Ahead of the 2022 midterm elections, then-Rep. Fred Upton saw the writing on the wall. The Michigan Republican — a relative moderate by contemporary GOP standards — had earned a lot of goodwill over the course of more than three decades on Capitol Hill, but Upton had voted to impeach Donald Trump after the Jan. 6 attack, and he was out of step with his party’s right-wing shift.
And so, the longtime congressman, facing a primary race, announced his retirement. During an appearance on NBC News’ “Meet the Press,” Upton was asked about his party’s direction. The GOP, he replied, was headed into “troubled waters.”
Two years later, Upton endorsed Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign. NBC News reported:
Former Rep. Fred Upton, R-Mich., endorsed Harris for president today, saying in a statement released by the vice president’s campaign that he has ‘never voted for a Democrat for president, until now.’
“More than 30 former GOP 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 cast my ballot for Vice President Kamala Harris to be 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 went on to admonish Trump’s “unhinged behavior.”
Just hours before the former GOP congressman announced his support for Harris, the Democratic vice president also picked up an endorsement from Shawn Reilly, the mayor of Waukesha, Wisconsin.
Reilly was a Republican for most of his life; he represents a city that tends to support GOP candidates; and the mayor has never before endorsed a Democrat. But Reilly told The New York Times that 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 go about it,” the Wisconsin mayor said. “But the reason I’m doing it is because I think we’re at a crossroads. I’m very afraid of the direction our country will head in if Donald Trump becomes president. I think we’ll be heading down a road 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’s also backing the Democratic vice president’s 2024 campaign.
What’s more, as regular readers know, it was just last week when former Republican Rep. Charlie Dent of Pennsylvania said he’d already cast a ballot for Harris. A few days earlier, the Democrat also picked up some endorsements from prominent Wisconsin Republicans, including former state Senate Majority Leader Dale Schultz. A few days before that, Al Cárdenas, the former chair of the Florida Republican Party, announced his support for Harris.
If you’re thinking that the list of Republicans backing the Democratic ticket is getting pretty long, it’s not your imagination. Indeed, as the Harris campaign and its allies focus heavily on reaching out to independents and disaffected GOP voters, Republicans for Harris has become a surprisingly effective force, backed by former members of Congress, governors, state lawmakers, cabinet secretaries, White House staffers and even a former Republican vice president who probably never dreamed he’d be backing a Democratic presidential candidate.
I realize that some in the GOP, such as Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, want to know “what the hell” these anti-Trump Republicans are thinking, but what Americans are witnessing is an extraordinary display of patriotism from current and former officeholders, each of whom is putting country above party.
What’s more, let’s not overlook the fact that these same Republicans are taking a risk: They know, just as we all know, that Trump believes in using the levers of power to retaliate against those on his enemies list. It’s entirely possible that folks like Upton, Reilly, Liz Cheney and others will feel the former president’s wrath if he returns to power.
But with the nation’s future on the line, they’re doing it anyway.
This post updates our related earlier coverage.
