CHICAGO — Along with a massive pep rally and a chance to hear from pop stars and their presidential nominee, Democrats attending and watching their party’s national convention got a lesson this week in how to approach persuadable swing or conservative voters who may not love Donald Trump, but have reservations about backing Kamala Harris.
The lesson came from Republicans, several of whom were given prime-time speaking slots to hammer the former president for his attempts to hold onto power after losing the 2020 election, and his behavior before and during the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol by his supporters.
These Republican speeches culminated in former Rep. Adam Kinzinger’s prime time Thursday speech. Kinzinger, who is from Illinois and was one of just two Republicans who served on the House committee that investigated the insurrection, said that our democracy was “frayed” by Jan. 6.
“That day, I stood witness to profound sorrow — the desecration of our sacred tradition of peaceful transfer of power, tarnished by a man too fragile, vain and weak to accept defeat,” Kinzinger said. “How can a party claim to be patriotic if it idolizes a man who tried to overthrow a free and fair election?”
The crowd treated the former congressman to cheers of “USA! USA!” while waving American flags.
Kinzinger’s speech was one of the last of the convention, with only Maya Harris, Vice President Harris’ sister; North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper and Harris herself following him. First elected in 2010, Kinzinger served on the Foreign Affairs Committee in the House. He was one of the 10 Republicans who voted to impeach Trump in 2021, and did not seek reelection in 2022.
Kinzinger, who had endorsed President Joe Biden in January, said he has differences with Harris, but they pale in comparison to their shared values.
“I know Kamala Harris shares my allegiance to the rule of law, the Constitution and democracy,” Kinzinger said. “And she is dedicated to upholding all three in service to our country.”
The attack on the Capitol was also a central theme of former Trump White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham’s appearance on Tuesday. Grisham served as then-first lady Melania Trump’s chief of staff before resigning in the aftermath of Jan. 6.
She said on Jan. 6, she asked Melania Trump if she should tweet that there was no place for lawlessness or violence, which Melania Trump refused to do.
Grisham said the former president called his supporters “basement dwellers” and was once upset on a hospital visit that the cameras were not solely focused on him.
“He has no empathy, no morals, and no fidelity to the truth,” she said.
Another former administration official, Oliva Troye, who advised Vice President Mike Pence on national security issues, said Trump undermined the intelligence community, military leaders and the democratic process.
“It’s his M.O., to sow doubt and division. That’s what Trump wants, because that’s the only way he wins,” she said. “And that’s what our adversaries want, because it’s the only way they win.”
Troye said her family values as a Latina growing up in Texas where the Fourth of July “was our most sacred holiday” made her a Republican.
“They’re the same values that make me proud to support Kamala Harris, not because we agree on every issue, but because we agree on the most important issue protecting our freedom. So to my fellow Republicans, you aren’t voting for a Democrat, you’re voting for democracy. You aren’t betraying our party, you’re standing up for our country,” Troye said
Former Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan had a front-row seat to Trump’s efforts to reverse the results of the 2020 election in his home state, and said Wednesday that Trump should not return to office.
“I realized Trump was a direct threat to democracy, and his actions disqualified himself from ever, ever, ever stepping foot into the Oval Office again,” Duncan said.
Harris is a “steady hand and will bring leadership to the White House that Donald Trump could never do,” he said.
“If Republicans are being intellectually honest with ourselves, our party is not civil or conservative,” he said. “It’s chaotic and crazy, and the only thing left to do is dump Trump.”
The Trump campaign’s counter-programming in Chicago has hammered home a message that Democrats are focusing too much on Trump and not enough on the issues that matter to voters.
“The Dems… are focused on Trump rather than inflation, the border, or public safety.” Brian Hughes, Trump campaign senior adviser, said Tuesday. “Obviously their convention is about who they are running against, rather than what they are running for. We’re here to remind folks what Donald Trump is running for.”
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