Things are showing no sign of quietening down in what has already been a wild and unpredictable presidential election campaign.
Vice President Kamala Harris has unsurprisingly received endorsement and support from top Democrats following the departure of President Biden from the race. But Harris is also getting vocal support from an unexpected place — the heart of the opposition.
A Campaign Within a Campaign
In a move that in any other presidential race would be almost unthinkable, GOP leaders are mobilizing to rally support for the Democratic candidate come election day.
The Vice President’s campaign officially launched “Republicans for Harris”, described as a “campaign within a campaign”, via social media. This bold move has already received more than 25 GOP endorsements.
The Aim of the Campaign
The Republicans for Harris movement will focus on “activating voices within the GOP to speak to their friends and family about the importance of voting for the Vice President.”
The Republicans for Harris group will have official kickoff events in the battleground states of Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Arizona, but it has already garnered a lot of traction and a lot of attention.
Prominent Support
A lot of heavy hitters from the other side of the aisle have already publicly given their backing to the Democrat Vice President.
Former secretaries Ray LaHood and Chuck Hagel have given Harris their endorsement, as have prominent former members of the Trump administration itself, Stephanie Grisham and Olivia Troye. Both have publicly given Harris strong backing.
Statement From a Former Press Secretary
Stephanie Grisham was the Trump-era White House press secretary. She issued a statement to give her formal endorsement of Harris.
“I encourage other Trump administration officials who saw the tyrant we worked for in office to speak out and stand with Kamala Harris this November to keep integrity in the White House and ensure democracy for our country,” Grisham said in her statement.
The Stakes Are Too High
Olivia Troye, who served as national security adviser to former Vice President Mike Pence, also gave Harris her backing and added to Grisham’s plea with strong words of her own.
Speaking of the upcoming election and the danger posed by a second Trump presidency, Troye said, “The stakes are too high to let partisanship jeopardize our freedoms and the Constitution.”
A Slew of Support
It’s not just the prominence of some of the Republican names endorsing the Democratic nominee and their connection with Trump that’s impressive — it’s the sheer breadth of Republicans for Harris.
Former Reps. Christopher Shays (R-Conn.), Joe Walsh (R-Ill.) and Susan Molinari (R-N.Y.) put their support behind Harris in November, along with Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.), who had previously endorsed President Biden when he was still running.
Social Media Response
Many Republicans have taken to social media to show both their support for Harris and their often harsh condemnation of Trump.
Taking to X, formerly Twitter, Former U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-FL) wrote, “There is nothing ‘conservative’ about Donald Trump. Conservatives believe in the Constitution, not a ‘man’s’ ego. Endorsing American democracy and the future today, and leaving the past in the dust. I’m endorsing @KamalaHarris.”
Republicans Are ‘Better Than Trump’
Joe Walsh replied to this post from Kinzinger, echoing the same sentiment.
Walsh added: “14yrs ago, @AdamKinzinger & I were 2 conservative Republicans elected to Congress. 14yrs later, Adam & I are 2 conservatives endorsing Kamala Harris. What happened? The GOP became an authoritarian-embracing cult. Republicans, join us. You’re better than Trump. @RepsForHarris.”
Unprecedented Endorsement
MSNBC legal analyst and former U.S. attorney Joyce Vance also took to X to comment on the “unprecedented” Republicans for Harris campaign.
Joyce wrote, “This widespread endorsement of the opposition candidate from members of a presidential candidate’s own party is unprecedented. So is Trump’s utter disregard for our Constitution & rule of law.”
Reminiscent of 1972
Despite the word “unprecedented” being thrown around a lot by commentators describing the Republican support for Harris, it has many thinking back to a similar, but reversed, cross-party endorsement of Nixon decades ago.
Robert McCarney, former editor of the Washington Post, shared his opinion: “‘Republicans for Harris’ reminds me that in 1972, ‘Democrats for Nixon’ was a sizable movement. It was a sign of (regrettable) dissatisfaction with Dems’ nominee McGovern. In 2024, such dissatisfaction on GOP side is most welcome. And we remember how it went for McGovern.”
An Unorthodox Campaign Continues
Republicans for Harris is the latest bizarre twist in an election campaign that has been impossible to predict, but it’s very telling of just how strong the opposition to Trump is from some corners of the GOP.
We’ll see come November how much of an impact it will have at the polls. There are probably still surprises in store between now and then, but as Bloomberg Opinion executive editor Tim O’Brien put it, “I don’t anticipate Democrats for Trump to be gathering on Zoom anytime soon.”
