In a significant political development, former Republican Representative Adam Kinzinger has publicly endorsed President Joe Biden, urging anti-Trump Republicans to support Biden in the upcoming election. Kinzinger’s endorsement highlights a growing divide within the Republican Party, particularly among those who oppose former President Donald Trump but are hesitant to back a Democratic candidate.
Kinzinger, who did not seek re-election in the 2022 midterms, has been a vocal critic of Trump, especially following the January 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. He was one of two Republicans who served on the House committee investigating the attack. In a recent statement, Kinzinger emphasized that while he does not agree with all of Biden’s policies, he believes Biden is not a threat to democracy, unlike Trump.
“While I don’t agree with all of Joe Biden’s policies, he’s not out to get democracy, so I intend to vote for him,” Kinzinger said. “Even if he was like Elizabeth Warren, a little further left, he would not be a threat to democracy. But he’s probably fairly moderate in Democratic terms lately. I certainly don’t think he’s as big of a threat as Trump is.”
Kinzinger’s endorsement comes at a time when Trump has already secured the Republican nomination for the 2024 presidential election, despite facing 88 criminal charges. Trump’s nomination has left many Republicans in a quandary, torn between their opposition to Trump and their reluctance to support a Democratic candidate.
This internal conflict is evident among other prominent Republicans. Former Vice President Mike Pence, for instance, has stated that he would not support Trump but also made it clear that he would never vote for Biden. Similarly, former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and former House Speaker Paul Ryan have expressed their disdain for Trump but have stopped short of endorsing Biden.
Christie, who ran against Trump in the Republican primary elections, recently said, “President Biden, in my view, is past the sell-by date.” Ryan echoed similar sentiments, stating, “Character is too important to me, and it’s a job that requires the kind of character that [Trump] just doesn’t have. Having said that, I really disagree with [Biden] on policy.”
Critics argue that this stance of opposing Trump without endorsing Biden creates a false equivalence between the two candidates. Joe Walsh, a former Republican congressman and Tea Party activist turned Trump critic, called this position “cowardly.” Walsh, who challenged Trump in the 2020 Republican primary, said, “If, as a Republican, you say I’m voting for Joe Biden because Trump is unfit, you end your career as a Republican.”
Kinzinger’s endorsement of Biden is seen as a courageous move, given the potential backlash from his own party. He joins a small but growing group of Republicans who are willing to cross party lines to prevent a Trump presidency. This group includes Geoff Duncan, a former lieutenant governor of Georgia, who recently endorsed Biden and urged fellow Republicans to do the same. Duncan wrote in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, “I am voting for a decent person I disagree with on policy over a criminal defendant without a moral compass.”
Bill Kristol, a former Reagan administration official and director of the Defending Democracy Together advocacy organization, has also endorsed Biden. Kristol described Biden as a “conventional Democrat” and “better than I expected on some things, especially foreign policy.”
However, not all anti-Trump Republicans are willing to take this step. Senator Mitt Romney of Utah, who twice voted to convict Trump at his impeachment trials, has not yet made clear whether he will back Biden. Liz Cheney, who lost her seat in Congress to a Trump-backed rival, has also not decided whether to formally endorse Biden, although she has been vocal about the dangers posed by Trump.
On the other hand, some Republicans who initially opposed Trump have now decided to support him. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who criticized Trump after the January 6 insurrection, has endorsed Trump for president. Bill Barr, a former attorney general who once said Trump “shouldn’t be anywhere near the Oval Office,” has also declared his support for Trump, arguing that Trump would do less damage than Biden.
Chris Sununu, the governor of New Hampshire, who backed Nikki Haley during the Republican primaries, now supports Trump in the general election. Sununu explained, “I’ll take a Republican administration over this progressive, leftwing socialist administration any day of the week.”
Kurt Bardella, a Democratic strategist and former Republican spokesperson, criticized Republicans who refuse to support Biden while opposing Trump. “You cannot make the case credibly that you are concerned for the health of democracy and then lend your support and, more importantly, your vote to the architect of the undoing of democracy,” Bardella said.
As the 2024 election approaches, the Republican Party remains deeply divided over Trump. Kinzinger’s endorsement of Biden is a significant development, highlighting the moral and political dilemmas faced by anti-Trump Republicans. Whether more Republicans will follow Kinzinger’s lead remains to be seen, but his endorsement underscores the high stakes of the upcoming election and the ongoing battle for the soul of the Republican Party.
Source: The Guardian, Roll Call
