PHOENIX — It was an unlikely DNC viewing party in Phoenix. A couple dozen Republican voters and many lifelong party loyalists gathered to watch the second night of the convention on TV.
They represent a relatively small but very passionate group of conservative voters throwing their support behind Kamala Harris for President.
“The Republican Party today has an incompetent candidate who should not be allowed to be president of the United States ever again,” said Gail Smith, who describes herself as a lifelong “hardcore Republican.”
Ad campaign planned, McCain aid decries Trump
A “Republicans for Harris” advertising campaign is planned to begin next week in the Valley.
“You’ve got Vice President Harris, who has integrity, and you have Donald Trump who has no integrity,” said Wes Gullett, a former aid to Senator John McCain. “Who is going to support the Constitution of the United States? Kamala Harris.”
Gullett has spent his professional life working in conservative politics and even spoke at the Republican National Convention in 2008.
“I hate to see people who have never spent any time in the Republican party taking it over and running it into the ground,” Gullett said.
'Preserving our republic'
Democracy researcher John Carlson is co-founder of the Recovering Truth Project at ASU.
“These are Republicans in exile who are saying, ‘Look, I don’t agree with policy positions of the Democratic party but this is about democracy, preserving our republic’,” Carlson said. “The fact that the party continues to reward those who are willing to lie and deny the truth and punish people like Stephen Richer is very much of a concern they have.”
During a Wednesday speech in North Carolina, Trump repeated complaints about Democrats “cheating” in elections and appeared to once again lay the groundwork for trying to subvert election results in November.
The Department of Justice, Secretaries of State, and judges in more than 40 cases found no evidence of irregularities or evidence of widespread cheating in the 2020 election.
“That’s part of the fundamental commitment of democracy which is, you know how to lose. You commit to being able to play by the rules of the game,” Carlson said. “Those rules have been completely upended.”
'Putting country over party'
Two high-profile Arizona Republicans spoke at the Democratic Convention this week, Mesa Mayor John Giles and former Trump Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham.
Grisham alleged while working closely with the Trump family, the president referred to his supporters as “basement dwellers” and bragged about spreading falsehoods by simply “repeating them over and over” to Americans. The Trump campaign dismissed Grisham’s comments as false and salacious.
Just how many disaffected Republicans vote for Harris could decide the election, Carlson said.
“These are Americans who are asking for a return to civility. They are putting country over party.”
Angry about MAGA but still voting for Trump
One loyal Republican upset over the MAGA movement is torn.
“I have given blood, sweat and tears to the Republican party and to watch what is happening today just breaks my heart,” said Phil Townsend, former Yuma County Republican Party precinct committeeman.
Townsend talked about working closely with Senator McCain and Senator Jon Kyl over the years. He decried a lack of decency and disrespect for the truth among current candidates, including Kari Lake and Abe Hamadeh.
“Just throwing discontent at the elections system and the judiciary, those are two of the critical bases of our nation,” Townsend said.
However, despite Townsend’s disgust over the election denial movement, he said he’s decided to vote for Trump. He said he does not consider the former president a threat to democracy because he did not need to be physically forced out of the White House after President Biden was sworn in.
Townsend said he is also concerned about Harris’ economic agenda which he compared to socialism.
Decision 2024
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