Ahead of the 2022 midterm elections, then-Rep. Fred Upton saw the writing on the wall. The Michigan Republican — relatively moderate by today’s Republican Party standards — had earned a lot of goodwill on Capitol Hill over more than three decades, but Upton had voted to impeach Donald Trump after the Jan. 6 attack, and he was locked out. step with his party’s rightward shift.
And so, faced with a primary, the longtime congressman announced his retirement. During an appearance on NBC News’ Meet the Press, Upton was asked about his party’s direction. The Republican Party, he responded, was heading into “murky waters.”
Two years later, Upton supported Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign. NBC News reported:
Former Rep. Fred Upton, R-Mich., today endorsed Harris for president, saying in a statement from the vice president’s campaign that he has “never voted for a Democrat for president until now.”
“More than thirty former Republican members of Congress have now publicly stated that they will not support the former president and will vote for VP Harris. I am proud to add my name to that list as I have already voted for Vice President Kamala Harris as our next President of the United States,” the Michigan Republican said in a written statement.
After emphasizing the importance of the Jan. 6 attack, Upton admonished Trump’s “unhinged behavior.”
Just hours before the former Republican congressman announced his support for Harris, the Democratic vice president also received a message of support from Shawn Reilly, the mayor of Waukesha, Wis.
Reilly was a Republican most of his life; he represents a city that tends to support GOP candidates; and the mayor has never endorsed a Democrat before. But Reilly told The New York Times he believes the 2024 election cycle is unique.
“It’s very easy to not even stick your nose in this — that’s the easiest way to handle it,” the Wisconsin mayor said. “But the reason I’m doing it is because I think we’re at a crossroads. I am very afraid of the direction our country will take if Donald Trump becomes president. I think we will go down a path of authoritarianism and fascism.”
A day earlier, Ann Veneman, a member of George W. Bush’s cabinet and the first woman to lead the Department of Agriculture, announced that she is also supporting the Democratic vice president’s 2024 campaign.
Moreover, as regular readers know, it was only a week ago that former Republican Rep. Charlie Dent of Pennsylvania said he had already voted for Harris. A few days earlier, the Democrat also received some endorsements from prominent Wisconsin Republicans, including former Senate Majority Leader Dale Schultz. A few days earlier, Al Cárdenas, the former chairman of the Republican Party of Florida, announced his support for Harris.
If you think the list of Republicans supporting the Democratic ticket is going to be quite long, that’s not your imagination. While the Harris campaign and its allies focus heavily on reaching independents and disaffected Republican voters, Republicans have become a surprisingly effective force for Harris, backed by former members of Congress, governors, state legislators, Cabinet secretaries, White House staffers , and even a former Republican vice president who probably never dreamed he would support a Democratic presidential candidate.
I realize that some in the Republican Party, like Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, want to know “what the hell” these anti-Trump Republicans are thinking, but what Americans are seeing is an extraordinary display of patriotism from current and former officeholders. , who put each country above party.
Moreover, let’s not overlook that these same Republicans are taking a risk: they know, just as we all know, that Trump believes in using the tools of power to exact revenge on those on his enemies list. It’s entirely possible that the likes of Fred Upton, Shawn Reilly, Liz Cheney and others will feel the former president’s wrath if he returns to power.
But with the country’s future at stake, they do it anyway.
This message updates our related previous reporting.
This article was originally published on MSNBC.com
