'We're not going back': Some Never-Trump Republicans embrace Harris' 'top cop' persona

Source: NBC News

July 26, 2024, 12:38 PM EDT


WASHINGTON — The surge of excitement around Kamala Harris has locked in powerful interest groups and unions, cemented titans of Wall Street and Hollywood, and captured "coconut-pilled" progressives and Joe Biden campaign aides alike.

But Harris’ rapid ascent to the top of the Democratic ticket is also animating another important coalition of voters: former Republicans more desperate than ever to turn the page on Donald Trump.

Biden, with a decadeslong record in office, had offered them a moderate who promised to court compromise in Washington. Now, those anti-Trump Republicans are measuring up Harris, trying to determine whether she, too, can appeal to the center with her own policy proposals and with her pick for a running mate.

Already, Harris has notched Republican support from former Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan. Former New Jersey Gov. Christine Todd Whitman, a Republican, endorsed Biden in 2020. After launching a third party in 2022, Whitman said she is now all in for Harris. “It’s a totally different race, and the idea of a prosecutor against a convicted felon is a very appealing one from an ad point of view,” Whitman said.

Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/-not-going-back-never-trump-republicans-embrace-harris-top-cop-persona-rcna163747