Similar to other elections of the past, many Republicans have united behind Donald Trump and some big non Republicans as well. These include former Independent Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Also included is former Democratic Representative and former 2020 candidate for the Democratic nomination for President Tulsi Gabbard. Many Republicans, however, have voiced their support for his rival Vice President Kamala Harris in this November’s election.
Vice President Harris’s campaign, which started in late July with the withdrawal of current President Joe Biden from the race, has not only received the backing of Democrats within her own party, but many prominent Republicans as well.
Some of the most prominent endorsements for Harris from this group come from former Representatives Liz Cheney (R-WY) and Adam Kinzinger (R-IL), who became staunch opponents of former President Donald Trump following the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the United States Capitol. Cheney, who was the Chair of the House Republican Caucus from 2019 to 2021, said in a statement at Duke University, “As a conservative, as someone that believes in our constitution, I have thought deeply about this.” Cheney followed by saying, “Because of the danger that Donald Trump poses, not only am I not voting for Donald Trump but I am voting for Kamala Harris.”
Adam Kinzinger, who served as a Representative from Illinois from 2011 to 2023 originally endorsed then-presumptive Democratic Nominee Joe Biden in June. He spoke at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Aug. to endorse the vice president.
“I am proud to be in the trenches with you. As part of this sometimes awkward alliance that we have, to defend truth, defend democracy and decency,” Kinzinger stated in the speech. “I’ve learned something about my party too, something I couldn’t ignore. The Republican Party is no longer conservative. It has switched its allegiance from the principles that gave it purpose to a man whose only purpose is himself.” He finished the speech by saying, “Listen, to my fellow Republicans, if you still pledge allegiance to those [conservative] principles, I suspect you belong here too. Because Democracy knows no party. It’s a living, breathing ideal that defines us as a nation. It’s the bedrock that separates us from tyranny, and when that foundation is fractured, we must all stand together united to strengthen it. If you think those principles are worth defending, then I urge you, make the right choice. Vote for our bedrock values, and vote for Kamala Harris. God bless you.”
Another prominent Republican to endorse Harris is Liz Cheney’s father, former Vice President Richard “Dick” Cheney. In a statement about Trump put out on Sept. 6, Cheney stated, “He can never be trusted with power again.”
“As citizens, we each have a duty to put country above partisanship to defend our Constitution. That is why I will be casting my vote for Vice President Kamala Harris,” Cheney later stated.
Former President George W. Bush, who Cheney served as vice president under, and is also the only former Republican President still living besides Trump, gave no endorsement to either candidate, with his office stating that the former president “retired from presidential politics years ago.”
Some officials from Trump’s first term as president have endorsed his rival as well, including Stephanie Grisham, his press secretary from 2019-2020. In a speech made at the DNC, Grisham stated, “I wasn’t just a Trump supporter, I was a true believer. I was one of his closest advisors.” She stated later, “When I was press secretary, I got skewered for never holding a White House briefing. It’s because unlike my boss, I never wanted to stand at that podium and lie. Now here I am, behind a podium, advocating for a Democrat. And that’s because I love my country more than my party. Kamala Harris tells the truth, she respects the American people and she has my vote.”
Anthony Scaramucci, who served briefly as Trump’s communications director in 2017, also endorsed Harris. In a statement before Trump’s debate with Harris, Scaramucci stated, “With Vice President Harris, you get a full team of very smart, educated people. With Donald Trump, you get a team of one because that’s what he does to people.” He added, “There’s a reason why 40 people who went to go work for him are denouncing him and trying to warn the American public about him.”
Former Republican Vice Presidents Dan Quayle and Mike Pence, who served under President George H.W. Bush from 1989 to 1993 and Trump’s first term from 2017 to 2021 respectively, have also not cast support for the former president’s re-election bid as of the writing of this article.
