. Kinzinger announced his retirement from the House at the end of this term though he left open the possibility of running for higher office.

3. The impeachment backers. Ten House Republicans voted to impeach Mr. Trump last January for having incited the Jan. 6 insurrection attempt. In February, seven Senate Republicans voted to convict. These members upheld the Constitution and put country over party, so naturally they have been targeted for payback by the former president and his toadies.

4. The infrastructure package supporters. For G.O.P. lawmakers, just doing ones job has become risky business. This month, 13 Republican House members helped pass a badly needed bipartisan infrastructure package, putting constituents interests ahead of their partys desire to deny the Democrats a legislative accomplishment. For their troubles, the 13 were trashed as RINOs by Mr. Trump and declared traitors by Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, who posted their office phone numbers on social media. The former Trump strategist Steve Bannon similarly posted the numbers of the 19 Republican senators who voted for the plan in August. The insults, invective and death threats promptly came rolling in.

5. The Georgia vote defenders. Mr. Trump lost Georgia fair and square, but that didnt stop him from trying to persuade state leaders to overturn the results and declare him the winner. Were it not for the spinal fortitude of people like Gov. Brian Kemp, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and the election official Gabriel Sterling in resisting the former presidents machinations, America could have been plunged into a full-blown constitutional crisis.

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Opinion | The Republicans Were Thankful For - The New York Times