At the Democratic convention, Republicans took the stage to urge their fellow party members to dump Trump and vote for Kamala Harris.
Republican former Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan said, “Let me be clear to my Republican friends at home watching. If you vote for Harris in 2024, you are not a Democrat. You are a patriot.”
Video of Duncan:
Republican former Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, “Let me be clear to my Republican friends at home watching. If you vote for Harris in 2024, you are not a Democrat, you are a patriot.” pic.twitter.com/FtD2wI1xlz
— Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) August 22, 2024
Former Trump administration official Olivia Troye said, “To my fellow Republicans, you are not voting for a Democrat, you are voting for democracy. You are not betraying our party, you are standing up for our country.”
Video:
Former Pence Homeland Security Advisor Oliva Troye, “To my fellow Republicans, you are not voting for a Democrat, you are voting for https://t.co/0cS6eEwnH6 are not betraying our party, you are standing up for our country.” pic.twitter.com/OwZDeBsM3y
— Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) August 22, 2024
These appeals matter because roughly 20% of Trump’s voters are persuadable. Those persuadable Trump voters are probably checking out the Democratic convention, and when they see other Republicans with stories like their own supporting Kamala Harris, it may give them something to think about before they cast their ballots.
There is not going to be a wave of Republicans supporting Kamala Harris, but if she gets even a point or two more, or just enough to tip a swing state her way, the result would be politically fatal for Donald Trump.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association