September 7, 2024
Vice President Harris’s campaign is seeking to highlight support from prominent anti-Trump Republicans ahead of November as she looks to expand her base of support.
On Wednesday, Harris gained her biggest backing of a Republican to date when former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) said that she would vote for Harris. Multiple Harris campaign officials shared the remarks on X, with the campaign saying it was “proud to have earned” the endorsement. On Friday, Cheney said that her father, former Vice President Dick Cheney, also planned to vote for Harris.
The Harris campaign has also touted support from over 200 former GOP staffers for the past four Republican presidential nominees, following several high-profile anti-Trump Republicans, including former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.), taking prominent speaking roles at the Democratic Convention.
Democrats and anti-Trump GOP groups say they are not expecting to make major inroads among Republicans but rather use a “permission structure” to let moderate Republicans and center-right independents show that someone does not have to be a liberal or even a Democrat to vote for a Democratic candidate.
“There is a sense of party identity that is very real,” said Olivia Troye, a former national security adviser to former Vice President Mike Pence and Republicans for Harris surrogate.
“It’s saying, I understand where you’re coming from,” she said. “Yes, I know it’s hard to walk away from your party, especially in this moment, but maybe if we all band together … you take a stand together and maybe that’s how you will impact change even within our own party.”
Story Continues
R&I – TP
Bugs Marlowe