PHOENIX — A Valley mayor spoke at the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday night.
The twist? He's a Republican.
Mesa Mayor John Giles is just one of a group of Republicans in Arizona endorsing Kamala Harris for president.
Why are they endorsing the Democratic ticket?
"They’re not Donald Trump," Mesa Mayor John Giles said while speaking at a Republicans for Harris event in early August.
On Tuesday night at the DNC, Giles spoke about the Republican party's changes over the years, saying he is more comfortable speaking in front of a room full of Democrats than he is in the Republican party.
"I have a confession to make. I'm a lifelong Republican, so, I feel a little out of place tonight but I feel more at home here than in today's Republican party," Giles said. "The Grand Old Party has been kidnapped by extremists and devolved into a cult: The cult of Donald Trump."
Giles echoed a beloved Arizona politician in his reasoning for supporting the Democratic ticket.
"My hero, John McCain, taught us to put country over party and that's how Vice President Harris and Governor Walz will lead, too," Giles said. "John McCain's Republican party is gone and we don't owe a damn thing to what's been left behind."
Giles also credited President Joe Biden and Vice President Harris for economic growth in Mesa.
"My city of Mesa, Arizona, is on the move. I'm going to ribbon cuttings every single week all because Joe Biden and Kamala Harris reached across the aisle and they delivered for my conservative community and countless more across the country," Giles said.
Read his full speech from the DNC below:
I have a confession to make. I'm a lifelong Republican, so, I feel a little out of place tonight but I feel more at home here than in today's Republican party. The Grand Old Party has been kidnapped by extremists and devolved into a cult: The cult of Donald Trump.
Trump doesn't know the first thing about public service. Like a child, he acts purely out of self-interest.
We all need an adult in the White House and we have seen what happens when we don't have one. Trump made a lot of lofty promises: Unlimited economic growth, American manufacturing reborn, a secure border. Turns out, Donald Trump was all talk. He wanted our votes but he couldn't deliver a thing.
But these days, my city of Mesa, Arizona, is on the move. I'm going to ribbon cuttings every single week all because Joe Biden and Kamala Harris reached across the aisle and they delivered for my conservative community and countless more across the country.
My hero, John McCain, taught us to put country over party and that's how Vice President Harris and Governor Walz will lead, too.
I have an urgent message for the majority of Americans who, like me, are in the political middle: John McCain's Republican party is gone and we don't owe a damn thing to what's been left behind.
So, let's turn the page. Let's put country first. Let's put adults in the room where our country deserves. Thank you.
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