Vice President and Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris speaks during a "Country Over Party" campaign event at Washington Crossing Historic Park in Philadelphia, PA on Wednesday, October 16, 2024. Standing behind her in the front row, from left to right, former homeland security advisor to the Trump Administration, Olivia Troy, former Republican Congressman Jim Greenwood, former Republican Lt. Gov. of Georgia Geoff Duncan, former Republican Congressman Adam Kinzinger. (Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI)
Kamala Harris campaigned with anti-Trump Republicans such as former Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, former Congressmen Adam Kinzinger of Illinois and Jim Greenwood of Pennsylvania, and Trump administration homeland security adviser Olivia Troye during a “Country Over Party” rally at Washington Crossing Historic Park in Philadelphia on Wednesday, Oct. 16.
“Donald Trump is a direct threat to democracy,” said Duncan, a lifelong Republican who has criticized the former president’s effects on the GOP. “I had a front-row seat in Georgia and watched his willingness to lie, cheat and steal to try to stay in power in 2020. There is nothing he’s not willing to do or say to stay in power, including the tragic events of January 6.”
Duncan is referring to, among other things, Trumps call to the Secretary of State to ask him to "find 11,780 votes."
Troye resigned from the Trump administration in 2020, expressing dissatisfaction with its handling of the pandemic. She became an outspoken critic of Trump, particularly condemning his approach to the pandemic and national security.
“I’m a lifelong Republican,” Troye said. “As a member of the Trump administration, I witness his disregard for the American people and his disregard for the rule of law. I had a front-row seat to the damage Trump caused in his first term, and I can say confidently, without any hesitation, that he is too dangerous to get anywhere near the Oval Office again.”
Kinzinger’s opposition to Trump stems primarily from the events of Jan. 6, 2021, and Trump’s continued influence on the GOP. As one of two Republicans on the House select committee that examined Jan. 6 — Liz Cheney was the other — Kinzinger played a central role in investigating the Capitol riot.
“Donald Trump may be running as a Republican, but the truth is he does not hold those long-held Republican values of supporting democracy, of standing for the rule of law and of faithfulness to the Constitution,” Kinzinger said. “Democracy knows no party. Democracy is a living, breathing ideal that defines us as a nation. It is the bedrock of what separates us from tyranny, and when that foundation is fractured, we must stand united to strengthen it.”
Greenwood spoke about why he is leading Republicans for Harris efforts in Pennsylvania. “I have supported every Republican nominee for president from Richard Nixon to Mitt Romney,” Greenwood said. “[Trump] has lied about losing the 2020 election for four years. He summoned his mob to Washington on January 6, and he sat in the White House watching on television as his thugs brutalized law enforcement officers and threatened members of Congress and the vice president for three hours, and he did nothing to stop the carnage.”
Trump’s election lies and the defections of former staffers have guided Greenwood’s decision, he said. “Nothing could undermine our democracy more than for hundreds of millions of American to believe that our elections are rigged. Never in history before have so many Cabinet members, chiefs of staff, miliary leaders, close associates and even the vice president himself judged a president to be dangerous and unfit for office.”
Finally, Harris spoke to an enthusiastic crowd of Republicans supporting her candidacy. "I pledge to you to be a president who is realistic and practical and has common sense and to always fight for the American people," she said. "I want to fix problems, which means working across the aisle. It requires working across the aisle. It requires embracing good ideas from wherever they come. That is why I have pledged to appoint a Republican in my cabinet."
The refusal of these Republican officials to support Trump’s 2024 candidacy reflects the division within the Republican Party and highlights the broader concerns about Trump’s leadership. As the election cycle progresses, these voices add to the call for new leadership and a departure from the former president’s approach.
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