Former Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger in his Democratic Nationwide Conference speech that “Donald Trump has suffocated the soul of the Republican Get together,” endorsing Democrat Kamala Harris for president.
“His fundamental weakness has coursed through my party like an illness, sapping our strength, softening our spine, whipping us into a fever that has untethered us from our values,” he mentioned.
Kinzinger, who represented Illinois in Congress from 2011 to 2023, directed his speech to not the Democrats in Chicago’s United Heart Thursday night time, however to members of his personal get together.
“I’ve learned something about the Democratic Party, and I want to let my fellow Republicans in on the secret,” he mentioned. “The Democrats are as patriotic as us. They love this country just as much as we do. And they are as eager to defend American values at home and abroad as we conservatives have ever been.”
“I’ve learned something about my party, too. Something I couldn’t ignore,” he continued. “The Republican Party is no longer conservative. It has switched its allegiance. From the principles that gave it purpose, to a man whose only purpose is himself.”
Kinzinger, who in his speech mentioned he “still hold[s] onto the label” of Republican, was a Trump critic earlier than the Jan. 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol.
Within the wake of the violent riot, Kinzinger was one in all solely ten Republicans to vote to question Trump within the former president’s second impeachment trial.
Kinzinger additionally voted to create, after which sat on, the choose committee to analyze the Jan. 6 riot. He and former Rep. Liz Cheney had been the one Republicans on the committee.
U.S. Consultant Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) speaks subsequent to chairman U.S. Consultant Bennie Thompson (D-MS) in the course of the fifth of eight deliberate public hearings of the U.S. Home Choose Committee to analyze the January 6 Assault on the U.S. Capitol, on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S. June 23, 2022.
Jonathan Ernst | Reuters
“Our democracy was frayed by the events of January 6th, as Donald Trump’s deceit and dishonor led to a siege on the United States Capitol,” he mentioned. “How can a party claim to be patriotic if it idolizes a man who tried to overthrow a free and fair election?”
Kinzinger, who in June endorsed Democrat Joe Biden earlier than the president dropped his bid for reelection, was not the primary Republican to talk at this yr’s Democratic conference.
A number of former Trump voters and staffers spoke on the DNC this week, endorsing Harris in an effort to persuade their fellow Republicans to vote in opposition to their get together and its chief.
“Democracy knows no party,” Kinzinger mentioned. “It is a living, breathing ideal that defines us as a nation. It is the bedrock that separates us from tyranny — and when that foundation is fractured, we must all stand united to strengthen it.”
“If you think those principles are worth defending, I urge you: Make the right choice. Vote for our bedrock values. Vote for Kamala Harris.”
