Anika Begay
Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, speak during a campaign rally in Philadelphia, Tuesday, Aug. 6.
Photo by Matt Rourke
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Photo by Matt Rourke
Prominent Republicans who support Vice President Harris are urging their party colleagues to support the Democratic ticket instead of former President Trump.
At a gathering billed as an online rally for “Republicans for Harris,” former elected officials and party leaders made the case for Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Tuesday night.
Former Rep. Denver Riggleman, once a member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, he was a counselor to the House committee investigating the January 6 insurrection. He described Trump as a “compassionate liar” and a “conspiracy theorist.”
“When you see the data and you see the horrible things that I saw — you see the command and control infrastructure on January 6th, there is no way, as a Republican, that I could vote for someone who is anti-Constitution,” Riggleman said.
Several participants in the Republican call for Harris said that while they do not agree with all of Harris’ policies, they believe Trump would endanger American democracy.
“When the Harris team wins and prevents the sudden death of American democracy, we can happily return to debating marginal tax rates and the government’s role in health care, and all the other issues that have defined our politics for generations,” said Craig Snyder, who leads a group called Haley Voters for Harris.
Snyder’s group recently received a cease and desist letter from former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who unsuccessfully ran for the Republican nomination. Noting Harris’s record as a former prosecutor, Snyder said he is trying to drum up Harris’s support among former Haley supporters and other center-right voters, arguing that Harris and Walz will govern from the center-left.
Speakers also sought to cast themselves — rather than Trump supporters — as the true heirs of GOP tradition, invoking former Republican presidents including Ronald Reagan and the Bushes.
Austin Weatherford, National Republican Commitment Harris’s campaign manager noted that President George W. Bush had described Trump as “strange” before Walz applied the term to the Republican candidate.
Rina Shah, a political strategist and former RNC delegate, framed a key voting issue for Democrats this year, abortion rights, in language designed to appeal to small-government conservatives. Shah referred to “draconian bans” backed by Republicans in multiple states after the repeal of Roe vs. Wade in 2022.
“When I see this happening, I think it’s antithetical to the Republican Party I grew up in,” Shah said. “I don’t want government in my backyard, in my bedroom, in my bank account, and certainly not in my doctor’s office.”
Another key theme emerged as overcoming the fear of stigma and rejection from fellow Republicans.
Rosario Marin, who served as U.S. Treasurer under President George W. Bush, described voting for Trump as “unacceptable,” but acknowledged that voting for a Democrat could cause strained relations for some people.
“It’s not easy to vote outside your party,” he said. “You might lose friends. Your neighbors might disagree with you. Family gatherings might get unpleasant. But at the end of the day, I can assure you, you’ll know in your heart that you did the right thing and that it’s a worthy and noble cause.”
Former Illinois Rep. Joe Walsh acknowledged that “it takes a lot of courage” for many Republicans to publicly break with their party, but argued that it is necessary.
“You have to come out and say, ‘I’m a Republican; I’m a conservative and I support Kamala Harris,'” Walsh said. “That takes courage, but remember: Donald Trump is not fit to be president.”
Organizers said more than 70,000 people participated live in the call, during which speakers urged Republican attendees to support Harris through volunteering and public support for her campaign.
