The Conservatives of Conscience, 2024
As in 2020, hundreds of prominent Republicans are endorsing the Democratic candidate for President, an unprecedented effort to convey the existential stakes for America.
Shortly before the 2016 presidential election, David Frum, the former speechwriter for George W. Bush, argued the conservative case for supporting Hillary Clinton, urging voters to see beyond the blinders of tribalism and realize the danger in their midst. “To vote for Trump as a protest against Clinton’s faults,” he wrote, “would be like amputating a leg because of a sliver in the toe; cutting one’s throat to lower one’s blood pressure.” Frum was adamant, that is, that Republicans not lose perspective, given that party-controlled outlets like Fox News Channel were clouding their judgment, and leading many to support someone who was neither conservative nor qualified.
By 2020, having witnessed the consequences of their inaction in 2016, hundreds of other prominent Republicans broke with their party for the first time and endorsed a Democrat. That fall, I published an assortment of their quotes, which were astonishing in their breadth and moral clarity. The arguments these Republicans made—months before January 6th—amounted to an extraordinary indictment of both Trump and the media ecosystem that had abetted his rise.
Now, in 2024, this unprecedented cross-party effort continues, with even figures like former Vice President Dick Cheney warning that Trump poses a greater danger to the republic than anyone in its 246-year history. I’ve again collected some of these endorsements, which, with the race essentially tied, have taken on a new urgency. As these arguments attest, a vital task of 2024 is to restore conservatism and patriotism to the G.O.P. by showing that embracing authoritarianism and lies—and pretending that the flaws of a candidate like Kamala Harris are remotely comparable—is the road to ruin.
Former Vice President Dick Cheney: “In our nation's 246-year history, there has never been an individual who is a greater threat to our republic than Donald Trump. He tried to steal the last election using lies and violence to keep himself in power after the voters had rejected him. He can never be trusted with power again. As citizens, we each have a duty to put country above partisanship to defend our Constitution. That is why I will be casting my vote for Vice President Kamala Harris.”
More than 230 Republicans who worked for President George W. Bush, Senator Mitt Romney, or the late Senator John McCain: “At home, another four years of Donald Trump’s chaotic leadership, this time focused on advancing the dangerous goals of Project 2025, will hurt real, everyday people and weaken our sacred institutions. Abroad, democratic movements will be irreparably jeopardized as Trump and his acolyte JD Vance kowtow to dictators like Vladimir Putin while turning their backs on our allies. We can’t let that happen.”
111 former G.O.P officials, including Congressmen, defense secretaries, C.I.A. directors, and other national security officials, in an open letter: “We expect to disagree with Kamala Harris on many domestic and foreign policy issues, but we believe that she possesses the essential qualities to serve as President and Donald Trump does not… As President, [Trump] promoted daily chaos in government, praised our enemies and undermined our allies, politicized the military and disparaged our veterans, prioritized his personal interest above American interests, and betrayed our values, democracy, and this country's founding documents… Vice President Harris has demonstrated a commitment to upholding the ideals that define our nation—freedom, democracy, and rule of law… [W]e urge other Americans to join us in supporting her.”
A dozen Republican lawyers who served in the administrations of Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, and George W. Bush: “Returning former President Trump to office would threaten American democracy and undermine the rule of law in our country… [W]e urge all patriotic Republicans, former Republicans, conservative and center-right citizens, and independent voters to place love of country above party and ideology and join us in supporting Kamala Harris.”
Liz Cheney, former chair of the House Republican Conference: “I have never voted for a Democrat, but this year I am proudly casting my vote for Vice President Kamala Harris… [The United States] faces a threat unlike any we have faced before… In this election, putting patriotism ahead of partisanship is not an aspiration. It is our duty.”
Michael Luttig, the eminent conservative legal scholar and judge: “America’s two political parties are the political guardians of American Democracy. Regrettably, in the presidential election of 2024 there is only one political party and one candidate for the presidency that can claim the mantle of defender and protector of America’s Democracy, the Constitution, and the Rule of Law… In voting for Vice President Harris, I assume that her public policy views are vastly different from my own, but I am indifferent in this election as to her policy views on any issues other than America’s Democracy, the Constitution, and the Rule of Law, as I believe all Americans should be.”
Adam Kinzinger, former member of the House of Representatives: “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… As a conservative and a veteran, I believe true strength lies in defending the vulnerable. It’s in protecting your family. It’s in standing up for our Constitution and our democracy. That—that is the soul of being a conservative. It used to be the soul of being a Republican. But Donald Trump has suffocated the soul of the Republican Party. 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.”
Seventeen former staff members of Ronald Reagan: “President Ronald Reagan famously spoke about a ‘Time for Choosing.’ While he is not here to experience the current moment, we who worked for him in the White House, in the administration, in campaigns and on his personal staff, know he would join us in supporting the Harris-Walz ticket.”
Geoff Duncan, the former Georgia Republican Lt. Governor: “If Republicans are being intellectually honest with ourselves, our party is not civil or conservative. It’s chaotic and crazy. And the only thing left to do is dump Trump… If you vote for Kamala Harris in 2024 you're not a Democrat, you're a patriot.”
Bob Inglis, former six-term South Carolina Congressman: “Donald Trump is a clear and present danger to the republic… My party needs to restore its rationality to be the credible free enterprise, small government party again.”
Alberto Gonzales, who served as Attorney General under George W. Bush: “I can’t sit quietly as Donald Trump—perhaps the most serious threat to the rule of law in a generation—eyes a return to the White House. For that reason, though I’m a Republican, I’ve decided to support Kamala Harris for president.”
Jeff Flake, former Arizona Senator: “In times like these, there is nothing more conservative than putting country over party.”
David French, conservative author: “How many Republicans would have predicted that voting for a Democrat would be the best way to confront violent Russian aggression and that the Republican would probably yield to a Russian advance? In many ways, the most concretely conservative action I can take in this election is to vote for the candidate who will stand against Vladimir Putin...
“I’m often asked by Trump voters if I’m ‘still conservative,’ and I respond that I can’t vote for Trump precisely because I am conservative... The only real hope for restoring a conservatism that values integrity, demonstrates real compassion and defends our foundational constitutional principles isn’t to try to make the best of Trump, a man who values only himself. If he wins again, it will validate his cruelty and his ideological transformation of the Republican Party. If Harris wins, the West will still stand against Vladimir Putin, and conservative Americans will have a chance to build something decent from the ruins of a party that was once a force for genuine good in American life.”
Peter Wehner: “I served in three Republican administrations, including as a senior adviser in the White House under President George W. Bush, and voted Republican in nine consecutive presidential elections, beginning with Mr. Reagan in 1980. My political tribe was Republican; so were most of my friends. To see what the G.O.P. has become is mortifying. As someone who loves America, I find it terrifying... The Republican Party keeps getting darker. It has become anti-intellectual, conspiracy-minded and authoritarian, intemperate and brutish, transgressive and anarchistic. And there’s no end in sight. Mr. Trump is a human blowtorch, prepared to burn down democracy. So is his party. When there’s no bottom, there’s no bottom.”
George Will, conservative icon: “The restoration of normal politics will require two things: The removal of Donald Trump—that Krakatau of volcanic, incoherent, fact-free bombast—from public life. And the rekindling of an irrepressible conflict. It is between progressivism, of which Kamala Harris is full to overflowing, and actual conservatism, about which Trump is contemptuous.”
Stephanie Grisham, former Trump White House press secretary: “I was one of his closest advisers. The Trump family became my family… He has no empathy, no morals and no fidelity to the truth. He used to tell me, ‘It doesn't matter what you say, Stephanie. Say it enough and people will believe you.’ But it does matter. What you say matters and what you don't say matters… Now, here I am at a podium advocating for a Democrat, and that's because I love my country more than my party.”
Olivia Troye, former homeland security aide to Vice President Mike Pence: “I saw how Donald Trump undermined our intelligence community, our military leaders and, ultimately, our democratic process… Being inside Trump's White House was terrifying, but what keeps me up at night is what will happen if he gets back there.”
Mona Charen, author of the 2003 book Useful Idiots: How Liberals Got it Wrong in the Cold War and Still Blame America First: “The past few years have not only called into question some conservative dogmas; they have also caused me to reflect on what conservatives should be conserving. It’s not tax policy or small government or a vigorous defense posture. Those are important matters, but they pale in comparison to the overriding task of conserving the Founding. That means ensuring that the rule of law and the constitutional system we were bequeathed is preserved and handed down to our descendants. That goal, which conservatives should share with all Americans, is simply incompatible with voting for Donald Trump.”
Sarah Matthews, former Trump White House aide: “My sole reasoning is the Constitution. Donald Trump has shown us that he will not uphold it. We cannot trust him to defend it… That is why I'm casting my vote for Kamala.”
Mark Salter, former chief of staff to John McCain: “If he’s again elected President, he’ll lie every day he’s in office. When Russia conquers all of Ukraine after he cuts off support for brave Ukraine, and Putin turns his attention to the Baltics and Poland, and invades their territory, Trump will lie about who’s responsible and blame the victims, our allies. When Xi Jinping gives the order for China to invade Taiwan, he’ll blame Taiwan for not listening to him, and wash his hands of the affair, leaving Asia far more dangerous for us and unstable than it is now… I’m voting for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz… They know the difference between right and wrong.”
Greg Brower, a former Republican state senator who served as U.S. attorney for Nevada under President George W. Bush: “We can have policy debates, but we need to preserve our democracy in a meaningful way if we’re going to have those debates… It’s really just kind of a sense of right and wrong, and ethics, and decency.”
Two dozen current and former Wisconsin Republican officials: “To ensure our democracy and our economy remain strong for another four years, we must elect Kamala Harris and Tim Walz to the White House. We have plenty of policy disagreements with Vice President Harris. But what we do agree upon is more important.”
Steve Schmidt, John McCain’s 2008 campaign manager and former Republican: “MAGA is fascism, and like all fascist movements, it is sustained by lies, deception, propaganda, grievance, and anger.”
Robert A.G. Monks, Ken Cole, and Ted O’Meara, former chairs of the Maine Republican Party: “We believe another Trump presidency would make our world a far more dangerous place.”
More than 700 national security leaders from both parties: “This election is a choice between serious leadership and vengeful impulsiveness. It is a choice between democracy and authoritarianism. Vice President Harris defends America’s democratic ideals, while former President Donald Trump endangers them.” (The famed Army general Stanley McChrystal also endorsed Harris.)
Mark A. Milley, the army general whom Trump appointed as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff: “He is now the most dangerous person to this country—a fascist to the core.”
John Kelly, the former Marine general and Trump’s longest-serving chief of staff: “He certainly falls into the general definition of fascist, for sure.”
Andrew Sullivan, conservative author: “Trump is not just toxic for America; he has proven toxic for conservatism at a moment when we desperately need its realism, its sobriety, and its core instinct for order and stability… [I]f a conservative future is possible, it will only emerge from rejecting and ejecting him and his despicable character.”
Alyssa Farah Griffin, Cassidy Hutchinson, and Sarah Matthews, former Trump White House aids, who warn about “the threat Donald Trump poses to democracy and the rule of law.”
Fred Upton, who served three decades as a Republican in the House: “I’ve never before voted for a Democrat for president, and I honestly never thought I would. But she’s a strong, committed public servant… It’s often said that the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing. In this race, in this defining moment for our democracy, it’s simply not an option to do nothing.”
David Frum, in a piece that’s the apotheosis of his heroic work during the Trump era: “Something revolutionary has happened inside the Republican Party: If you placed your faith and loyalty in Reagan and Bush’s party of freedom, you need to accept that the party of Trump and Vance has rejected your ideals, discarded your heroes, defiled your most cherished political memories. This GOP is something new and different and ugly, and you owe it nothing...
“In 1860, Americans voted on whether to remain one country or to split over slavery. In 1964, Americans voted on whether to defend equal rights before the law. So also will the election of 2024 turn on one ultimate question: whether to protect our constitutional democracy or submit to a presidency that wants to reorder the United States in such a way that it will become one of the world’s reactionary authoritarian regimes.
“Some rationalizers for Trump want to deceive you that you face an unhappy choice between two equally difficult extremes. That is untrue. One choice, the Trump choice, deviates from the path of constitutional democracy toward a murky and sinister future. The other choice allows the United States to continue its cautious progress along the lines marked by the Declaration of Independence and the Fourteenth Amendment toward the aspiration of a ‘more perfect union.’”
Dan Wolf, a New Hampshire state representative: “To my fellow Republicans and independent voters in New Hampshire, I urge you to cast a vote on behalf of our democracy—a vote for Harris. You don't have to tell anyone, although you can. You don't have to speak out, although you should. But when it comes time to vote in November, let's do the right thing and stand up for our country and Constitution.”
Also noteworthy:
Eighty-two American Nobel Prize winners, in an open letter: “This is the most consequential presidential election in a long time, perhaps ever, for the future of science and the United States. We, the undersigned, strongly support Harris.”
The Economist, the center-right magazine: “Trump poses an unacceptable risk to America and the world.”
Jon Meacham, the historian, articulating something I’ve tried to convey to people close to me in North Carolina for many years: “To me it is beyond clear that people who revered Reagan, people who voted for the Bushes, who voted for McCain, who voted for Romney, this is not your guy, this is not your party. Don't just stay out of lassitude or some kind of old loyalty because it's not the same institution. Liz Cheney has argued it. So many people have argued it. Just believe the evidence of your own eyes.”
I’d like to sign off a little differently, with images rather than words. Here are a few paintings from young Ukrainian refugees in Warsaw, whom I met during my reporting trips to Poland the last two years. They’d made these to thank Americans for their support, both militarily and with humanitarian aid. Some had fathers on the front line; some were orphans being raised by a grandparent. What America meant to these kids is something I’ll never forget.
I think of them whenever the topic of the election comes up, as the fate of their country—and whether America continues to be a beacon of light to the world—may depend on the outcome.
