In an event that would have once seemed unimaginable, Vice President Kamala Harris took the campaign trail with former Republican Congresswoman Liz Cheney in Ripon, Wisconsin, the symbolic birthplace of the Republican Party. On September 3, the two unlikely allies united with a common goal: to prevent former President Donald Trump from returning to the White House. This marked Harris’ most significant effort yet to woo disenchanted Republicans who remain wary of Trump’s influence on their party.

The small town of Ripon, where the GOP was born in 1854 out of a coalition of Whigs, Free Soilers, and Democrats, served as a poignant backdrop. Cheney, the Wyoming conservative known for her staunch criticism of Trump, made a bold declaration during the event. “I will vote for a Democrat for the first time in my life to stop Donald Trump,” she said. Cheney’s words underscored the gravity of her concerns about Trump’s threat to democracy, especially after the January 6 insurrection at the US Capitol.

Cheney, who lost her congressional seat in 2022 after voting to impeach Trump, emphasized that the stakes for the 2024 election are unprecedented. “Our republic faces a threat unlike any we have faced before,” she said, directly referencing Trump’s refusal to accept the lawful results of the 2020 election. Cheney’s decision to align with Harris is a reflection of her deep commitment to preserving democratic norms, even if it means siding with someone whose political views differ sharply from her own.

Harris seized the opportunity to frame the upcoming presidential election as a crucial moment in American history. “One of the most fundamental questions that is facing the American people in this election,” Harris said, “is who will abide by the oath to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States of America?” For Harris, the choice is clear: Trump represents a continuation of the anti-democratic tendencies that led to the January 6 attack, while she and her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, are committed to restoring the integrity of American democracy.

Despite their differences on policy, Harris was quick to highlight her respect for Cheney’s patriotism. “We may not see eye to eye on every issue,” Harris said, “but we are going to get back to a healthy two-party system where we can fiercely debate those issues.” By standing alongside Cheney, Harris presented a vision of political unity that transcends party lines in the face of a perceived existential threat to the country. Cheney, in turn, was visibly supportive during Harris’ remarks, symbolizing their shared mission.

Harris’ strategy to appeal to Republicans disillusioned by Trump has become a cornerstone of her campaign. In addition to Cheney, her campaign has rolled out advertisements featuring endorsements from former Trump supporters, many of whom have had a change of heart since the January 6 insurrection. One such ad featured a former Trump voter who admitted, “Jan. 6 was a wake-up call for me.” This outreach is designed to capture the attention of college-educated and suburban voters who are critical to Harris’ path to victory, particularly as support among working-class voters appears to be weakening.

In a concerning sign for Harris, major labor unions such as the International Association of Fire Fighters and the Teamsters have declined to endorse any candidate for the 2024 election. This shift suggests that Harris may face challenges galvanizing support from traditional Democratic constituencies. To make up for these losses, her campaign is betting on pulling in moderate Republicans and independents-voters who may not have supported her in the past but share her desire to prevent Trump from returning to power.

For Harris, animosity toward Trump is the fuel that keeps her coalition, from establishment figures like Cheney to progressives like Bernie Sanders, united. Cheney’s presence on the campaign trail serves as a powerful rebuttal to Trump’s frequent criticism of Harris as being too far left. By appearing with Cheney, Harris is demonstrating that her campaign is about more than partisan politics-it’s about safeguarding democracy.

The September 3 event also marked the first time Cheney had campaigned alongside Harris since officially endorsing the vice president in August. Cheney’s endorsement came after months of speculation about her political future following her high-profile ouster from the Republican Party. While Cheney’s endorsement of Harris might seem like an anomaly, it is part of a broader pattern of anti-Trump Republicans crossing party lines to endorse Democrats.

In 2020, President Joe Biden’s campaign spotlighted endorsements from Republicans like former Ohio Governor John Kasich. Similarly, during the 2022 midterm elections, several down-ballot Democrats secured the support of Republican officials who found their GOP opponents too extreme. In this election cycle, other prominent anti-Trump Republicans like former Illinois Representative Adam Kinzinger and Arizona’s Mesa Mayor John Giles have echoed Cheney’s sentiment, speaking at Democratic events to warn voters of Trump’s potential return to the presidency.

While these efforts have helped to broaden the Democratic coalition, they have also sparked frustration among progressive Democrats, who fear that the party may be veering too far toward the center to accommodate disaffected Republicans. Nevertheless, Harris and her campaign team are betting that Trump’s divisiveness will be enough to keep their diverse coalition together through November.

Trump, unsurprisingly, has been quick to attack Cheney and Harris. On the same day as the Ripon event, Trump held a rally in Saginaw, Michigan, where he continued to downplay the federal government’s response to Hurricane Helene and launched into a familiar tirade against his political opponents. “Liz Cheney is a stone-cold loser who is so desperate for relevance,” Trump’s spokesperson Steven Cheung said in a statement, further dismissing Cheney’s alliance with Harris as a “pathetic attempt to stay relevant.”

As the 2024 election approaches, the Harris-Cheney alliance highlights the unusual political dynamics at play in this race. What was once unthinkable-liberals and conservatives joining forces to prevent a second Trump term-has become a defining feature of the campaign. Whether Harris’ strategy will succeed in attracting enough moderate Republicans to make up for waning support from traditional Democratic bases remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: the battle lines for 2024 are being drawn in ways that few could have predicted.

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Source: Weekly Blitz :: Writings