Rep. Liz Cheney’s top midterm challenger from within the Republican Party on Friday picked up her second endorsement in as many days from a GOP House leader.

A day after House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California announced his support for Harriet Hageman in the Wyoming House race, Rep. Elise Stefanik, the No. 3 Republican in the House, endorsed her, too.

It’s unusual for Republican House members to back a primary challenger against an incumbent, but the moves are not shocking, as Cheney has found herself at odds with the GOP for pushing back on former President Donald Trump’s false claims about election fraud in 2020 and agreeing to join the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection and the events that led up to it.

"I am proud to endorse Harriet Hageman for Congress," McCarthy said in a statement Thursday. 

"The most successful Representatives in Congress focus on the needs of their constituents, and throughout her career, Harriet has championed America's natural resources and helped the people of Wyoming reject burdensome and onerous government overreach."

McCarthy further explained his endorsement in an interview Thursday night with Fox News’ Sean Hannity. 

"Wyoming deserves to have a representative who will deliver the accountability against this Biden administration,” the House minority leader said. “Not a representative that they have today that works closer with (House Speaker) Nancy Pelosi, going after Republicans instead of stopping these radical Democrats from what they're doing to this country.”

Stefanik, who replaced Cheney after Republicans voted to oust her from her leadership post last year, said in a statement Friday: "I’m proud to endorse Harriet Hageman in her race to unseat Liz Cheney. House Republicans were ready for a change when I took over as Conference Chair, and it’s resoundingly clear that Wyoming families are too."

Cheney and Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., have been on an island in the Republican Party for criticizing Trump’s efforts to overturn the presidential election and agreeing to sit on the Jan. 6 committee against McCarthy’s wishes. 

Earlier this month, the Republican National Committee voted to censure Cheney and Kinzinger for participating on the panel, saying the committee was leading a “persecution of ordinary citizens engaged in legitimate political discourse.”

In response to McCarthy’s endorsement Thursday, Cheney spokesman Jeremy Adler said of Hageman, “Wow, she must be really desperate.”

Hageman said she was grateful for McCarthy’s support.

“I pledge that when I am Wyoming’s congresswoman, I will always stand up for our beautiful state and do the job I was sent there to do. I look forward to representing Wyoming's interests in Congress,” she said.

“Liz Cheney has completely lost the ability to do her job of representing Wyoming as our only member of the House of Representatives,” added Hageman, who was an adviser to Cheney’s 2014 Senate campaign. “The Democrats in Washington, D.C. only see her as a temporary but useful tool to achieve their partisan goals, and the Republicans want nothing to do with her. It is her responsibility to fight for Wyoming and represent our values, and she has completely abandoned that.”

Outside of her criticism for Trump, Cheney has a firmly conservative voting record, which includes supporting Trump policies.

After McCarthy endorsed Hageman, Kinzinger, who is not seeking reelection this year, blasted the House GOP leader in a tweet, calling him “a man with no moral core.”

Meanwhile, Wyoming lawmakers are considering a bill that could potentially kill a lifeline for Cheney’s reelection hopes. 

The legislation, introduced this week by Republican state Sen. Bo Biteman, would change Wyoming’s law that currently allows voters to switch their party affiliation on election day, making it easier for members of one party to vote in another party’s primaries. 

If approved, voters would have up until about three months before the primary to change parties. 

Trump, who endorsed Hageman in September, issued a statement Thursday supporting the proposal. 

“This critically important bill ensures that the voters in each party will separately choose their nominees for the General Election, which is how it should be!” Trump said in a statement. “It makes total sense that only Democrats vote in the Democrat primary and only Republicans vote in the Republican primary.”

Cheney told The New York Times earlier this month that she does not encourage party switching or approve of a political action committee that would urge Democrats to vote in the GOP primary. 

According to Ballotpedia, Cheney is facing five Republican challengers for her seat. No Democratic candidates have filed to date.