Renegade Republicans campaign for Harris "Trump is unacceptable"

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16.10.2024 - 06:22

Applause for Democrat Harris in the important swing state of Arizona: Republicans there and elsewhere want to prevent their own candidate Trump. What motivates the renegade Republicans?

16.10.2024, 06:22

16.10.2024, 09:50

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Republicans in the swing state of Arizona and elsewhere want to stop their own candidate Donald Trump.
Instead, they are supporting his rival, Democratic candidate and US Vice President Kamala Harris.
Arizona in the south-west of the USA is particularly contested in the election - every vote counts in the swing state. In 2016, Trump won here; in 2020, current US President Joe Biden narrowly won in the state.

Queuing in the blazing sun at 37 degrees means sweating. Helpers hand out water and umbrellas to provide shade. Fortunately, it doesn't take too long for the 150 or so supporters of Democratic US presidential candidate Kamala Harris to find a seat in the event room of a chic golf club in Scottsdale.

The exclusive event in the state of Arizona is not a standard election campaign date for Harris. Here, the Democrat meets conservatives, many of them Republicans, who support her. The reason: Republican Donald Trump is too extreme for them.

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Support for Harris from the conservative camp

Arizona in the southwest of the USA is particularly competitive in the election - every vote counts in the swing state. In 2016, Trump won here; in 2020, current US President Joe Biden narrowly won in the state. Harris and her Republican rival Trump are roughly tied in polls for the election on November 5 in Arizona, with Trump holding a slight average lead in the margin of error.

Democratic US presidential candidate Kamala Harris at a rally at the golf club in Scottsdale in contested Arizona. (October 11, 2024)
Image: Keystone/AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin

According to a recent nationwide poll, the 59-year-old Democrat has recently gained support among Republicans. While three percent of Democratic supporters surveyed would vote for Trump, nine percent of Republicans surveyed said they would vote for Harris. A month earlier, the figure was just five percent.

Trump's harsh rhetoric and radical positions are putting off some supporters in his own party - one prominent example is Liz Cheney, who was ousted from the party leadership. But whether the conservative opponents of Trump can tip the scales in Harris' favor remains to be seen. In any case, Harris is fighting for every vote - because the race could not be closer.

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"Country over party"

At the golf club in Scottsdale near Phoenix, the US Vice President receives a euphoric welcome. "Kamala, Kamala, Kamala", shouts the audience. The motto is "Country over Party". Harris woos the conservatives: "Every one of you had the courage to say: Hey, we may not agree on everything." But certain principles should not be questioned. Harris speaks with admiration about Republican Senator John McCain from Arizona, who died in 2018. In his final years, he had become something of an intimate enemy of Trump. Harris warns that the USA would no longer be taken seriously in the world under Trump. What is needed is a strong America. Applause.

The Democrat takes plenty of time for photos at the end of her short speech. The audience is white and looks rather affluent. An older woman says that she does not make her support for Harris public in her circle of friends. The atmosphere is simply too charged. What drives Republicans to Harris? Three renegades from Arizona report - they know each other from church and about their commitment against Trump:

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Amy Wudel:

"I've been a conservative Republican my whole voting life. I never thought I would not vote for the Republicans," says the Mormon. That changed in 2016, when Trump ran for the Republicans for the first time - and won the presidential election. "He was completely unfit and unacceptable." During the storming of the Capitol on January 6, 2021, "the worst nightmares" came true, says Wudel. Trump is not only a danger to democracy, but to the whole world, as he is guided by dictators.

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Jane Andersen:

"I will vote for Harris, and I'm still a registered Republican," says the late 40-year-old, who is involved in various conservative initiatives. Ultimately, she also listens carefully to religious leaders when making decisions. They would tell her that important criteria for a president are integrity, compassion and service to others - a leader must be united. "I don't see that in Trump, and that's why I definitely won't be voting for him." The Republicans had distanced themselves from her. But she would not be chased out of the party, even if she was sometimes met with anger.

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Clint Smith:

The turning point for Smith was the storming of the Capitol. "I'm a conservative at heart," says the lawyer, who ran unsuccessfully for a seat in the US House of Representatives as an independent in 2022. "The entire Republican leadership just jumped on the bandwagon, even though they knew better," he says of the period after January 6. The leadership had let the party down. Smith fears that Trump would not leave his post after a second term. "And when you think about it, what else is important?" You could argue about anything - abortion or migration. "But for me it's a no-go if you can't respect the rule of law."

Trump loyalist Lake wants to be in the Senate

Smith also believes that the Republicans have lost sight of how to win elections in their adoration of Trump. One prominent example is the party's candidate for the US Senate in Arizona, Kari Lake. The former TV presenter is one of Trump's most ardent supporters, she already wanted to be governor of Arizona - and lost. She does not recognize the defeat and spreads conspiracy theories. Lake is emblematic of the party's radical orientation.

The fact that Lake is even in the race for the important Senate seat, which will also be voted on on November 5, shows how firmly Trump has the party in his grip. In the polls, Lake is clearly behind the Democrat Ruben Gallego - a remarkably liberal candidate for moderate Arizona. Nevertheless, Lake cannot really score points. Like Trump, the 55-year-old is too extreme for some.

But by no means everyone: On a weekend, you can meet her in a sports hall in the town of Tempe, east of Phoenix. Lake arrives 45 minutes late. She presents herself as approachable and watches children's gymnastics exercises, shakes hands and poses for photos. She comes across differently than in her speeches on big stages, in which she lashes out at everyone and everything. Many parents whose children train in the sports hall have come.

"Better honest and mean than nice and deceitful"

But that's not all: 20-year-old Austin Andrews is a Lake supporter. The issues that concern him most are abortion and migration. Arizona borders Mexico - the situation on the border is tense. He accuses Harris of trying to cheat in the election - repeating baseless claims made by Trump. Lake is a "good fighter", he says. Andrews is not put off by Lake's or Trump's harsh rhetoric: "I'd rather have honest people who are mean than nice people who lie."

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